[Editor: This article, regarding the theft of clothing, was published in The Evening Mail (Fremantle, WA), 9 July 1906.]
Black thieves
Many at Menzies
Menzies, this day. — The Menzies police were apprised of a theft of clothing, which was perpetrated by a nigger at Woolgar. The culprit was caught wearing the apparel, which was stolen from a camp.
On arriving at the scene, Mounted-Constable Dunkley discovered that the aboriginal had been released, and had effected an escape into the mulga, where his chance of capture was very remote.
Of late petty thefts by the blacks have been very numerous, and the “move-on clause” has been rigidly adopted by householders when the niggers make their appearance begging alms.
Source:
The Evening Mail (Fremantle, WA), 9 July 1906, p. 1
Editor’s notes:
black = in the context of Australia, an Australian Aborigine; can also refer to: Africans, South Asians (from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, etc.), Pacific Islanders, or any dark-skinned people
mulga = in a geographic context “mulga” refers to an area where mulga trees grow in large numbers, i.e. a largely unsettled area
nigger = a black person; someone of black African racial background; in an historical Australian context, “nigger” could refer to 1) an Australian Aborigine, 2) a Pacific Islander, also known as a kanaka, 3) someone of black African racial origin, also known as a negro, or 4) someone of black Central Asian racial origin, such as people from India (“nigger” is usually regarded as a derogatory term, except that it was also used as a neutral term in historical practice, and except when used by or between people of a black racial background)
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
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