Wild Toby .pdf - Gilburri

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Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 WILD TOBY versus THE WORLD   stockmen in the out-station hut THE kept looking at the sun and The men had a long ride. They were within a mile of been here by the noon the homestead when they with the stores,' they found what they sought. repeated to one 'My God, look at this.' shouted the leading horse another. man. most Sprawled side by side Supply day was a were dead a horse and the important occasion for the storeman. men who tended the stock in the lonely Dawson River 'Look at his head. Toma district, 200 miles due west hawk wounds! He's been of Maryborough. Queens speared through the back,   land, in the 1880s. It too. You know what this meant fresh food, tobacco, means!' and rum. 'Wild Toby!' muttered someone. Late in the afternoon, still hadn't The riders all nodded. the store wagon turned up. 'We'll ride towards the ' Toby homestead while it's light. WILD was     decided the stockmen. the terror of the district. 'Maybe the wagon has He was a giant aborigi broken down.' nal outlaw in whom was The men had a ride. blended the cold savagery National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (2) savagery of aheadhunter, the en 'We've scared him out durance of a champion at last, thank heaven,' the athlete, the cunning of a settlers rejoiced. bush rat, and a deadly hatred of all living crea tures. For eight He had worked for a   year or so on a Dawson months there was peace River property until he round the Dawson River, had been caught stealing until the morning the 12 and sacked. year-old daughter of a The dismissal touched squatter came galloping off a madness in his brain. into the home paddock Taking to the bush, he be screaming. came a lone wolf preying When had her parents on the white man, his calmed her, she gasped out goods and chattels. the story of a lucky escape. By night he plundered She had been out riding homesteads, stealing in in her and had reined particular whisky and to wild grim horse near some bacco. He found flowers she wished to pick. pleasure in spearing sheep and cattle. As she had prepared to Many times police and dismount, a giant black stockmen tried to track fellow had leaped from the him, but they were always scrub and tried to knock outwitted. her from the saddle. Wild Toby could cover 30 'I cut him across the miles of rough country on face with my riding crop foot in one night. and galloped away,' she said. After the brutal murder of the storeman he 'So he's back and he's is vanished. after white women now, he,' said the father grimly. At leant it was accepted 'Well have to catch him that he had, for raids on will this time. No woman local homesteads abruptly be safe alone until we get ceased, and stock were no him.' longer found In the morn ings with spears Police had no trouble in through their hearts. raising a big crowd of National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (3) horsemen, and the hunt was on. Like all the other attempts to catch Wild it was unsuccessful. Toby, Slipping through the cordon. Toby scouted a lonely homestead. There were no men about except an old, bent man working in the garden. A young woman moved in and out of the house. Wild Toby knew how white men treasured their 'gins.' He knew they would rather lose everything they possessed than see their women injured in any way. Like a shadow he crept on to the verandah and into the homestead. The crippled gardener happened to glance up and saw a giant black running swiftly away from the house with the boss's wife of six weeks over his mighty shoulders. The old man shouted as   loudly as he could. His   cries were useless, as the boss and his stockmen were out mustering cattle. Slowly and painfully the cripple caught a horse, adjusted saddle and bridle and rode to spread National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (4) the alarm.   Every man in the dis- trict saddled up when the news went round. Somewhere in the scrub Wild had Toby a young white woman at his mercy. The least the riders ex pected was to find the girl dead. They were afraid to think any further. For a day and a night Wild Toby maltreated the young wife shockingly, then left her semi-con scious in the scrub where the searchers found her. One ofthe most thorough man hunts in Australian history fol lowed. Groups of horsemen scoured vast areas. Three weeks passed and Wild Toby was still unsighted. Then the keen eye of young Mounted Constable James Edwards saw a bush move. He galloped forward. Wild Toby broke from cover and ran. When the trooper drew near, the black turned quickly and hurled a spear, his only weapon. It just missed the rider, who closed in and dropped the racing black with a blow from his pistol butt. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (5) Members of the con stable's party had ideas on how the captive should be treated. But the officer insisted that the killer had to be taken in and formally tried for his crimes. 'It's more than a day's ride to the nearest police station at Taroom,' said Constable Edwards, 'and I'm all in. I'll have to find some place to keep him for the night.' One of the riders had an idea. 'There's a cellar at the homestead over yonder that would make a good lock-up,' he suggested. Edwards took his prisoner to the near-by property and inspected the cellar. It was ideal— 18 ft. long, 8 ft. 'deep, and lined and roofed with great squared logs. 'He couldn't possibly es cape from there.' decided the officer. 'But I wont risks. I'll chain take any him to the logs.' National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (6) Quietly the giant abori ginal squatted in a corner while the chains were care fully adjusted. 'Sure you don't want someone to stand guard?' asked one of the search party. Constable Edwards shook his head. 'He'd have to take the cellar with him. We can all have a good sleep,' he said. Wild Toby didn't sleep. Immediately the cellar door slammed shut, he began his chains. testing He continued to strain doggedly until he felt a link giving. