QSA2720202, JUS/N3 Inquest 11 of 1861, Aboriginal men at Fassifern, DR87643

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Fassifern: 3 Aboriginals Found dead adjoining Scrub to Head Station 24 Dec. 1860 Believed shot by Native Police 61/1 JUS/N3

[written in left margin] Fassifern, County of Churchhill and Ipswich, County of Stanley , Queensland, to wit

Proceedings of a Magisterial enquiry upon view of the bodies, held by me on the third and fourth day of January instant at the head Station Fassifern respecting the death of the three Aboriginals then lying dead in the adjoining Scrub and subsequently adjoined to the times and places mentioned at the foot of the informations of several witnesses taken before me upon oath

[signed] Henry Challinor J.P. 29th January 1861. Ipswich.

Francis Henry Farrington being duly sworn states. I am a carpenter performing a contract for Messrs Hardie & Weinholt of Fassifern. I am working at the head station. I remember the twenty fourth of december last year. About mid-day I heard several shots fired in or about the scrub. It was opposite to where I was working and about three hundred yards off. There were several blacks about the head station. As soon as they heard the firing they looked very frightened and pointed towards the scrub. One of the blacks said to me "Black Police like him come and shoot old man like him camp". Shortly afterwards that is about twenty minutes I saw six troopers of the Native Police and Lieut Wheeler come from the direction of the scrub to the Hardie's house. He dismounted from his horse and gave it to one of the Police. He had a pistol in his hand when he dismounted. He ordered the troopers to camp outside the fence and went into the Hardies house where I was working at the time. I saw Mr. Wheeler give to one of the troopers a piece of paper which he took to the storekeepers and returned with rations. I allowed a blackfellow called Nelson and his gin "Kitty" to sleep in my hut that night as they were afraid to go camp. He said he thought his father was killed for the Black Police had been that day shooting over at the camp and he thought they had shot all the old black-fellows who were there. He said there were four old fellows there. I tried to persuade him they would not shoot them so near the head station but he would not believe me affirming that they were shot. The next morning he wanted to beg an old blanket from me as he thought his own would be burnt. I wanted him to go with me to the camp to look for his blanket and see whether the blackfellows were shot, but he would no go as he was afraid his father was shot. I went and found his blanket. I saw the camp but no blackfellows. The spears of a great many of them were broken. And their shields also. The edge of their tomahawks were beaten flat. And their clothes blankets and "dilleys" were all scattered about. About two hours afterwards I returned in company with Mr Hardie and the overseer _ Jones the Storeeeper _ a labourer called Kirkwood _ and an aboriginal

called "Shepherd Tommy" who lives with Mr Bulbi. Mr Turbayne followed a a few minutes afterwards. While "Turbayne", "Jones" and "Shepherd Tommy" were shooting the black's dogs at the camp. I went into the scrub to drive out the puppies. after I had killed two I went further into the scrub to see if I could see the blackfellows I had heard had been shot. I found three. I saw what I took to be bullet wounds on one blackfellow. This was the first body I saw and was about fourty yards from the camp. I did not examine the other two. One ball seemed to have entered the top of the skull, another the chest, the other was lower down the opposite side. He was lying on his back. One of the bodies had been then burnt. They were all grey headed. One was very much so. Mr Hardie went into the same scrub just before me, but we soon took different directions. Mr Hardie returned from the scrub in about ten minutes. He directed a boy to take up their tin pots. Two blackfellows and a gin followed us to the camp. The gin took up an oppossums rug in which was a puppy when Mr Hardie said "come out of that or you might get shot like the old men" or words to that effect. He afterwards made her kill the puppy. The two blackfellows gathered all the dead dogs into a heap and burnt them with some of the blackfellows clothing. I heard Jones the Storekeeper ask Mr Turbayne "if he had seen him", Mr Turbayne replied "yes" and described to Jones the manner in which he lay. From the description he gave of the manner in which he lay I took it to be the blackfellow who had the appearance of having received the three balls I have before refered to. Mr Turbayne said to Jones in my hearing, "I thought there had been four shot but I have only seen three". I did not hear Jones make any reply. If he made any reply it was it was out of my hearing. This was just before we came away. We were out of the scrub at the time about half an hour. This was on Christmas day. Lieut Wheeler and the Native troopers had left that morning before I went to the scrub the second time. The dogs were Shot about midday.

[signed] Francis Henry Farrington

Taken and acknowledged upon oath on the head Station Fassifern before me on this Third day of January 1861 [signed] Henry Challinor J.P.

David Punchard being duly sworn states. I am a bush carpenter in partnership with Francis Henry Farrington. On the twenty fourth of December last I was at Mr Balbi's. I went there just after breakast. I do not remember to have heard anthing when I was there about any blackfellows having been shot near the head station, but I was drinking heavily. As I returned from Balbi's on Thursday two blackfellows told me they had been shooting some blackfellows in the scrub. Mr Farrington told me next said that was the same day that I came home to the best of my recollection. I think it was on the following day I went by myself to the scrub and I saw a human body very much burnt. It was the same body that I showed the Coroner to day. It was not burning when I first seen it, but just as it appeared to day. On the Sunday following, that is on last Sunday I went again to the scrub in company with a man on the station called "Blackmore". I then found another. It was partly covered with some red article of clothing. It was the body of an aboriginal. I took it to be the body of an old man. but I did not stop to take particular notice of it as it smelled so badly. his Taken and acknowledged upon oath ) Daniel x Punchard on the head Station Fassifern this third ) Mark day of January 1861 before me ) [signed] Henry Challinor J.P. )

Charles Blackmore being duly sworn states. I am a Smith and carpenter in the employment of Messrs Hardie and Weinholt. I have been I have been spending Christmas in Limestone. While there I read in one of the local newspapers that four blackfellows had been shot in Fassifern. I returned to Fassifern the following day, that is on Saturday. On Sunday morning I went with David Punchard to the scrub in the bush paddock. I saw the bodies of two men there. One was very much burnt. The other was the body of a old black fellow, whom I thought I could recognise. I have no doubt the other was the body of a black fellow. The shooting of the blacks in the scrub I have referred to, has been the subject of general conversation on the Station. After dinner on Sunday I went again and took two other men with me belonging to the Station. [signed] Charles Blackmore Taken and acknowledged upon oath ) on this third day of January 1861 on the ) head Station Fassifern before me ) [signed] Henry Challinor J.P. )