This is chapter 14 of The Penal Preserve, you may want to go back to Chapter 13 or start at the beginning.

14

After these first outrages, the warfare between the Penists and the Vacationers was pretty continuous—although often petty and with grossly exaggerated details.¹ Obviously, many tall tales were repeated by lovers of the marvelous and horrible, and all the most infamous events were found to be utterly false on investigation.² Using language to compose history teaches us the difficulty of learning the truth of a story.³ Nevertheless, in the interest of thoroughness, I record here these supposed events so that you, the reader, may be the judge of their merit. To me, the story of the Vacationers is so romantic, so affecting, so suggestive, that I, perhaps, have erred in deeming the public sensitive to such sympathies.⁴

One source, who is much doubted, describes a fearful scene: a number of Vacationers, with women and children, were congregated in a gully near the shore under the shade of some madronas, standing around a large fire, cooking hot dogs, and s’mores. They were surprised by a party of Penists, who, without giving warning, fired upon them as they ate. When the Penists rushed out of the forest to take the food from the slaughtered Vacationers, they found a little child crawling near to its dying mother. One of the Penists drove his pitchfork through the body of the child and forked it into the flames of the campfire, saying it was only a child.⁵

In another infamous case, a party of Vacationers were bathing in the heat of a summer’s day, in the deep pool of a river, in a sequestered and romantic glen, when they were suddenly surprised by numerous armed Penists who had surrounded them. It is said that not one of the Vacationers survived to tell the tale.⁶

Some sources claim that it was a favorite amusement of the Penists to hunt the Vacationers, and that after they had rousted the Vacationers from their favored haunts and gorged themselves on their food, with gaiety and merriment, the Penists would wander through the bush in search of Vacationers. Sometimes they would return without sport, at others they would succeed in killing a woman, or if lucky, a man or two.⁷

In one instance, two Vacationer women and a child were walking along the beach when a Penist shot the woman with the child. The affection of the poor creature was very striking: seeing she was about to be shot, she turned her back to her executioner, placed her child between her legs and stooped down in order to save it. The bullet went through the woman’s body, and killed the child anyway. When she fell, the Penists ran up and chopped her on the neck. The other Vacationer woman was secured and was harshly treated. Such a melancholy relation!⁸

One Penist who went by the name of Carrots, was known to have boasted that, having killed a Vacationer in an attempt to carry off the man’s wife, he cut off the dead man’s head and obliged the woman to go with him, having the head suspended about her neck.⁹ It is even said that this Carrots later required the poor woman to use the head as a plaything.¹⁰ Another Penist had a pickling tub in which he put the ears of the Vacationers he had killed.¹¹ Yet another confessed that he had actually been in the habit of killing the Vacationers in order to feed his dogs.¹² Some say that the Vacationers’ children were not infrequently set up as targets to shoot at.¹³ And in at least one instance, the Penists cut the flesh off the face of a Vacationer child and made him eat it.¹⁴

In the face of such events as these, Franklin made it known that any unauthorized act of aggression, or violence, committed on the person of a Vacationer would be punished, and that all Vacationers were invited to inform him of any ill-treatment whatever in order to resolve its punishment.¹⁵ There is no record that any Penist was ever punished for such crimes, though.

Chapter 15 tomorrow, same time, same place.

