Tantanoola Tiger 1911

MILLICENT (S.A.), Thursday. Several years ago a tiger was alleged to be at large at Tantanoola. The scare died away, but a possible solution of the mystery is afforded by the discovery of an organised system of sheep stealing and slaughtering.

On December 4 Messrs. Frank Osborne and C. F. and J. P. Burchard left Tantanoola to shoot snipe on Lake Bonney flats. While searching in Mr. James Chant's big scrub paddock, Mr. Osbourne's attention was arrested by a dreadful stench. He traced the cause of the smell to a dense clump of tea-tree half a mile away. The thicket seemed impenetrable, but among the fringe of low shrubs Mr. Osborne noticed a well- worn path winding through the undergrowth. He followed it, and was astonished to find that it led to the face of a high palisade of tea-tree behind thick bush, cunningly planted in mud, which covered a narrow race leading to the heart of the jungle. Mr. Osborne pluckily ventured into the winding passage for a distance of 25 yards, and found a corral 20ft. by 30ft. hewn out of the jungle.

The place was like a shambles. Freshly killed sheep and lambs were strewn in all directions. Overhead wires were drawn from wall to wall, and long lines of skins were drying with the flesh still red and wet.

Mr. Osborne left the spot, and returned with Mr. C. Burchard, who had also been investigating. They counted 13 skins on wires, and 15 sheep just killed. Here and there were carcasses in various stages of decay, half buried in the mire. Mr. Burchard waded to the end of the corral, and found another race leading deeper into the labyrinth. He followed it, and found a large corral in which were two sheep and lambs, freshly killed. All the sheep bore Mr. James Chant's brand. Only a couple of days had elapsed since the killing, but innumerable bones and skulls and putrid filth revealed the magnitude of the "tiger's" operations.

No time was lost in placing the facts before the proper authorities. Special officers are investigating the matter, and the strictest secrecy is being observed.

The thieves had chosen an ideal retreat, the nearest dwelling being several miles away, and the place is rarely visited, except to muster sheep three or four times in the year. The paddock lies between the long bed of impenetrable tea-tree swamp and the hummocks. It is dotted with shrubs and tussocks, in which an army could be concealed. Several hundred sheep are grazing in the locality.

The second corral is larger and more carefully built than the first, and evidently most of the slaughtering has been done here. The sheep, which were clearly branded, were left rotting until the wool could be plucked. Everywhere the place was littered with mouldering carcasses and whitened bones and skulls, which could not have been bleached to such an extent in less than three seasons. The place apparently has been used for years. An attempt had been made to clear the working space by thrusting the carcasses in spaces in the walls, but business increased beyond the "tiger's" accommodation, and he worked knee-deep in the putrefying mess. At the far end, a way of escape in case of surprise had been cleverly fashioned with bushes overhead, affording shelter from the rain if forced to remain in hiding.

News was received from Tantanoola this afternoon that another slaughtering pen had been found a quarter of a mile from the other plant. It has evidently not been used for a considerable time. There were 14 old carcases in the corral, and appearances indicate that many sheep had been slaughtered there before another site was chosen. The construction is similar to that of the other place, except that the shrubs and cuttings were planted with the idea that they would grow and obliterate the passage.

C. Edmonson, a well-known resident of Tantanoola, was arrested tonight in connection with the affair.

MILLICENT (S.A.), Friday. - The sheep-stealing revelations at Tantanoola have provided the greatest sensation the district has known for many years. It is believed that disclosures will be made of the operations of what is alleged to be an organised gang of thieves. Messrs. James Chant and J. C. A. Nitschke have lost hundreds of sheep and theirs were not the only flocks molested. If it were possible to search the dense ti-tree swamps thoroughly, it is considered that many similar "plants" would be discovered.

The finding of 57 freshly slain sheep and evidence of previous slaughtering greatly disturbed the graziers of the district, and when a month had elapsed, and the culprits had not been traced there was a growing feeling among pastoralists that sufficient was not being done to unravel the mystery, and an indignation meeting of members of the Pastoralists' Association was about to be convened to protest against the apparent inactivity of the Police department. Detective Allchurch arrived last Tuesday, and, disguised as a tramp, visited the place where C. Edmondson, who has been arrested on a charge of sheep-stealing, had been camping in the scrub while rabbiting. He frequented the locality for two days, without the slightest suspicion being aroused regarding his identity. The arrest made at the Tantanoola Hotel last night created a sensation, and there roars of laughter when it became known that the disreputable "Weary Willie" was an Adelaide detective.

