Old-time Echoes

Southern Cross, Volume 15, Issue 41, 1 February 1908, Page 11

Old-time Echoes

EARLY DAYS IN TASMANIA. TROUBLES WITH THE BLACKS. (By Mrs Irvine in the Hobart Mercury). No. 11. KILLING A GIRL WITH WADDIES. "The same mob perpetrated another terrible outrage on the same occasion. The man who had come to give us warning—l believe he was a constable —was taking a young woman, who was an assigned servant, from one farm to another in the same neighbourhood. They were passing along a ridge overlooking the hut of Clark, the old shepherd, and the blacks were then at the hut. The man in charge of her told her that the blacks were near, and whatever she did she must not make a noise. The unfortunate girl, however, at once became so frightened that she screamed with terror, and in a few minutes a party of savages made for them, and killed the poor girl with their waddies. The man who was with her rushed among a herd of cattle not far off, and there stooped down among them until the blacks had moved on. Then he came and gave the alarm to us in the manner I have already described. It was he whom I thought was Tom, the shepherd. The next day my grandmother sent men to the hut, and had the charred remains of the poor old shepherd removed and decently interred . ’ ’ ANOTHER TRAGEDY. “I remember a servant of Captain Wood, of Dennistoun (father of Mr J. Dennistoun Wood, M.H.A., the present owner), marrying and taking- his wife to live with him on a little farm at a place called The Den, near Both well, a locality w-hich was a great resort of the blacks at that time. He said he was not afraid of them. Shortly afterwards' his wife had twins. One morning ho set out to do some ploughing at a little di?v tance from the hut, tolling his wife to keep inside the hut -with the door barred. When he returned in the evening he noticed the door open, and shouting, ‘My God, something has happened !” he rushed up, and found the body of his wife lying across the doorway, with the head battered in, wffiilst the two babies had evidently been taken by the heels an<i dashed against the doorpost. SCATTERING THE ENEMY.

"After that we had three soldiers protecting us. The “blacks got very cunning, and used to watch their opportunity for attacking a homestead. One day, whilst two of our party of three soldiers had gone to Hamilton to report to Captain Vicory, a party of natives concealed themselves near our house. A scout would approach as near as he could, watching. and would place himself in an attitude to resemble a burnt slump. On that occasion the soldier who was left at the homestead rushed into the house shouting, ‘ The blacks! The soldier was lying on a bed in

the hut close to the house, when something drew his attention, and he moved his head on one side, when a spear passed close to his head and stuck in the woodwork, whereupon he rushed to give us the alarm. My father at once got his cruns out and armed with men and made for the blacks. They were always very terrified of fire-arms, and when they saw they were being approached in that way they jumped into a lagoon, dived most of the way across it, and escaped on the other side. They did this twice. On the second occasion 3 was seated at the window, and saw what appeared to be a stump move. I pointed it out to my father, who said, ‘Yes, and you will see it run away directly. They were again af> tacked, and escaped through the lagoon ,in the same way. "My father was well known to keep a good stock of guns and ammunition, and this made the blacks cautious, and kept the bushrangers off. As to tiie bushrangers, we were reputed among them to be very kind to our assigned servants, and they left ua aloneBURNING WOOL.

‘‘About the latter end of the twenties the sheep were shorn for their comfort, but there being no market for the wool, and little or no means of transport, it was frequently put into heaps and burnt. On on* ©as casion, I remember, my grandmother speaking of the pity it was to see such such good wool destroyed, so she bad some sent to Scotland and woven into some splendid blanket©,

which were sent out to her, and I had one of them as a memento for many years.” PORT ARTHUR DAYS. Mrs Irvine has a very vivid recollection of Port Arthur in the days when that convict settlement was in full operation, having resided there with her husband for seven years. At that time, about 1845, there were as many as 1,300 prisoners at the settlement. Mrs Irvine said :—" The prisoners were all clean and orderly. There had been a great deal of exaggeration in connection with the descriptions of Port Arthur and the treatment of the convicts.” Mrs Irvine said :—‘‘Look how many came on and did well. In those days there was charming society at Port Arthur. We had the commandant and his clerks, the superintendent and his clerks, Mr Lempriere, deputy-assist-ant commissary-general and his clerks and two military officers with a detachment of soldiers:, two clergymen (Church of England and Roman Catholic), and two doctors.” ‘■‘Any lawyers ?” ‘‘No, no, it was a peaceable settlement. The officers had families in residence, all intellectual, musical, and delightful people. The officials had beautiful gardens, kept in perfect order, and it was at that time a wonderfully favourable place to grow' all kinds of flowers, vegetables, and other products. I do not remember a single case of violent misconduct there, so orderly were the prisoners there. We used to have as servants from among those sent there, people who had been in the service of British nobility, and they were many of them, splendid servants. As my father said in his published account of Port Arthur, ‘ That one penal settlement in Tasmania has furnished a thousand texts for a thousand fallacies.” AN IRISH PATRIOT. "1 remember Smith O’Brien, the Irish patriot, being at Maria Island, and his attempted escape. It was nearly successful, and the daughter of an official was suspected of aiding and abetting in the venture. He -was then sent to Port Arthur. At that time my husband was in charge (Mr Courtney, the superintendent, having left for England), pending the arrival of Mr Boyd, and when Smith O’Brien left, he wrote a very nice letter to my husband, thanking him for the kindness and consideration ho had displayed towards him.” Subsequently, upon leaving Tasmania after a period on ticket-of-loave, Smith O'Brien wrote to the late Mr Tarleton, stipendiary magistrate, Hobart, from Bryn Estyn, New Norfolk, a letter dated July 2nd, 1854, as follows :

"Sir, —I cannot leave Tasmania without offering to you my acknowledgments for your gentlemanly conduct in the painful relation —that of a ”1301100 magistrate towards a prisoner—which subsisted between us during my residence at New Norfolk. —I have the honour to be, "Your obedient servant, William S. O’Brien.’’