Massacre at Barrow Creek (2)
Kaititja men attacked the Barrow Creek Telegraph Station in retaliation for telegraph workers raiding and 'dispersing' the Kaititja camp and abducting women. In the course of the Kaititja attack, Station Master James Laurence Oliver Stapleton and Linesman John Franks were killed.
Over the next six weeks, Police Trooper Samuel Gason '...with assistance from a constable from The Peak and staff from the Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek Telegraph Stations...carried out four punitive expeditions against Aboriginal people between Taylor Creek and Central Mount Stuart' (Barrow Creek Telegraph Station Heritage Assessment Report, 1995, p 10).
The number of people killed varies between sources. Some say that although 11 were officially recognised as killed, a higher death toll is likely and others say that 'the number of Aboriginal lives taken in reprisal for the station attack was between 50 and 90, possibly higher' (Nettelbeck & Foster 2007, p 7; Bell 1983, p 63).
One man put the figure at about 90 at Skull Creek alone (Reid 1990, pp 64-65). Kimber (1991, p 6) noted that 'MJ O'Reilly, who "got to know a member of this tribe" in c 1919, understood from the Aborigines that the telegraph station had greatly offended them because it had been built "on one of the tribe's most sacred spots"'.
Still later, TGH Strehlow, as a result of discussions with Aboriginal people in the region, suggested that 'white men of bad character', not of the telegraph station staff, had abducted young Aboriginal women and raped them; in retaliation the Aborigines attacked the white men available to them rather than the actual criminals (Strehlow cited in Kimber 1991, p 6).
'As old-timer Alec Ross related many years later, the response was swift: "They sent out messages on the wires everywhere, and the police and parties of men came up from The Tennant and The Alice and from lots of other places. And I can tell you, they did some pretty serious shooting too ��� taught the blacks a lesson they've never forgotten��� and for quite a few more months blacks would get shot in twos and threes in the whole of this district. The blacks had needed a good lesson and they got it right in the neck; they never attacked another white man along the Line after that"' (Ross cited in Bradley, 2019, p 9).
Over the next six weeks, Police Trooper Samuel Gason '...with assistance from a constable from The Peak and staff from the Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek Telegraph Stations...carried out four punitive expeditions against Aboriginal people between Taylor Creek and Central Mount Stuart' (Barrow Creek Telegraph Station Heritage Assessment Report, 1995, p 10).
The number of people killed varies between sources. Some say that although 11 were officially recognised as killed, a higher death toll is likely and others say that 'the number of Aboriginal lives taken in reprisal for the station attack was between 50 and 90, possibly higher' (Nettelbeck & Foster 2007, p 7; Bell 1983, p 63).
One man put the figure at about 90 at Skull Creek alone (Reid 1990, pp 64-65). Kimber (1991, p 6) noted that 'MJ O'Reilly, who "got to know a member of this tribe" in c 1919, understood from the Aborigines that the telegraph station had greatly offended them because it had been built "on one of the tribe's most sacred spots"'.
Still later, TGH Strehlow, as a result of discussions with Aboriginal people in the region, suggested that 'white men of bad character', not of the telegraph station staff, had abducted young Aboriginal women and raped them; in retaliation the Aborigines attacked the white men available to them rather than the actual criminals (Strehlow cited in Kimber 1991, p 6).
'As old-timer Alec Ross related many years later, the response was swift: "They sent out messages on the wires everywhere, and the police and parties of men came up from The Tennant and The Alice and from lots of other places. And I can tell you, they did some pretty serious shooting too ��� taught the blacks a lesson they've never forgotten��� and for quite a few more months blacks would get shot in twos and threes in the whole of this district. The blacks had needed a good lesson and they got it right in the neck; they never attacked another white man along the Line after that"' (Ross cited in Bradley, 2019, p 9).
