Massacre at Owen Springs

Date: 1 Jan 1887 – 31 Dec 1887
Place: Owen Springs
Event type: massacre
Direct violence: Yes
Alec Ross, Manager of Undoolya Station from 1880, wrote in The Register, (Adelaide) in 1928 (p 6): 'The same trouble was experienced at Owen Springs and all the places mentioned on the Finke. We petitioned to the South Australian Government to allow the police officer at Alice Springs to organize a body of black trackers to assist the trooper in stopping the cattle killers. This was granted, and six of the best boys from southern stations were placed under MC Wurmbrandt who had them well drilled in a short time. It had a wholesome effect, and cattle killing came to an end. I have known the blacks in those days to spear 13 head of cattle at Simpson's Gap, and never took a steak off any of them. To my knowledge, they were never cruelly treated by the whites. It was the custom to kill cattle frequently for the natives, hoping that this would prevent them from spearing so many on the run. It had no effect, as they seemed determined to drive every settler out of the country, but in the native police ��� like the old saying, "Set a rogue to catch a rogue" ��� they found that there was no getting away from these boys, and they soon became quiet and useful.'

Sid Stanes (Trish Lonsdale Collection, Reel 22 side 2), an old Central Australian stockman, said this in an oral history: 'When they killed Harry Figg out there [1884, Anna's Reservoir] they brought all the stock in from Frew River, The Reservoir, The Stirling, they shot a lot too. Wurmbrandt [sic] shot a lot of those blacks. He was shooting them wholesale and he was recalled and Cowle took his place'.
Notes:
CorroborationRating: ***
LanguageGroup: Arrernte
Victims: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People
VictimsDead: 30

People involved

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Sources

Event mentions

  • Massacre at Owen Springs
    1 Jan 1887 – 31 Dec 1887 — Owen Springs — massacre
    Alec Ross, Manager of Undoolya Station from 1880, wrote in The Register, (Adelaide) in 1928 (p 6): 'The same trouble was experienced at Owen Springs and all the places mentioned on the Finke. We petitioned to the South Australian Government to allow the police officer at Alice Springs to organize a body of black trackers to assist the trooper in stopping the cattle killers. This was granted, and six of the best boys from southern stations were placed under MC Wurmbrandt who had them well drilled in a short time. It had a wholesome effect, and cattle killing came to an end. I have known the blacks in those days to spear 13 head of cattle at Simpson's Gap, and never took a steak off any of them. To my knowledge, they were never cruelly treated by the whites. It was the custom to kill cattle frequently for the natives, hoping that this would prevent them from spearing so many on the run. It had no effect, as they seemed determined to drive every settler out of the country, but in the native police ��� like the old saying, "Set a rogue to catch a rogue" ��� they found that there was no getting away from these boys, and they soon became quiet and useful.'

    Sid Stanes (Trish Lonsdale Collection, Reel 22 side 2), an old Central Australian stockman, said this in an oral history: 'When they killed Harry Figg out there [1884, Anna's Reservoir] they brought all the stock in from Frew River, The Reservoir, The Stirling, they shot a lot too. Wurmbrandt [sic] shot a lot of those blacks. He was shooting them wholesale and he was recalled and Cowle took his place'.
    Source: NTRS 3414/Part 1, Sid Stanes, Reel 22, Side 2 (Trish Lonsdale Collection); The Register, (Adelaide) September 26, 1928, p 6 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56761342; Wurmbrand police record, NT Police Historical Society https://www.ntpmhs.com.au/post/wurmbrand-erwein; Roberts T 'The Brutal Truth' The Monthly, November 2009; Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, 2002 https://depws.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/249038/annas_pom.pdf.