From Western Post & Mudgee Newspaper 30 November 1861 ALLEGED MURDER OF AN ABORIGINAL An inquest was held on Wednesday at the Plough Inn, Guntawang, before W KING, Esq., M.D., coroner, on view of the body of John DUNDAR (as aboriginal), supposed to have been murdered, by a man of the name of Thomas BLACK, who was in custody. Hugh CAMPBELL, constable, belonging to the Mudgee police force, said, from information he had received, he went to Guntawang on Monday, and apprehended the prisoner on suspicion of having murdered a blackfellow; he gave the usual caution; prisoner said that he knew nothing at all about it. Tommy PENNY stated that a little before sundown they came up from the wash pen. Tommy was throwing sticks and tin kettles at one of the girls in the camp, as soon as he came up, the prisoner and deceased began to fight on account of "Johnny" saying, "what you interfere with my little girl". Prisoner began to tear Jacky's shirt off; they fought two rounds; deceased was on the ground when his shirt was being torn. He (witness) hit prisoner, and asked him what he was fighting for, and took deceased on his lap; he did not speak, and died almost immediately. Would swear that Johnny was thrown by the prisoner. Jacky had been at work all day. He was drunk, but was able to walk. Prisoner was neither sober or drunk. The little girl was deceased's wife. He (witness) was sober; he had three or four glasses of grog during the day. Henry GUMMER said he was taking his tea about sundown, when his little boy came in and said a blackfellow was beating a white man. Soon after, Tommy came and said, "Jacky is dead". He went with Mr. GOLDSMITH to the camp, who told them not to bury the body. His hut was about sixty yards from the camp. He saw as he was standing at his door, a man, but could not say it was prisoner. When he went with Mr. GOLDSMITH, there was no one but the aborigines. White men frequently visited the blacks' camps. Mary Ann GUMMER, wife of the previous witness, confirmed her husband's evidence, adding that she was almost certain that the prisoner was the man who was fighting the blackfellow, there were no other Europeans near the place. Arthur Thomas PIGGOTT CUTTING, said he had viewed the body and was of opinion that deceased came to his death by concussion of the brain attended by extravasation of blood. The jury returned a verdict that "John DUNDAR came to his death by injuries received in a scuffle with the prisoner, Thomas BLACK, at Guntawang, on the 26th November". The coroner committed the prisoner to Bathurst to take his trial for manslaughter. ***END*** N.B. All care has been taken to transcribe the above accurately, however errors may have been inadvertently made. Spelling of names/places should be as appears in original. Transcribed from microfilm available from the State Library. Annette Piper Coolah NSW