The warfare, though pretty continuous, was rather a petty affair, with grossly exaggerated details. J E Calder, Some Account of the Wars, Extirpation, Habits, &c., of the Native Tribes of Tasmania 1875 ↩
Numerous fictitious fights are recorded as having taken place in the early times of the colony, and which though still repeated by lovers of the marvellous and horrible, were found to be utterly false on investigation. J E Calder, Some Account of the Wars, Extirpation, Habits, &c., of the Native Tribes of Tasmania 1875 ↩
The composition of history makes us acquainted with the difficulties of learning the truth of a story. James Bonwick, The Last of the Tasmanians; or, the Black War of Van Diemen’s Land 1870 ↩
To me the story of the Tasmanians is so romantic, so affecting, so suggestive, that I, perhaps, have erred in deeming the public sensitive to such sympathies. James Bonwick, The Last of the Tasmanians; or, the Black War of Van Diemen’s Land 1870 ↩
Brough Smyth quotes the following from Hull, whose word is often much doubted. Hull says: “A friend once described to me a fearful scene at which he was present. A number of blacks, with the women and children, were congregated in a gully near town, under the shade of some flowering tea-trees, and the men had formed themselves in a ring round a large fire, while the women were cooking the evening meal of opossums and bandicoots; they were surprised by a party of soldiers, who, without giving warning, fired upon them as they sat, and rushing up to the scene of slaughter, found there wounded men and women, and a little child crawling near its dying mother. The soldier drove his bayonet through the body of the child, and pitchforked it into the flames. It was only a child, he said!” Henry Roth, Aborigines of Tasmania 1899 ↩
They had been bathing in the heat of a summer’s day, in the deep pool of a river, in a sequestered and romantic glen, when they were suddenly surprised by a party of armed colonists who had secured the passes, and I believe not one of them was left to tell the tale. John Dunmore Lang, attributed by James Bonwick, The Last of the Tasmanians; or, the Black War of Van Diemen’s Land 1870 ↩
“It is stated also,” Mr Hull adds, “that it was a favourite amusement to hunt the aborigines; that a day would be selected, and the neighbouring settlers invited, with their families to a pic-nic. Husbands and wives, sons and daughters, would come in to the social gathering, and after dinner, all would be gaiety and merriment, whilst the gentlemen of the party would take their guns and dogs, and accompanied by two or three convict servants, wander through the bush in search of black fellows. Sometimes they would return without sport; at others they would succeed in killing a woman, or, if lucky, mayhap a man or two.” Henry Roth, Aborigines of Tasmania 1899 ↩
This was a melancholy transaction! These natives heretofore have evinced a peaceable disposition until this catastrophe happened. Two women were walking along the beach about two miles east of the Cam River when one of the men shot the woman who had a child. The affection of the poor creature was very striking: seeing she was about to be shot, she turned her back to her executioner, placed her child between her legs and stooped down in order to save it. The ball went through the woman’s body and when she fell another of the party ran up and chopped her on the neck. The other woman was secured and the child, and was harshly treated. George Augustus Robinson, 4 August 1830 ↩
A person named Carrots, since dead, is known to have boasted, that having killed a native, in his attempt to carry off his wife, he cut off the dead man’s head, and obliged the woman to go with him, carrying it suspended round her neck. Report of the Aborigine Committee 19 March 1830 ↩
Parker relates that “a man named Carrots killed a native in his attempt to carry off his wife, and having cut off the dead man’s head, he obliged the woman to follow him, it suspended round her neck, and to use it as a plaything! Henry Roth, Aborigines of Tasmania 1899 ↩
One European had a pickle tub in which he put the ears of all the blacks he shot. Henry Roth, Aborigines of Tasmania 1899 ↩
He had actually been in the habit of shooting the black Natives to feed his dogs. John Dunmore Lang, attributed by James Bonwick, The Last of the Tasmanians; or, the Black War of Van Diemen’s Land 1870 ↩
These are the sort of men who have ravished the wives and daughters of these unbefriended people, and when provoked by resistance have massacred them with impunity and set up their children as targets to shoot at. George Augustus Robinson, 23 November 1829 ↩
That the sealers cut the flesh off the cheek of a black boy and made him eat it. George Augustus Robinson, 28 May 1831 ↩
And any unauthorized act of aggression, or violence, committed on the person or property of an Aboriginal, shall be punished as herein before declared; and all Aborigines are hereby invited and exhorted to inform, and complain to some constituted authority of any such misconduct, o rill treatment, in order to its coercion and punishment. George Arthur, Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land, Government Order of April 15, 1828 ↩

14

Footnotes