Biography

The deceased was buried about 19 miles east-north-east of Goongarrie (then known as the 90-Mile) in the Menzies district. At the head of his grave, punched in a piece of tin and nailed to a mulga tree are the words: "P MACK, AGED 31 YEARS. KILLED BY BLACKS 14/7/96".

A trail blazer, who was attacked and died 3 days later, Phil Mack and his mate, Sunshine Fowler, came to the West to find gold. On this trip, they were on their way into the 90-Mile from Hawks Nest. They pulled up to camp at the rocks where Mack met his death. It is said that he was kneeling down making a damper, with seemingly friendly natives looking on but they were Wall-Eye Joe, a native famed among his tribe for cunning, and his two gins. One of the women engaged Mack's attention by drawing lines on the ground to indicate the whereabouts of water. The man had found their small axe used to cut tent pegs and, dragging it along with his toes, struck Mack over the head. Sunshine rushed to his assistance and received a blow on his hand nearly severing his fingers. There was another party of men camped nearby and shouts quickly brought assistance - but it was too late for poor Mack. It was reported by Paul Dixon when he returned from Mt Margaret, that swift retribution had overtaken the murderer of Mack. After the outrage, the native got away wounded in company of his woman. Next morning, however, Dixon's party, when about 7 miles from the scene of the murder, found the body of the native hanging from a tree tied by the leg, into which position he had evidently been placed before a dozen bullets, the marks of which told their own grim tale, were fired into his body.

Mack never recovered consciousness after the attack. His body was sewn up in his blankets and his well-worn and blood-stained clothes were buried with him.