ABORIGINES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13912, 20 January 1914, Page 3

ABORIGINES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Interesting accounts of life among the aborigines have been received by the Australian Aborigines' Mission irom one of its missionaries, Miss Telfer, who is stationed at La Grange Bay, near Broome in the north-west of Western Australia. "While in Broome," writes Miss Telfer, "I took the opportunity of visiting the gaol, where they always have a crowd of aboriginal prisoners, all lying on the hard floor of the iron-barred cage, with leg irons on, and chained to one another. On Sunday I took my little organ into the prison yard, went round to every coll, and invited all the prisoners to the service. The gaoler kindly let them out, and they gathered round. They seemed most of all to enjoy the singing and the music. There were at that service (beside white men) Chinese, Japanese and Malays. The natives were not allowed out, but crowded as near as their chains would permit. They listened attentively" to all I had to say, and when it was over asked for more singing and music. lam the first missionary that has ever been seen in this part, and I am looked upon as a great curiosity. . • I hare ljstjcnofli Hi isome v^y ;l)ieaH-.'brcakin.-g stories of cruelty perpetrated upon some of the dark parents, who have had their little ones torn from" them. The natives have no redress, and nobody else cares, so this has gone on fora long time. There is a great work to be done here. The natives have. absolutely no knowledge .of God. They aro degraded and diseased."