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (7) Heartened, he increased A log moved slightly. For his efforts until the link hours he worked at it until free. He could parted. He was free to it came feel the earth wall. Into move round the cellar. this he dug steadily, mak Carefully he tested the ing an upward passage. door. It was solid. Next morning. Constable In the darkness he Edwards opened the cel shuffled round the walls, lar door to inspect his putting his shoulder against prisoner. 'He's gone.' he yelled. the great squared logs that lined them. Wild Toby had achieved the seemingly impossible. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (8) on The search was on all the bank.' over again. (Continued 5) on Page A report reached the police that the wanted man, or someone like him, had been seen near Juan dah Station. Sergeant William Wright, Constable James Dwyer, and a black - tracker, all from Taroom, rode out to investigate. They found nothing. After making camp one evening, the officers dis cussed the position. 'We've been travelling south-east for a long time,' said Sgt. Wright, 'and I've it. a feeling we've overdone I don't think Wild Toby could have come this far.' 'Don't underestimate the beggar,' argued Constable Dwyer. 'He has prodi gious stamina which he employs with cunning. He may want you to reason as you are doing.' 'We're wasting time,' re torted the sergeant. Dwyer pulled out a map, and studied it. 'There's a creek a few miles further on. What about making that our south-east limit? There's just a chance that Wild Toby may have gone to it for water. If he did, we'd surely find his tracks on National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (9) BY GEORGE BLAIKIE National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (10) sergeant shrug said Sergeant Wright. THE ged. 'Oh well. We 'Not a thing,' replied might well try your Dwyer. as The blacktracker insisted idea. There's nothing that he could see a thin to lose. We'll turn in column of smoke from a now. Good night.' fire that must surely be close to the creek. At dawn, the two officers 'We'll have to take his and the blacktracker rode word for it,' said the ser slowly towards the creek. geant. 'Well ride forward. Six miles short of their Be ready for trouble in target, the blacktracker case we meet Wild Toby.' halted and pointed ex Further on, Dwyer ex citedly into the air. claimed: 'I see the smoke from blackfellow now. It's from a blackfel 'Smoke fire,' he cried. low's fire, all right.' The policemen stared Sergeant Wright also hard. sighted the slender column. if I can Gradually the smoke dis 'Hanged see any thing, can you, Dwyer?' appeared. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (11) 'Whoever it is is putting fire. and the his fire out,' said the ser 'Put your hands up, geant. 'Well have to hurry. Wild he shouted We'll aim to hit the creek Toby,' well away from the fire. suddenly, levelling his pis tol. Then we'll follow the bank up.' The aboriginal calmly looked towards him, show ing no surprise and mak THE three men   ing no attempt to move. acted on this plan. Finally 'Come on,get them up,' sighted the fire that snapped Dwyer, gesticulat they ing. was barely smoulder now ing. Three long spears stood upright, their butts in the ground beside the embers. A heavy nulla nulla was close by. he is.' hissed 'There Constable Dwyer. 50 yards from the About fire stood the black giant. He seemed to be resting against the butt of a dead tree. 'He has no weapon with him.' whispered the ser geant. 'Thank heaven for that. We'll move round and get between him and his spears and nulla nulla, then we'll have him.' 'I'll take him,' said Dwyer eagerly. 'You two keep me covered.' Dwyer dismounted and drew his heavy service re volver. With a bushman's skill,he noiselessly placed himself between Wild Toby National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (12) native He looked a Lazily the obeyed. at tremendous creature with his hands head. full stretch above his backtracker rode up The sergeant and the covered prisoner, and the the white man with a pistol, the tracker with a rifle. 'I'll handcuff him while   you keep him covered.' called Dwyer, moving in quickly.       He held out the hand cuffs. Wild Toby lowered things happened his arms. The native Then quickly, suddenly drew his foot out right from beneath covering Gripped between the big a of leaves. and first toes a split second was tomahawk. a In he transferred the weapon to his right hand and it Constable Dwyer's head. buried in Sgt. Wright pumped four heavy slugs into Wild Toby in quick scoring   succession, hits in chest and stomach. A white man would have gone down and stayed down from at least three of the wounds. National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (13) But the primitive black did know not he was a dying man. With a terri fic burst of speed he dashed past the dead con stable and got to his nulla nulla 50 yards away. Sergeant Wright galloped after him. Wild Toby hurled his nulla nulla. His aim was poor, but it was good enough to strike the officer in the hip and cripple him for life. Wright was almost un horsed by the hard blow. Wild Toby took advantage of the sergeant's plight to snatch a spear. Before he could throw it. Wright took a snap shot that struck the native in the jaw. Wild Toby crashed to the ground unconscious. Painfully Sergeant Wright dismounted and called his blacktracker. But the man, who like all aborigines had lived in understandable terror of Wild Toby, believing him superhuman, had de serted. Carefully Sergeant Wright examined the prone native, still afraid National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095 Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1951, page 4 (14) of some new trick. The heart beat was very weak. Wild Tobyhad at last played out his reign of terror that gained him the reputation of the most savage native in Austra lian history. He died soon after wards. Constable Dwyer was buried on Juandah Sta tion. And the tomahawk that killed him is now one of the 'treasures' of the Police Museum in Bris bane. NEXT WEEK: 'Gilkes and the 'Blood ' hounds.' National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55743095