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DEATH OF THE LAST MALE ABO-
RIGINAL OF TASMANIA.
The last male of the aboriginal natives
Tasmania, William Lannè, better known a
"King Billy," died on 3rd inst. at the Dog
and Partridge Hotel, Hobart Town. Lannè
had for some years past followed the pursuit
of whaling, and he arrived about a fortnight
previously, in the bark Runneymede after
a cruise of some months' duration, and
took up his abode at the Dog and
Partridge. On the 19th ultimo he complained
of illness, and proceeded to Dr. Smarts
dispensary, where he obtained some medicine
On 26th nltimo, however he was seized with
choleraic diarrhoea and took to his bed, when
Dr. Atherton' was sent for and attended the
unfortunate man until the 3rd instant,
when seeing that his circumstances were not
favorable to recovery, he ordered his removal
to the hospital. Lannè got up about 2 o'clock,
and was dressing for the purpose of being
conveyed there, when he expired. He had
since his return led a very intemperate life,
showing a great partiality for rum, and his
constitution, thus enfeebled, was unable to
conquer the disease.
The remains were interred in St David's
cemetery on Saturday afternoon, 6th. inst.
The coffn was covered with a black opossum
skin rug, fit emblem: of the now all but
extinct race to which the deceased belonged;
and on this singular pall were laid a couple of
native spears and waddies, round which were
twined the ample folds of a Union Jack,
specially provided by the shipmates of the
deceased. It was then mounted upon the
shoulders of four white native lads, part of
the crew of the Runnymede who volun
teered to carry their aboriginal countryman
to his grave. Their names were - John
Silvester, John Timms, James Davis, and
George Attwell. The pall was borne by
Captain Hill, of the Runneymede, himself a
native of Tasmania, and by three colored sea
men, John Bull, a native of the Sandwich
Islands, Henry Whalley, a half-caste native
of Kangaroo Island, S.A., and Alexander
Davidson, an American. The chief mourners
were Captain M'Arthur, of the whaling bark
Aladdin, and Captain Bayley, owner of the
whaling bark Runneymede. Among the mourners
were nearly all the masters of vessels in port,
and many gentlemen connected with the
whaling trade. There was also in a large
muster of old colonists and native born
Tasmanians. As the procession moved along
Liverpool and Murray-streets to St. David's
Church it gathered strength, and was
followed by a large concourse of spectators,
The Rev. P. H. Cox read the service, and
preceded the body to the grave, clothed in his
surplice. On leaving the church the proces
sion numbered from a hundred to a hundred
and twenty mourners, and the event re-called
to the minds of the old colonists present
many an intresting episode of the early days
of the colony, and of that race the last male
represatsative of which was about to be con
signed to his tomb. At the cemetery the
Rev. Mr. Cox read the second portion of the
impressive burial service of the English
Church, and the grave closed over "King
Billy" the breast-plate on whose coffin bore
the simple inscription "William Lannè died
March 3rd, 1869. Aged 34 years."
THE BODY STOLEN,
The body had been removed from the Dog and
Partridge Hotel, where the man died; to the
dead-house at the Hospital, and on an order
being sought for its removal to the under
takers, it was refused, on the ground that as
the body was of 'the greatest scientific value,
the authorities were determined to protect it.
An application to the Colonial Secretary met
with the same reply, and the hon. Sir Richard
Dry sent positive instructions to Dr. Stokell,
resident medical officer of the Hospital,
that the body, of "King Billy" should be pro
tected from mutilation. Just previous, to the
starting of the funeral rumours got about to
the effect that the body had been tampered
with, and Capt. McArthur, Mr. Colvin, and
some other interested in the deceased, from
his connection with the whaling trade, re
quested that the coffin should be opened in
order to satisfy their minds that the ceremony
of burial was not altogether "a vain show."
