Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 1/5/1875 (2)
This week, a black gin died of the measles, or its sequences, and was buried; besides the wailing cries of her friends, the fact in also apparent from the plaster of clay which every blackfellow has on his bead. This covers a severe wound on the skull, inflicted by themselves with a tomahawk at the grove of the deceased. This is their usual custom; and the blood from the wound is allowed to fall on the body, the fins at the same time inflicting au equally painful wound on their breasts with a fire-stick-as true tokens of borrow as could be exhibited by a civilised community. The ceremony was of sufficient interest to attract a great many visitors, in addiction to the numerous tribe now camping in the town. I may mention that the grave was about live font deep, and the rugs, blankets, and other worldly goods of the poor unfortunate, were burled with her.
The priced realised for booths on the racecourse were as follow: No. 1 booth, on the stand side, Mr Bignell, Royal Hotel £16; No. 2. Mr. Atkinson, Highlander Hotel, £16; No. 3, Mr. Pyke, £15; two fruit stalls £3, and two, l6s. Total - £52 l6s. There are plenty of sweeps, but no bets of any importance that I have heard of. This seems to be the point of special interest in a race, though; there may be others like myself, for whom there are few finer sights than a well-bred horse in top condition, at his heat. There is a numerous field quartered here, and the trainers report them nearly right. So, as there are some undeniably well-bred horses among them, these who have a taste that way, will soon have an opportunity of indulging it.
The Catholic Bazaar, to be held on the race nights promises to be a success.
The only Police-court business this week was granting a transfer of the Brewer's Arms Hotel, from John Dickson to H. A. Foster; a publican's license to Henry Willoughby, for Anybody's Rest, on the Moama read; and an auctioneer's license to William M’Kenzie.
The Deniliquin Assizes commenced at 10 o'clock on Monday morning, before his Honor Mr. Justice Hargrave. Mr Salamons Crown Prosecutor. James Baker, pleaded guilty to stealing a horse from Francis Gardiner, at Hay. Sentence, three months' imprisonment, his Honor remarking that he would never pass a heavy sentence where men lost their property in a state of drunkenness, and were incapable of protecting it. George, an aboriginal, was charged with the wilful murder of a blackfellow, named Frank, at Jerilderie, on the 11th December last. The jury found him guilty of man slaughter, and he was pen fenced to two years' imprisonment in Darlinghurst gaol with hard labour. John Carroll, charged with forging and uttering a cheque for £7, at Deniliquin, was acquitted.
The sittings of the Supreme Court commenced at 10 o'clock this morning, and will probably occupy the remainder of the week. There are six causes set down for trial, the bar being represented by Messrs. Balamons. Darley, und M Stephen, and in addition to the local solicitors. Mr. Read of Hay, Mr, Fitzhardinge of Wagga, and Mr. De Lissa, are on a visit here. The Sheriff Mr Cowper, attended the Assises here on Monday, and left for Sydney, via Melbourne, on the following morning.
Mr, Lindale, of Deniliquin Station, leaves for England by the Mail. Mr. G. Peppen and family, of Wanmonilla, are on their way home, and some other of the neighbouring squatters are either gone or going on a visit to the land of their birth.
The rivers are all very low. At Balranald they are taking advantage of the facilities this offers to recover some of the wool sunk last season. Mr. Lymingbord expects to get up the barge Minnie Watt in a few days, after being under water twelve months with her cargo. Mr. Hepburn has succeeded in raising twenty-three bales of wool since the diver left, and would have got several more but the packs would not stand the lifting Mr. Philben, the road inspector, is busy superintending the approaches to the bridge, and the dangers and difficulties that, have always attended crossing here and at Hay will be pretty well removed before winter sets in. He has now gone on to Wentworth for the same purpose. It gives a good idea of the difficulties of transit, to see last season's wool still on the road 260 bales passed through here this weak. At the present moment, it is not so much the roads and bridges that embarrass travellers and teamsters, as the want of water on the book roads, on most of which there are good natural facilities for farming largo reservoirs.
Farming operations are going on with a will; the change in the weather has not only cleared off much of the prevailing sickness, but the despondency under which all classes were more or less suffering. More energy and activity is now visible, and, if I may use the paradox, the more cloudy the horizon, the brighter it appear.
| ! | The text has been retyped from a microfiche copy of the original. We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged. |