Notes:
CorroborationRating: ***
LanguageGroup: Kaititja, Anmatyerre, Warumungu, Alyawarra, Warlpiri
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 50
CorroborationRating: ***
LanguageGroup: Kaititja, Anmatyerre, Warumungu, Alyawarra, Warlpiri
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 50
People involved
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Sources
- BCHAR, 1995; South Australian Register, 25 June 1874, p 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39819933; The Stringer, 20 April 2013, np http://thestringer.com.au/the-killing-times-2214#.XLBRNKQRWUm; Nettelbeck & Foster 2007; Bell 1983, p 53; Wilson 2000, pp 270-71; Reid, 1990, pp 62-65; Mulvaney, 2003, pp 44-51; Hartwig, 1965, pp 265-276; Kimber, 1991, p 6; Bradley, 2019, p 9; Roberts, 2005, pp 113-114; Daly, 1887, pp 225-226; Vallee, 2007, pp 103-109; NTTG 12 September 1874, p 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3143233; SA Gazette No 29 of 1874, pp 1335-37.
Event mentions
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Massacre at Barrow Creek (2)22 Feb 1874 – 10 Apr 1874 — Barrow Creek (2) — massacreKaititja men attacked the Barrow Creek Telegraph Station in retaliation for telegraph workers raiding and 'dispersing' the Kaititja camp and abducting women. In the course of the Kaititja attack, Station Master James Laurence Oliver Stapleton and Linesman John Franks were killed.
Over the next six weeks, Police Trooper Samuel Gason '...with assistance from a constable from The Peak and staff from the Barrow Creek and Tennant Creek Telegraph Stations...carried out four punitive expeditions against Aboriginal people between Taylor Creek and Central Mount Stuart' (Barrow Creek Telegraph Station Heritage Assessment Report, 1995, p 10).
The number of people killed varies between sources. Some say that although 11 were officially recognised as killed, a higher death toll is likely and others say that 'the number of Aboriginal lives taken in reprisal for the station attack was between 50 and 90, possibly higher' (Nettelbeck & Foster 2007, p 7; Bell 1983, p 63).
One man put the figure at about 90 at Skull Creek alone (Reid 1990, pp 64-65). Kimber (1991, p 6) noted that 'MJ O'Reilly, who "got to know a member of this tribe" in c 1919, understood from the Aborigines that the telegraph station had greatly offended them because it had been built "on one of the tribe's most sacred spots"'.
Still later, TGH Strehlow, as a result of discussions with Aboriginal people in the region, suggested that 'white men of bad character', not of the telegraph station staff, had abducted young Aboriginal women and raped them; in retaliation the Aborigines attacked the white men available to them rather than the actual criminals (Strehlow cited in Kimber 1991, p 6).
'As old-timer Alec Ross related many years later, the response was swift: "They sent out messages on the wires everywhere, and the police and parties of men came up from The Tennant and The Alice and from lots of other places. And I can tell you, they did some pretty serious shooting too ��� taught the blacks a lesson they've never forgotten��� and for quite a few more months blacks would get shot in twos and threes in the whole of this district. The blacks had needed a good lesson and they got it right in the neck; they never attacked another white man along the Line after that"' (Ross cited in Bradley, 2019, p 9).Source: BCHAR, 1995; South Australian Register, 25 June 1874, p 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39819933; The Stringer, 20 April 2013, np http://thestringer.com.au/the-killing-times-2214#.XLBRNKQRWUm; Nettelbeck & Foster 2007; Bell 1983, p 53; Wilson 2000, pp 270-71; Reid, 1990, pp 62-65; Mulvaney, 2003, pp 44-51; Hartwig, 1965, pp 265-276; Kimber, 1991, p 6; Bradley, 2019, p 9; Roberts, 2005, pp 113-114; Daly, 1887, pp 225-226; Vallee, 2007, pp 103-109; NTTG 12 September 1874, p 3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3143233; SA Gazette No 29 of 1874, pp 1335-37.