The Sydney Gazette Tuesday 16 November 1830 p.2
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196520
MURDER OF CAPTAIN LOGAN
BY THE BLACKS AT MORETON
BAY.
It is our heartrending task to record
one of the most barbarous murders ever
perpetrated by the Aborigines of this
Colony.
Captain Logan, of the 57th regiment,
Commandant of Moreton Bay, had for
some time been diligently employed in
surveying that part of the territory, and
executing a chart for the public service.
His labours having been nearly completed,
he left the settlement on the 18th ultimo,
to make his final survey–and which, alas
proved to be final in the most awful sense
of the word. He was accompanied by a
boat's crew and one private servant.
On
the morning of the fatal day, when they
had reached about fifteen miles beyond
the Lime kilns, situated about seventy
from the coast, a group of natives made
their appearance, and manifested a very
unfriendly feeling towards the party;
in the afternoon, however, the lamented
Commandant ordered his horse, saying he should take a solitary ride,
and return to the encampment in time for
dinner. The party respectfully remonstrated with him against venturing alone,
the natives having shewn so menancing a
disposition in the morning; he laughed,
and said he had often encountered them
in the bush, and had more than once frightened them by presenting an empty bottle
instead of a pistol.
Full of spirits, and a
stranger to fear, he rode off–never to
return. The afternoon wore away, the
shades of evening came on, the darkness
of night set in-but no appearance of the
Commandant. After a night of the strongest
anxiety and alarm, the party proceeded, at
daybreak, in quest of their unfortunate
master; but having spent the whole day
in fruitless search, they hastened back to
the settlement, and reported the mysterious circumstance. Not a moment was
lost. Captain Clunie instantly despatched several parties in the directions
most likely to lead to the desired discovery, with orders to scour the bush
with the utmost minuteness.
On the fifth
day, one of these parties descried a
saddle hanging from the branch of a
tree, the stirrup leathers of which had
been cut away ; it proved to be the
one on which the Commandant had travelled, and on examining the earth it
was observed that the saddle had been
trailed along, leaving marks of its course
upon the surface. These marks they
proceeded to trace, and in a short time
found the Captain's waistcoat, much
stained with blood, and his pocket compass and other instruments scattered
about and much broken. Pursuing
the marks, they at length came to the
lifeless body of the horse, and a little
further on discovered the mangled
remains of the murdered Commandant,
loosely covered with leaves and earth,
the feet protruding, and woefully mangled by the native dogs.
The body was
inspected by Mr. Cowper, the surgeon
of the settlement, who found no difficulty
in proving that the horrible act had been
perpetrated by native weapons. The
head had been dreadfully beaten with
waddies, and the side pierced with a
spear. The corpse was carried to the
settlement, where an inquest was held,
and the above facts proved in evidence.
The afflicted widow and two children
arrived at Sydney on Sunday last, by the
Governor Phillip; their feelings no
words can describe. The remains of
the deceased are being conveyed hither
by the Isabella, and may be hourly expected.
The Sydney Gazette Tuesday 16 November 1830 p.2
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196521
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1830.
In another column we report the par-
ticulars of the murder of Captain Logan,
the late Commandant of Moreton Bay,
by the black natives. It was a horrid
deed–such as, thank Heaven!–has
rarely stained the aboriginal race of New
Holland. It is such cold-blooded butchery as this, that has stirred up the entire population of the sister-colony, to
sweep the murderous savages from the
country they have soaked with human
gore, and to place them where their ferocity cannot reach the unoffending settlers.
The Sydney Monitor Wednesday 17 November 1830 p.2
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32074535
Intelligence arrived in Sydney, on Sunday,
by the Governor Phililip, of the murder of
the late Commandant at Moreton Bay. It
appears that when exploring accompanied
by a boats' crew, he left them while they
were engaged in cooking some provisions, and
went on horse-back into the bush, and not re
turning, they made search after him without
effect, They returned to the settlement. A
party was despatched by Captain Clunie, to
renew the search. After five day's search
they found the body of Captain Logan, and
also the carcass of his horse. Both had evidently been dead some days. Some earth and
leaves had been thrown over the body. The
head was. beat in, and the surgeon declared
the blows had been inflicted by the waddies of
the Natives. The body had also been mangled by the native dogs, and altogether exhibited an awful spectacle. It is reported, that
some run away Convicts were seen among
the Blacks, previously to Captain Logan's last
departure.
The Sydney Gazette Thursday 18 November 1830 p2.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2196543
(Government Order. No. 22.)
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
Sydney, Nov. 17, 1830.
HIS Excellency the Governor
publishes, with Feelings of deep
Concern, the following Copy of a Letter
from Captain Clunie, 17th Regiment,
conveying Intelligence of the melancholy Fate of Captain LOGAN, 57th,
late Commandant at Moreton Bay,
who was murdered by the Natives,
when completing a Survey which he had
commenced last Year.
It would be painful to dwell on the
Particulars of this distressing Event.