This, was done by Mr. Graves, and the body
was seen by those who desired to see it, in
the condition which will be hereafter de
scribed. The lid was then again, screwed
down, and at the suggestion of some of those
present,the coffin was sealed. In connection
withl this part of the proceedings a singular
incident occurred. On a seal being asked for,
it was found that there was not such a thing
in the institution, but on a search being made
in the dispoisary an old brass stamp was
found, and on its being impressed upon the
wax it left the simple word "world." What
such an odd seal could have been cut for is
unknown, but its turning up under such
oircumstances, and its accidental use to seal,
down the coffin of the last man of his
race, is a circumstance so singular
as to be worth recording. Notwithstand
ing the precautions above referred to, the
body, of poor " King Billy" has not been re
spected; nor does the grave around which so
many persons gathered on 3rd inst., contain
a vestigo of Tasmania's "last man." It is a
somewhat singular circumstance that although
it has been known for years that
the race was becoming extinct,
no steps have ever been taken in
the interests of science to secure a perfect
skeleton of a male Tasmanian aboriginal. A
female skeleton is now in the Museum, but
their is no male, consequently the death of
"Billy Lannè" put our surgeons on the alert.
The Royal Society, anxious, to obtain the
skeleton for the Museum, wrote specially to
the Government upon the subject, setting
forth the reason why, if possible, the skeleton
should be secured to them. The Government
at once admitted ,their right to it, in prefer
ance, to any other institution, and the Council
expressed their willingness at anytime to fur
nish casts, photographs, and all other, particu
lars to any scientific society requiring
them. ' Government, however, declined to
sanction any interference with the body,
giving positive orders that it should be
decently buried ; nor did they feel at liberty
to give their sanction to any future action
which might be taken ; although it is needless
to say that so valuable a skeleton would not
have been permitted to remain in the grave,
and possibly no opposition would have been
made to its removal had it been taken by
those best entitled to hold it in the interest of
the public and of science, and without any
violation of decency. Besides the Royal
Society, it seems that there were others
who' desired to secure "Billy Lannè's"
skeleton, and who were determined to
have it inspite of the positive orders
of the Colonial Secretary. The dead-house at
the Hospital was entered on the night of 5th
inst., the head was skinned and the skull carried
away, and with a view to conceal this pro.
ceeding the head of a patient who had died in
the hospital on the same day, or the day pre
viously, was similarly tampered with and the
skull planed inside the scalp of the unafortunate
native, the face being drawn over so as to
have the appaarance of completeness. On
this mutilation being discovered the members
of the Council of the Royal Society were
greatly annoyed, and feeling assured that the
object of the party who had taken the skull
was afterwards to take the body from the grave,
and so possess himself of the perfect skeleton,
it was resolved to take off the feet and
hands and to lodge them in the museum, an
operation which was carefully done. The
funeral then took place as above described,
These reports occasioned a very painful
impression among those present at the funeral,
and a deputation consisting of Messrs. Colvin,
M'Arthur and Bayley waited upon Sir Richard
Dry in the evening; and requested that steps
should be taken to have the grave watched
during the night. Sir Richard at once acqui
esced in the propoal, and instructions were given
to the police, but in some way they miscarried,
possibly owing to the fact that they were not
communicated through his Worship the
Mayor, and the consequence was that the
grave was found disturbed on Sunday morning,
7th inst., when Constable Mahony reported that
the earth had been removed, that a skull had
been found lying on the surface, that a part
of the coffin was visible; and that the ground
surrounding the grave was saturated with
blood. During the morning this report spread
through the city, and several hundreds of per
sons visited the, cemetery in the afternoon.
On the facts being communicated to Sir
Richard Dry, he, in company, with the hon. Attorney General visited the grave, where
they were met by Mr. J.W. Graves. The
skull foudd one the surface was buried in their
presence, and a genera examination of the
ground was made Sir, Richard Dry, stated
that Dr. Crowther waited upon him on Satu
day morning, 6th inst., prior to the muti
lation being reported, and made a request that
the body should be granted to him, in order
that he might secure, the skeleton for the
Royal College of Surgeons, England. Sir
Richard Dry informed the Doctor of the prior
claim of the Royal Society, and expressed his
opinion that if the skeleton, was to be pre
served at all, it should be in the
Hobart Town Museum, where all scientific
enquiries respecting the aboriginal race would
most probably be made. Dr. Crowther con
curred in this view, and received an assurance
from Sir Richard that, should say future
opportunity present itself of securing a skele
ton for the Royal College of Surgeons from
among the graves of the aborigines, without
violating the feelings of individuals or of the
community, that should he Sir Richard con
tinue in office no impediment would be placed
in Dr. Crowther's way.
