Correspondence with the Colonial Secretary's Office

called "Shepherd Tommy" who lives with Mr Bulbi. Mr Turbayne followed a a few minutes afterwards. While "Turbayne", "Jones" and "Shepherd Tommy" were shooting the black's dogs at the camp. I went into the scrub to drive out the puppies. after I had killed two I went further into the scrub to see if I could see the blackfellows I had heard had been shot. I found three. I saw what I took to be bullet wounds on one blackfellow. This was the first body I saw and was about fourty yards from the camp. I did not examine the other two. One ball seemed to have entered the top of the skull, another the chest, the other was lower down the opposite side. He was lying on his back. One of the bodies had been then burnt. They were all grey headed. One was very much so. Mr Hardie went into the same scrub just before me, but we soon took different directions. Mr Hardie returned from the scrub in about ten minutes. He directed a boy to take up their tin pots. Two blackfellows and a gin followed us to the camp. The gin took up an oppossums rug in which was a puppy when Mr Hardie said "come out of that or you might get shot like the old men" or words to that effect. He afterwards made her kill the puppy. The two blackfellows gathered all the dead dogs into a heap and burnt them with some of the blackfellows clothing. I heard Jones the Storekeeper ask Mr Turbayne "if he had seen him", Mr Turbayne replied "yes" and described to Jones the manner in which he lay. From the description he gave of the manner in which he lay I took it to be the blackfellow who had the appearance of having received the three balls I have before refered to. Mr Turbayne said to Jones in my hearing, "I thought there had been four shot but I have only seen three". I did not hear Jones make any reply. If he made any reply it was it was out of my hearing. This was just before we came away. We were out of the scrub at the time about half an hour. This was on Christmas day. Lieut Wheeler and the Native troopers had left that morning before I went to the scrub the second time. The dogs were Shot about midday.

[signed] Francis Henry Farrington

Taken and acknowledged upon oath on the head Station Fassifern before me on this Third day of January 1861 [signed] Henry Challinor J.P.

Alexander Balbi being duly Sworn States I am the landlord of the Bush Inn Fassifern. On Christmas day last several blacks came into my place requesting me to allow them to sleep in my stable because the black Police had been shooting some old blackfellows in the scrub in one of the Paddocks belonging to Mr Hardie. I told them they could sleep in the Paddock attached to my house and I would protect them there. This was about eleven or twelve o'clock in the forenoon. They continued to sleep in my Paddock a few nights and appeared very much frightened of the Native Police persuing them to that place. I saw the bodies of three blackfellows lying dead in the said scrub when I went there on the third instant. From the appearance the camp presented to me that day I should think it would have been suddenly deserted by the blacks. Dillies, broken spears, shields and articles of clothing lying scattered about. I was desired by the Coroner to go with him and bring my blackfellow named "Shepherd Tommy" as a guide to where the bodies were lying. I had not seen them since they were shot before that day. I recognised two of them. They were very old and decrepid men.

[signed] Alex Balbi

Taken and acknowledged upon oath before me at Ipswich this fifth day of January 1861. [signed] Heny Challinor J.P.

John Hardie Grazier being duly swornstates. I am a Joint Proprietor of the Fassifern Run. I remember the twenty fourth day of December last I was present at the head Station on that day. I did not leave the Station till about twelve or one o'clock about noon that day. I returned to the Station about five or six o'clock in the evening. I returned to dinner. We dine about half past seven o'clock generally. I am not aware personally of anything having occured on the head Station that day. I heard conversation some time that day of something having occured. A man told me there was a dead black fellow lying in the ajoining scrub. It was John Jones who told me he was lying there. I am not certain whether it was the evening of the twenty fourth of December or on the morning of the following day that he told me. I think it was the same day that he told me that I went and saw the body lying there. He looked to be an elderly man. He was lying just inside the edge of the scrub close to where some blacks had been camping. The body was not burnt when I saw it. It was the day before the black's dogs were sShot that I saw the body. I told them, (the blacks) if they did not remove their dogs I would destroy them. They did not remove them so I got them destroyed as they were hunting the horses in the paddocks. I requested the dogs to be collected and burnt that they might not create an offensive smell. Some blacks assisted