Attack on Aboriginal people - Billy Lolly and either Kitty or Polly at Maryborough (April or May_ 1856) [Event].pdf - Gilburri

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FRONTIER CONFLICT AND THE NATIVE MOUNTED POLICE IN QUEENSLAND Attack on Aboriginal people - Billy Lolly and either Ki… Attack on Aboriginal people - Billy Lolly and either Kitty or Polly at Maryborough (April or May? 1856) Location Label Attack on Aboriginal people - Billy Lolly and either Kitty or Polly at Maryborough (April or May? 1856) Coordinate (152.685841, -25.540833) GDA94 Location type Town Pastoral district and/or region Wide Bay; Maryborough Location description escorting the blacks and two white men to the lock-up [in Maryborough] Location notes/issues Have mapped a general location in Maryborough township Event details Day and month of event April or May? Year of event 1856 Nature of event Attack on Aboriginal people Minimum number of people killed 2 Names of people killed and details Billy Lolly and either Kitty or Polly (Aboriginal people) Perpetrators Other Named Perpetrator 1 Constable Heyward/Harwood Cause/reason In response to Billy Lolly throwing sticks at the constable while they were chained and being escorted to the lock up Description of event "Lieutenant Traine [sic; should be Irving], in charge of a detachment of the native police, apprehended ve aborigines for stealing potatoes from a garden in the vicinity of Maryborough, but, on the way to that township, whither the native police were conducting them by water in a boat, two of them e ected their escape by jumping out of the boat and swimming ashore. The other three, named Billy Lolly, Kitty, and and Polly, were handed over to the Maryborough police, and the evidence of the robbery before the Bench not being complete, the blackfellow and the two gins were remanded to the lock-up for eight days. Whilst a constable, named Heywood, was escorting the blacks and two white men to the lock-up, it appears the blackfellow Billy Lolly, threw sticks at the constable who, irritated at those proceedings, red his piece twice, he says, once at the blackfellows head to intimidate him ; but, on discharging his musket the third time, loaded with ball, the shot struck the blackfellow, passed through the unfortunate fellow and lodged in the black woman next to him; both, subsequently, died of their wounds. The blacks, it appears, were secured by their legs to a chain, so as to prevent escape being possible. Why the constable red at all appears at present mysterious. The matter, I believe, was investigated before the Mary-borough Bench, and the proceedings are to be submitted to the Attorney-General. In the meantime, the constable is at large ; but it is hoped the matter will undergo a thorough investigation before the proper authorities at head-quarters, so that a full explanation of the cause of this extraordinary slaughter may be made manifest." (Empire, 26 May 1856, p5). "Sir—In one of the recent numbers of your journal appeared a very partial version of an occurrence which took place here, and as it bears unfairly on the individual alluded to, I now furnish you with a statement, which I assure you is correct. Some months since, and shortly after the murders of poor Furber and his son-in-law, the blacks cleared out for the Bunga Bunga feast, (a sort of nut which grows in great abundance in various localities in this district,) and left us for a time uncursed by their presence, but as winter approached, and more pro table quarters were desirable, they returned, and signalised their arrival by visiting Mr. Cleary's garden, and stealing therefrom a large quantity of potatoes and other edibles : fortunately, Lieutenant Irving, of the Native police, with his troop, arrived the same night—was quickly on their trail, and succeeded in capturing some four or ve, besides recover-ing most of the stolen produce. They were handed over to the police, and as Constable Harwood was escorting two from the court to the look-up, having two other pri-soners in his charge, the blacks, cheered on by some at a distance, coming to some sticks, suddenly seized thom, and began a furious assault on the constable. After trying to keep them o , he red, the shot taking a double e ect. Now, sir, the matter was inquired into, and the constable, who was fully borne out in his state-ment by the other prisonors whom he had in charge, was considered to be fully justi ed in what he had done, as he had no alternative between letting the prisoners escape, or perhaps losing his life. But it does appear to me that there is a large class living at a distance, and knowing nothing of the toils, privations, and dangers of the set-tlers in these far away districts, keep their indignation snugly bottled up at any aggressions by the "poor" blacks, but ready to burst forth at any appearance of retaliation by the whites. " (Empire, 24 June 1856, p5). Associated NMP o cers Irving, Samuel James Crummer Other associated individuals Harwood (sometimes Haywood), rst name unknown Lolly, Billy Polly (or Kitty) Reference Contemporary reference (earliest source for event) Empire, 26 May 1856, p5 Date of rst reporting of event (earliest known date) 26 May 1856 (though there