The discovery of thes horrible facts in the
shape above detailed occassioned the most in
tense excitement throughout the colony, and
the feeling, of disgust increased more and
more as fresh revelations noted below came to
light. On Monday, 8th instant, the Govern
ment held an enquiry at which Dr. Stokell
and others stated that Dr. Crowther, an
honorary medical officer, and his son, a
student, were the only persons in the dead-
house of the Hospital on the evening upon
which the skull of the aboriginal was ab
stracted; but nothing was elicited relative
to the body. The Ministry suspended Dr.
Crowther as an honorary medical officer of
the Hospital, which was confirmed by the.
Board of Management, who further dismissed
young Mr Crowther as a student. Dr.
Crowther, however, the same day, forced his
way into the Hospital accompanied by the
Superintendent of Police, &c., stating that
the body was there. A door was broken open
but nothing was found. On 10th instant Dr.
Orowther published a letter in one of the
newspapers in which the following sentence
occurred:-"Such matilations as cutting off
hands and feet, and opening out of the head,
really took place at the hands of Dr. Stokell,
and were, to say the least of it, offensive to
decency, totally uncalled for, and done for
the purpose of creatirg a sensation." It
further stated positively that the body, was
removed from the grave by Dr. Stokell, and
that that gentleman was engaged in the Hos
pital on Sunday, the 7th, in preparing; the
skeleton for the Royal Society. Thus comp
licated the matter was allowed to
remain for several days, when Dr. Stokell
replied to Dr Crowther's letter reiterating his
statement as to Dr. Crowther having the head,
and admitting that he, accompanied by a
party of men, took the body from the grave on
the night of the funeral. He asserted that
the grave was left in as decent a state as that
in which they found it and that the fact that
a part of the coffin was afterwards discovered
unearthed and the white man's skull lying on
the ground proved that another party of body
snatchers (probably Crowther's) had
visited the cemetery during the same night.
About the same time it became known that the
constables set to watch the grave by the Col.
Secretary were removed by Superintendent
Propsting in person shortly before midnight,
and further, that he and several constables were
actually amongst the party that took the body
from the grave. The feelings expressed by the
public on these matters being disclosed com
pelled the Government to institute another
enquiry, and a. Commission was appointed
consisting of Messrs. W. Tarleton (chairman),
Chas. Colvin, and Isaac Wright, but strangely
enough their powers were very limited, they
being instructed merely to enquire is to the
mutilation of the head in the Hospital.
Before this Commission Dr. Stokell
repeated his statement as to Dr.
Crowther, but the latter gentleman refus
ing to attend the Commission tended to con
vince the public that he was the guilty party
so far as the abstraction of the head was con
cerned. As might be expected a commission
limited to an enquiry into only one of many
offences turned out an entire failure, and ter
minated in the resignation of Messrs. Colvin
and Wright. A sham trial was now entered
upon, Dr. Stokell being charged at the Police
Court before the Mayor with cutting off
Lannè's head. This trial was instituted in
order to compel Dr. Crowther to make a state
ment. He was put upon his oath, but refused
to answer any questions as to whether he took
the head, whether he knew who did, or
whether Dr. Stokell took it. Of course this
was another failure, and the case was dismissed;
but Dr. Crowther's extraordinary conduct con
demed him in the eyes of the public. And thus
the matter remains at the present time, and
it seem somewhat strange on the part of the
Government that it should be so. With proof
before them of several of their employees hav
ing gone directly against positive instructions
the Ministry fail to see that the mutilation of
the body of an aboriginal and its removal
from to grave are offences worthy of punish
ment. The trunk, hands and feet are now in
the possession of the Royal Society of Tas
mania, and the skull is held by Dr. Crowther
- he having admitted as much.
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