Every one who is capable of estimating
Captain Logan's Character—his Zeal—
his chivalrous and undaunted Spirit,
will deplore it.
He had held for a Period of four
Years the Command at Moreton Bay—a Situation, from the Character of the
Settlement, of the most troublesome and
arduous Description. He did not, however, confine himself to the immediate
Duties of his Command ; but had on
several Occasions, at great personal Risk,
explored the Country to a considerable
extent ; and on one of these discovered a
River, which, in Compliment to his Services, was named the "Logan" as will
he seen by the Government Order of the
16th July, 1827, No. 27.
The Circumstances of Captain Logan's Death, prove that the Ardour of
his Character was not to be restrained
by personal Considerations. His Life
was devoted to the Public Service. Professionally he possessed those Qualities
which distinguish the best Officers ; and
in the Conduct of an extensive Public
Establishment, his Services were highly
important to the Colony.
The Governor, though He deeply
regrets the Occasion, is gratified in expressing his Sentiments of Captain Logan's Character and Services. He is
assured that every feeling Mind will
sympathise with the afflicted Widow,
who, with her infant Family has, by an
Act of savage Barbarity, sustained a Loss
which cannot be repaired.
As a Tribute to the Memory of this
meriiorious Officer, His Excellency
requests that the Gentlemen of the Civil
Service will join the Military in attend-
ing the Funeral, of which due Notice
will be given.
By His Excellency's Command,
ALEXANDER M'LEAY.
"Moreton Bay, 6th Nov. 1830."
Sir,
"It is with feelings of unfeigned sorrow the duty devolves upon me, of reporting to you, for the information of
His Excellency the Governor, the
melancholy death of Captain Logan,
late Commandant of this settlement."
The particulars relative to this unfortunate event are nearly as follows :—
"On the 9th ultimo, Captain Logan,
accompanied by his servant and five prisoners, proceeded from Brisbane Town
in the neighbourhood of Mount Irwin,
and the Brisbane Mountain, with a view
of completing his chart of this part of
the Colony. It appears, that when near
the Pine Range, the party were attacked by a large assemblage of Natives,
who, however, on a shot being fired,
ceased to annoy them ; the party then
proceeded on their journey, and Captain
Logan, after traversing part of the
country, was on his return home, on the
17th ultimo, when, not far from the foot
of Mount Irwin, he left the party, desiring them to proceed to a place he
pointed out, and where he said he would
join them in the evening.
From some
unfortunate misunderstanding, however,
he was unable to do so; and on the 18th
the party, believing he would proceed
immediately to the Limestone station,
took their departure also for that place,
where they arrived the following evening. Finding that Captain Logan was
not there, as they expected, and having
seen many Natives on the day previous,
their fears were naturally excited, and
three of them immediately returned to the
place where Captain Logan had left them,
while the others came here to announce
the distressing intelligence.
"As we naturally concluded he had
fallen into the hands of the Natives, and
hoped he might be a prisoner and alive,
parties were sent out in every direction
to endeavour to meet them ; while, in the
mean time, his servant and party found
his saddle, with the stirrups cut off, as
if by a Native's hatchet, about ten miles
from the place where Captain Logan
had left them, in the direction of the
Limestone station. Near to this place,
also, were the marks of his horse having
been tied to a tree, of his having, himself,
slept upon some grass in a bark hut,
and having apparently been roasting
chesnuts, when he had made some
rapid strides towards his horse, as if
surprised by the Natives. No further
traces, however, could be discovered ;
and though the anxiety of his family and
friends was most distressing, hopes were
still entertained of his being alive, till
the 28th ultimo, when Mr. Cowper,
whose exertions on this occasion were
very great, and for which I feel much
indebted, discovered the dead horse
sticking in a creek, and not far from it,
at the top of the bank, the body of Captain Logan, buried about a foot under
ground. Near this also were found papers torn in pieces, his boots, and part of
his waistcoat stained with blood."
From all these circumstanccs, it
appears probable that, while at the place
where he had stopt for the night, Captain
Logan was suddenly surprised by the
Natives, that he mounted his horse
without saddle or bridle, and, being unable to manage him, the horse, pursued
by the Natives, got into the creek, where
Captain Logan, endeavouring to extricate him, was overtaken and murdered.
"Mrs. Logan, having adecided objection to the remains being interred here,
has requested they may be forwarded to
Sydney by the Isabella, while she and
her family proceed by the Governor Phillip; and, it being the opinion of both the
medical officers here, that in her delicate
state of health, proceeding without a
medical attendant would be attended
with much danger, I have been induced
to sanction Assistant Surgeon Murray
accompanying Mrs. Logan, as, in the
present healthy state of the settlement,
the services of one medical officer can
be dispensed with for a short lime."
I have, &c. &c,
"J. O. CLUNIE," Captain, 17th Regiment, commanding Detachment"
"The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary,
&c., &c., &c.,
Sydney."
Notes
See the poem and song that related to this event - A Convict's Arrival aka The Convict's Lament at the Death of Captain Logan and Moreton Bay
