Biography

Died at 14 Mile Creek, Wild Dog (police station); Buried by Joseph J Wiltshire (Regimental No.743) at the 14 Mile on the Ord River-Wyndham road. He was speared by a native, while resting in the shade of a tree during the midday halt, while travelling from Ord River Station to Wyndham. His body was found by the teamsters Thomas Cleary and Richard/Rudolph Philchowski. A half civilised boy of about 18 years of age was arrested and confessed to the murder, saying he was egged on by the lubras, who taunted him with not being game to murder a white man. He was tried and sentenced to death, but because the evidence of identification sworn in the Lower Court was not produced in the Higher Court, he was liberated and sent back to his tribe to boast of his exploits. Further Reference: Sons in the Saddle by Mary Durack; Early Days - Journal of Proceedings of the RWAHS Vol 10, Part 1, 1989 (article "Monotony, Manhunts & Malice: Eastern Kimberley Law Enforcement 1896 - 1908" by Cathy Clement).