Description
Following the massacre of people aboard the shipwrecked Sperwer at Prince of Wales Island, Police Magistrate and Commissioner of Crown Lands, John Jardine of the Native Police led an expedition, witnessed bodies of the victims and returned with some items from the shipwreck. Memmott et al summarise several accounts of what happened during Jardine's expedition, which indicate a reprisal massacre took place (Memmot et al, 2021).
Jardine reported that '... I requested the use of two boats with their crews from Captain McAusland, of the schooner Melanie, which i got, and went over with four native troopers to the Prince of Wales Island...' (The Brisbane Courier 9 November 1869, p 3) but did not report any reprisal killing. However, by the time this was published, a journalist, R. Thatcher, had already reported that Captain McEnroe had visited the island to trade and that, 'He returned to Cape York and told Mr. Frank Jardine, the police magistrate, what he had seen and that gentleman, being a Queensland magistrate, and consequently not hampered by any absurd aboriginal protection instructions, immediately organized a party of mainland natives (Zardigans) and assisted by some Tanna men from the Melanie went over to the island, crept on the dastardly wretches at daylight, and "dispersed" the men of the tribe, justly avenging a most brutal and unprovoked outrage' (The Herald, 30 Oct 1869, p 3).
Soon after, in 1870, a letter from Chas. Edwards was published, in response to 'many incorrect statements' about 'the capture of the Sperwer' which described what happened when he arrived with Jardine: 'On anchoring near Prince of Wales Island, we found the natives unaccountably shy, contrary to their usual habit... at last we got into intercourse with them, and after buying a lot of tortoise-shell from them, they said they had a lot more in their camp, on which Mr Jardine and Captain MacAuslin started inland for the camp, much against the natives' will.' There they found the Sperwer's log book and other items. Edwards then says that a camp was rushed but some were spared in the 'skirmish' as they were related to the mainland Aboriginal people with Jardine. 'After searching Wednesday and the surrounding islands, and not finding any traces of a wreck, Mr Jardine considered it his duty to search Prince of Wales Island... Returning to Somerset, Mr. Jardine mustered a party of native police, and some natives of a neighbouring tribe; we, on Mr. Jardine's requisition, furnishing two boats with their crews, in charge of the master and mate, for transit of the party to Prince of Wales island. On arriving there the old camp was found to be deserted, and for two days the party had a toilsome search; at last the new camp was found and rushed, and a quantity of cabin gear, cooking utensils, clothes, books, some Dutch florins, &c., and amongst other things a pair of baby's worsted stockings and some exercises in algebra, written in a boy's hand, were found, but nothing else that would testify to the presence of a woman on board. Some of the island natives were related to the natives from the mainland, and were protected by them in the skirmish, and returned with the party' (The Inquirer and Commercial News, 5 January 1870, p 3).
Following this Police Magistrate Henry Chester travelled to the island with troopers and executed a further three people (Memmot et al, 2021, p 38). Memmot et al also provide later sensationalised accounts of the reprisals by the showman Archibald Meston (Memmott et al., 2021, pp 40-2).. The massacre is also recorded in Kaurareg tradition. 'Kaurareg leader Milton Savage has described a large camp on Prince of Wales Island named "Adai", aka "Thaimerau Karai" (a village campsite) in a gulley between two hills near Port Lihou Channel; "Our people survived in other campsites all around the island, but this one, the large campsite, was totally massacred"' (Memmot et al, 2021, p 42).
