QSA846965 1877 Depositions of crew of the Schooner Douglas 22 February, Colonial Secretarys Office In Letters, In letter 77:757, DR63971

(6) when they returned they reported the men as murdered. The mate reported the bodies as being fearfully cut up and already stinking so I sent the body of Patrick Troy sewn up in his blanket to shore and had the three bodies buried in the sand, but considerably above high water mark. The bodies were buried close in front of the house. The murders were done with the half axes, and those now produced are the weapons mentioned. There is blood on them now, tho the cabin boy wiped them the morning after the onslaughts. Finding the hands weak and exhausted and the rigging requiring repair we remained one day and then sailed for Trinity Bay and reached it after three days favourable passage. I estimate Chilcott Island to be about 270 miles E.S.E. of this port. We arrived about dusk and I sent word in by a passing boat to the pilot about our disabled state. About 10.30 PM we were boarded by the Sub-Collector of Customs and Police Magistrate, and I received all the assistance required. I omitted to mention that when we left Trinity Bay and at the Chilcott Island Mr Beaver a brother of the owners was a board.

Taken and sworn before me at Cairns the day and date before written [signed] T Harris [signed] Edward Morey PM [signed] D Spence JP

This deponent being duly sworn saith, My name is Frederick Dowdall. I am a mate on board the schooner Douglas. We sailed from Trinity Bay on the 8th Jan'y and anchored at Dunk Island to cut dunnage there. Some blacks came off and boarded us. They got tobacco and food and then went ashore again. When we were getting under weigh, four blacks came alongside and three came on deck. The other black was so illlooking the Capt'n would not take him. We then sailed for Chilcott island having the three blacks who went with us willingly and of their own accord. They helped to put their canoe in the hold. I can't say whether they knew where they were going as they could not speak English, but I am sure they went willingly. We reached Chilcott Island 7th Feb'y and moored the ship and set to work to get the gear ready for procuring guano. We were there one week The Alexandr brig left us on a Wednesday morning. We had two men on the Island that Wednesday night and two blacks. All hands turned in, keeping no watch. About midnight I heard a noise and ran on deck from the after cabin. I walked forward & saw on the starboard

(7) side a confused mob but I thought it was a row amongst our own people and I went a few steps up the fore rigging when I saw Laurie who said bear a hand up or you'll be murdered. We went on to the foreyard, and Deasy came up. He said make me fast for Gods sake for I am fainting from loss of blood. I then learnt that the blacks had done it. We were kept on the yard all night. At daylight two of the blacks came aloft but we kept them at bay with blocks. A shot was then fired aft, and the two blacks went down and we followed. One black then came at me and we closed and Laurie hit him on the head with a hand spike and Deasy struck him with an axe. The third black jumped overboard and landed on a reef, but I did not see him get away. I believe he was drowned. The Steward and I went ashore and found the two men Alexander Macintosh and Humphrey Coughlin lying dead fearfully cut about the head and neck. They appeared to have been struck as they were sitting, both being wounded at the back of the head and neck. There were no fire arms on the island, nor did I see any

axes. There was no boat left ashore that night, and the two blacks must have swam off to the ship. The bodies were beginning to smell bad. I then went off to the ship and reported the murder and the Capt'n ordered me to sew up the body of Patrick Troy, who was killed on board, and bury him with the two others on the Island. The Steward and I did so, wrapping two of the bodies up in the [unknown] and burying them above high water mark. The cook and myself being the only unwounded men had to do the work, and we remained a day before sailing. We then sailed for Trinity Bay and reached it in three days about. A Mr Beaver a brother of the owners was on board us from Melbourne until he left us at Chilcott Island and went on board the Alexandea brig. I often heard Mr Beaver talk of having a license to engage labor. This license was I believe from the Victorian Government.

[signed] Fred'k Dowdall

Taken and sworn before us at Cairns the day and date before written [signed] D Spence JP [signed] Edward Morey PM

(8) This deponent being duly sworn saith My name is Henry Thomas Fuller. I am Cook and Steward on board the schooner Douglas. I remember sailing from Trinity Bay on the 8th day of January. We were bound for Chilcott Island for guano. We touched at Fitzroy Island for water and then went to Dunk Island to cut timber for dunnage. Some blacks then came off in canoes, and three boarded us. The Capt'n ordered me to give them the old biscuit and not the new. I gave them rice also. They seemed very friendly and were laughing and moved about the deck. They went ashore again, and came back next day, but had another black, a very elderly man with them. Three came aboard, and the fourth remained in the canoe. We then set sail, and the blacks seemed to be pleased about going with us. The old man in the canoe towed astern for a bit when the string broke, and we left him. [struck out "We hoisted the other"] During the voyage the blacks seemed very friendly, singing and dancing. I heard of no row or any unfriendliness at all. They were fed three times a day with as much as they would eat. After reaching Chilcott Island we remained about a week, and I remember the night of Wednesday