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PROCEEDINGS
OF THE POLICE AT KANGAROO
ISLAND.
WE
have pleasure in submitting, to public notice, a narrative of the
operations of
the party of police in the late expedition to Kangaroo Island,
under command of Mr Tolmer.
Mr Tolmer with Mr Shaw, and
seven men, sailed for the island on the 15th
August, in the Hawk. On the
16th they called at Rapid Ray to take in Sergeant Naughton, and on the
same
day landed at Hog
Bay, where
they encamped.
The next few days were spent in searching the country in the
neighbourhood of Western River, Hog
Bay,
and Creek
Bay. On
the 22nd they captured McDonald
and Scotson.
On
the 24th they arrived at Kingscote, and placed their prisoners (with
consent of Mr. Woodruffe) under
guard, in a house formerly occupied by Dr. Harvey.
Mr. Tolmer having
heard that the other parties he was in search of, were
at Western
River,
determined to sail for that
place, and Mr
Woodruffe kindly consented to accompany the party. On the 25th they
started for Western
River, leaving
three men in charge
of the prisoners. The same day they came in sight of Freestone Harbour.
The moment they were seen, Gilks the deserter from the 96 h. and one of
the Vixen prisoners started out of a hut and
ran off into the scrub. In the neighbouring creek the party found the
boat
stolen from Mr
Snowdon, and they learned that Gilks and his companion were on their
way to Kingscote
to barter wallaby skins for flour. Mr Tolmer as a ruse left three men in the hut, concealed
under a bed,
and went out to sea. In the evening Gilks came with a gun and looked
in,
but at that moment one of the men blew his nose, and the scheme was
baulked. It
afterwards appeared that Gilks had left a damper behind, and he
was so
hungry that he was determined to rush the hut that night, in order to
obtain
it, but the Prussian (Smith) who was with him, was not "game". The
party in the boat proceeded to Western River
to capture two
black women, who were said to have been left there along with one of
the soldiers,
being; assured that without their assistance the men could not subsist.
On
arriving at Western
River they
found marked
on the time board* in the hut, the words, "started for Kingscote on the
24th."
[*
The Islanders keep a board in their houses, on which the days of the
month and
week are marked, usually with chalk.]
The
party then returned to Freestone, and Mr. Tolmer determined to track the gang in the interior of
the island, as he felt convinced that they had arranged to meet. He was
confirmed in this, by a note received from police constable Lamb,
stating that
Gilks, the Vixen runaway, and the
Prussian had been at Kingscote, that they had captured the latter,
and
that after a severe struggle with Gilks, he and his companion had got
clear off
and had gone in the direction of Threewell River.
It appeared afterwards that the Vixen
runaway had joined his mate and the
black women
in the interior, but that Gilks had taken a separate course, and had
ultimately
reached the head of the island. Mr Tolmer now secured the services of "Betty" and
"Wab," two black women, Bates's and one of Warland's, the latter a Van Diemen's Land native, the best tracker in
the island.
Such are the astonishing powers of these women, that in the course of
one day,
after falling in with the tracks, they travelled a distance of 23
miles
through scrub, without once losing the tracks. The party started from
Freestone
on the 28th, with four days provisions in their knapsacks; the tracks
first led
them to Threewell
River,
where Stein a
German settler, told them that Gilks and a soldier had begged for
bread, not
having had meat for three days. Here also they heard that McDonnell,
the
prisoner first taken, had escaped from Dr Harvey's house at Kingscote.
He had
taken advantage of some little indulgence of the policeman on guard,
got
possession of a knife, and handcuffed as he was, rushed past the
policeman (who
happened to be unarmed), shouting "liberty or death."
