. 



NEW SOUTH WALES, 



rove them into a barn, and after tying their 

 hands behind them, the cowardly miscreants 

 stabbed them, till two died beneath their hands. 

 The third made his escape, by jumping into the 

 river, and though to assist him in swimming he 

 could only make use of his feet, yet with this 

 disadvantage, and the savage murderers of his 

 companions firing constantly at him, he reached 

 the opposite bank alive, and soon joined his 

 own far more innocent people. 



The governor, oil being informed of this cir^ 

 cuius tance, with his usual goodness sent directly 

 to the place, where the bodiesof these poor victims 

 were found buried in a garden, stabbed in several 

 places, and their hands tied as described. Powell 

 and the other murderers were taken into custody, 

 and a court being assembled, they were tried for 

 the wilful murder of the two native boys.. 



The evidence produced to the court perfectly 

 established that the deceased had died by means 

 of the prisoners; and the members of the court 

 were unanimously of opinion that they were 

 u guilty of killing two natives ;'• but instead of 

 passing a sentence of death, a special reference 

 was made to his Majesty's Minister, and the 

 prisoners were admitted to bail. 



By way of a defence the prisoners brought 

 forward a cloud of witnesses to prove a number 

 of white people had been killed by the natives; 

 but most undoubtedly could these people have 

 been properly understood, proofs had not been 

 wanting, of the wanton and brutal manner in 



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