Edmondson, who was removed to the Millicent goal in charge of Detectives All-hurch and M'Mowbray, was this morning charged before Messrs. S. J. Stuckey and H. F. L. Holzgrefe with having feloniously stolen and killed 57 sheep, the property of James Chant on or about December 1. The police obtained a remand for 12 days. Bail was granted in two sureties of £200 each, but bondsmen were not forthcoming, and accused was removed to the Mount Gambier gaol. Edmondson is a thin man, over 6ft. high and aged about 40 years. He is an experienced bushman.

[By Telegraph.]

ADELAIDE, January 6.

The tiger's lair has become quite a show place among people aware of its existence. The locality is seven miles from Tantanoola and fifteen miles from Millicent. The occupants chose an ideal retreat. The nearest dwelling is several miles away, and the place is rarely visited except to muster sheep three or four times a year. The paddock lies between a long belt of impenetrable ti-tree swamp and some hummocks dotted with shrubs and tussocks in which an army could be concealed. Several hundred sheep were grazing in the locality. The plant would never probably have been discovered but for the chance search of a party in the vicinity for snipe as such would not have been noticeable a few days earlier or later.

The corral is within a mile of the place where the task of discovering an illicit whisky still baffled the police in the early, days. The first thought suggested by the appearance of the scrub outside the corral was that the tiger must be a remarkably, clever drover to get sheep in where two or three experienced men, with trained dogs, would have the utmost difficulty. The work had been facilitated by wire netting races, which were carefully removed after each drive. The greatest care had been taken to preserve the natural appearance of the undergrowth. The track was invisible except near the entrance, where fresh trees had been regularly cut and planted in the mud. The opening to the race having been most ingeniously cloaked, a race 2 ft. 6 in. wide had been made. The cutting of it had been a heavy undertaking. The trees are 3 in. in diameter, and there is no room to swing an axe. The heavier timber provided a solid footing, and the lighter branches were interwoven with the growing stuff at the sides. In the first yard the walls tower 12 ft. high.

The second corral is larger and more carefully built. Evidently most of the slaughtering was done here. The sheep, which were clearly branded, had been left to rot until the wool could be plucked. Everywhere the place was littered with mouldering carcases and whitened bones and skulls, which could not have been bleached to such an extent in less than three seasons. The place had apparently been used for years. An attempt had been made to clear a working space by thrusting carcases in the space in the walls; but the business increased beyond the tiger's accommodation, and he worked knee deep in a putrefying mess. At the far end a way of escape in case of surprise had been cleverly fashioned, with bushes overhead affording shelter from rain if forced to remain in hiding.

News was received from Tantanoola yesterday that another pen had been found a quarter of a mile from the other plant. It had evidently not been used for a considerable time. There were fourteen old carcases in the corral, and the appearances indicated that many sheep had been slaughtered there before another site was chosen. The construction was similar to that of the other place except that the shrubs and cuttings were planted with the idea that they would grow and obliterate the passage.

The revelations provided the biggest sensation known in the district for' many years. Disguised as a tramp, Detective Allchurch visited the place where Edmondson had been camping in the scrub. While rabbiting he frequented the locality for two days without the slightest suspicion being aroused as to his identity. The arrest was made at the Tantanoola Hotel last night and created a profound sensation. There were roars of laughter when it became known that "Weary Willie" was an Adelaide detective. The accused was charged with having feloniously stolen and killed fifty-seven sheep the property of James Chant. The police obtained a remand for twelve days.

MILLICENT. January 9.