On
the 30th the party pursued tracks which led them right into the centre
of the
island, the tracks were those of the two Vixen
men, the two black women, and a number of dogs. About 5 o'clock in the
afternoon when close to Rush Lagoon,
the native
women suddenly stopped, put their hands to their noses, and said that
they smelled
smoke. They said the white fellows were at a break wind about a mile
off. The
police remained till dusk at the lagoon, they then moved forward to
leeward of the fire that the dogs might not scent them, and heard the
soldiers
laughing and talking to the black women. Mr. Tolmer thought it
more prudent to defer the attack till the morning,
as in the dusk the parties could easily escape in the scrub the moment
the dogs
gave the alarm. They retreated about 100 yards, and camped for the
night
without a fire. For the sake of warmth they huddled all together, some
of them
soon began to snore, and Mr Tolmer was forced to keep constantly poking at the
snorers to
prevent them being heard by the dogs. Day had no sooner broke than the
party moved
forward, and such was the caution used, that Mr Tolmer had his
hand, upon the throat of a sleeping soldier before
the dogs gave the alarm. It is
curious, that
though the prisoners had not the slightest idea that they were pursued,
the men
had a presentiment that they were to be caught that morning, and the
women had also said, the police were
near.
The
police and Mr
Woodruffe arrived at Kingscote on Saturday 31st August, rested on
Sunday, and
on Monday 2nd September the police started in two parties after
McDonnell and Gilks,
each party having a native woman as tracker. Mr Tolmer was much
knocked up, having had only one day's rest since he
landed and rode part of the way on the gigantic horse, the only one on
the
island. Betty, Mr
Shaw's tracker, having mistaken the tracks, the parties met at Jacobs'
hut, Morrison's Point. Gilks had been at Jacobs', and had told him that
he had been two days without food, that he had lost the flint of his
rifle,
and that he was going back to Western River.
Wab was sent out
to trace him; she returned in two hours, with a very satisfied look,
sat down,
and commenced to smoke. On being asked about Gilks she said, “All
gammon — he
is at Creek
Bay."
Mr Tolmer then
despatched a party along with Jacobs to Creek Bay,
and remained alone at Jacobs' hut,
being too much
fatigued to proceed. He had given his pistols to one of the men,
and retained only his carbine, which was placed near the door. He then
sat down
beside the fire, and a damper was on the table near him. Having some
idea that
McDonnell might he in the neighbourhood he determined to keep awake but
sleep
overpowered him. He was awoke by a man crying out, "There, Mr Tolmer, don't say
I am not a
man; I could have shot you with your gun." Mr T. started up
and recovered
his gun — it was McDonnell. He said he had watched Mr T. for ten
minutes, and had
crept into the hut and looked round the corner of a bedstead; he said
he had
been eight days without food, and yet he did not touch the damper. Mr Tolmer thought
that he had had
an intention to murder him, and was only deterred by the idea that
others were
concealed. Mr Tolmer gave the prisoner
damper, and got him to kill a pig, which he did in good style — he ate
enormously. Mr T.
afterwards, with some difficulty got
the
handcuffs on him — the other handcuffs he said he had thrown away in
the
scrub. Mr T. slept with his prisoner
— or rather he did not sleep, neither did McD., but watched each other
closely
the whole night, in the morning a preconcerted signal was made, and Mr Woodruffe with
some of the
settlers, came in a boat, with whom Mr Tolmer and his prisoner returned to Kingscote.
Mr Tolmer having
found the Victoria at
Kingscote went on the 6th to Freestone in
her, and brought it Snowdon's boat on
the 7th.
On
the 9th Mr Shaw
and party arrived with Gilks in custody, having captured him after a
sharp run
near Creek
Bay.
The
police having waited a few days for the Jane
Flaxman, sailed in her from the island on the 12th, with the six
male prisoners and the two black women who lived with them, and arrived
on the
13th at Port Adelaide.
It
was fortunate enough that the prisoners were caught at the time they
were, as
it seems they were just about to steal a boat, in order to form another
station.
Great
praise is due to Mr Tolmer for his admirable conduct throughout the whole of
this
arduous enterprise, and we are glad to add, that he was well seconded
throughout by Mr
Shaw.
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