might be a police inquiry earlier than this) Reliability of source(s) (e.g. whether the observation was from a rst hand witness, a police report etc) Second-hand Other sources (e.g. modern/secondary references) for the event Empire, 24 June 1856, p5 Documents 2 entries Title Text File Tools Empire, 24 June 1856, p5 THE NORTHERN DISTRICTS. To The Editor of the Empire. Sir—In one of the recent numbers of your journal appeared a very partial version of an occurrence which took place here, and as it bears unfairly on the individual alluded to, I now furnish you with a statement, which I assure you is correct. Some months since, and shortly after the murders of poor Furber and his son-in-law, the blacks cleared out for the Bunga Bunga feast, (a sort of nut which grows in great abundance in various localities in this district,) and left us Title Text File Tools for a time uncursed by their presence, but as winter approached, and more pro table quarters were desirable, they returned, and signalised their arrival by visiting Mr. Cleary's garden, and stealing therefrom a large quantity of potatoes and other edibles; fortunately, Lieutenant Irving, of the Native police, with his troop, arrived the same night— was quickly on their trail, and succeeded in capturing some four or ve, besides recovering most of the stolen produce. They were handed over to the police, and as Constable Harwood was escorting two from the court to the look- up, having two other prisoners in his charge, the blacks, cheered on by some at a distance, coming to some sticks, suddenly seized them, and began a furious assault on the constable. After trying to keep them o , he red, the shot taking a double e ect. Now, sir, the matter was inquired into, and the constable, who was fully borne out in his statement by the other prisoners whom he had in charge, was considered to be fully justi ed in what he had done, as he had no alternative between letting the prisoners escape, or perhaps losing his life. But it does appear to me that there is a large class living at a distance, and knowing nothing of the toils, privations, and dangers of the settlers in these far away districts, keep their indignation snugly bottled up at any aggressions by the "poor" blacks, but ready to burst forth at any appearance of retaliation by the whites. Look back to the murders of Leichhardt, Kennedy, Cunningham, Strange, and many whose "names are never heard;" and has any steps been ever taken by our paternal Government, in consequence? But their fates will, to some extent, be avenged by a cause that is slowly but steadily working its way—I mean the progress of civilization. Melancholy it would be to contemplate, were there one redeeming trait in their character, which there is not— lthy in their habits, cowardice, treachery, and cunning their Title Text File Tools component parts— their race is doomed. Distant it may be, but the time will come, when these beings "bearing the outward resemblance of men" —will be numbered with the things that were—and their places will be lled by others of a nobler race, and this glorious land will become what the God of Nature designed it to be, " rst ower of the earth, rst gem of the Sea." ... OBSERVER. Warwick, June 17,1856. Empire, 26 May 1856, p5 MORETON BAY. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Two BLACKS SHOT.—By a person recently arrived in Brisbane, from Maryborough, Wide Bay, intelligence has been brought of the shooting of two blacks at that place by a constable. The particulars furnished me by the party in question are simply these:— Lieutenant Traine, in charge of a detachment of the native police, apprehended ve aborigines for stealing potatoes from a garden in the vicinity of Maryborough, but, on the way to that township, whither the native police were conducting them by water in a boat, two of them e ected their escape by jumping out of the boat and swimming ashore. The other three, named Billy Lolly, Kitty, and and Polly, were handed over to the Maryborough police, and the evidence of the robbery before the Bench not being complete, the blackfellow and the two gins were remanded to the lock-up for eight days. Whilst a con-stable, named Heywood, was escorting the blacks and two white men to the lock-up, it appears the blackfellow Billy Lolly, threw sticks at the constable who, irritated at those proceedings, red his piece twice, he says, once at the blackfellows head to intimidate him ; but, on discharging his musket the third time, loaded with ball, the shot struck the blackfellow, passed through the unfortunate fellow and Title Text File Tools lodged in the black woman next to him; both, subsequently, died of their wounds. The blacks, it appears, were secured by their legs to a chain, so as to prevent escape being possible. Why the constable red at all appears at present mysterious. The matter, I believe, was investigated before the Maryborough Bench, and the proceedings are to be submitted to the Attorney-General. In the meantime, the constable is at large ; but it is hoped the matter will undergo a thorough investigation before the proper authorities at headquarters, so that a full explanation of the cause of this extraordinary slaughter may be made manifest.