Detective Allchurch is still enquiring into the circumstances connected with the discovery of the "tiger's" lair at Tantanoola. On Saturday, acting on information received, Allchurch found five additional corrals in the dense jungle, all within a mile of the camp occupied by the arrested man Edmondson. One enclosure had been used as a shearing pen, the sheep having been liberated after the wool had been removed. In the other four pens, all of which were most ingeniously concealed, the detective found the dead bodies of sheep in small numbers, while skim were found drying on wires. Information has been elicited from the name source that 1,000 sheep were to be brought from Coola Station next year and shorn in a specially constructed shearing pen, after which the alleged thieves intended to "turn the game up." It is believed that the scrub along the shores of Lake Bonney is literally honeycombed with similar plants, but Allchurch has been too busy to make a thorough examination. A search party found the dead body of a valuable pony stallion in the vicinity of the largest corral. There was a bullet wound in its chest. The searchers were also shown a place where a bullock had been slain, evidently in order to account for the stench arising from the dead sheep in the event of the latter being noticed by passers by. The police have been informed that an early cessation of operations was contemplated by the thieves, because of the presence of red spiders. These tiny insects infest all teatree country, attacks horses, cattle, and human beings. They are too small to detect with the naked eye, and the victim is first aware of their attacks about two days afterwards, when innumerable pimples appear. These be come itchy and irritating, and the effect is maddening. Nearly every visitor to the "tiger's" lair has been attacked by this "teatree itch."

The scene of the next operation was to have been the Pinnaroo district. Yesterday several drayloads of sightseers left Millicent to see the lair. Photographers were conspicuous in the crowd, which numbered 200. Extraordinary interest has been aroused in the south-east, and postcard photos of the discoveries are selling like hot cakes. The "Tantanoola tiger" is the universal topic of conversation. The date of the preliminary hearing of the charge against Edmondson is fixed for January 18, at Millicent.

It is extremely abundant during the warmer months, especially January. This larval form is chiefly found amongst the undergrowth beneath the Tea-trees. It has several local names, such as ‘The Robe Mite’, ‘Tea-tree Mite’, and ‘Red Spider’. Persons walking in the Tea-tree scrub, or camping therein, are often badly bitten by this pest, and sometimes severe irritation, which may last for days, is caused by its bites. It is pretty certain that this mite, known variously as the ‘Scrub Itch Mite’ of North Queensland, and also ‘Tea-tree Itch Mite’ of South Australia.

- STANLEY HIRST, ZOOLOGICAL DEPT., UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA (Apr 11, 1929).

The sensation of Millicent— and the whole of Australia is keenly interested in it— is the trapping of the Tantanoola "tiger." For Years he had been the hero of exciting hunts, the baffling problem of the south eastern scrub. At one time or the other everybody saw him, yet nobody could press the conviction home. Just when the "tiger" was being relegated to the oblivion of a chimerical identity of the wilds, there is a dramatic development. His lair is discovered! Last week our correspondent at Millicent was first in the newspaper field with the startling announcement that early in December three snipeshooters, while traversing the Lake Bonney flats, had found such substantial evidence of an organized system of sheepstealing and slaughtering as had never been equalled in the annals of Australian pastoral crimes. The "tiger" had had a corporeal existence after all! For several seasons, apparently, an extraordinary series of plunders of sheep had been taking place in the Tantanoola district. The dreadful stench from the scrub led to an effort of explanation that had surprising and remarkable results. The origin of the smell was traced to a dense clump of teatree, and in a spread of low shrubs a well-worn path to the heart of the jungle was detected. The men followed it for 25 yards, and then came across a corral, 20 ft. x 30 ft., hewn out of the solid jungle. Freshly killed sheep and lambs were strewn about. Fifteen sheep had just been killed, and hanging on wires were 13 skins! Decaying carcases gave a touch of horror to the scene but hidden behind this corral was a bigger one still, and in it were the bodies of no fewer than 42 sheep and lambs, not long killed, piled two and three deep. Bones and skulls and putrid matter gave a good indication that this wholesale slaughter had a bit of history at the back of it. Now, the sequel of the sensational discoveries is that a man is awaiting his trial at Millicent! The paddock in which the lair of the famous "tiger" was found lies between a long belt of teatree swamp and the Hummocks. An army could conceal itself under cover of the tussocks and the shrubs. Since the initial exploration five new corrals have been found in the jungle, and they are all within a mile of the camp of the suspect. It is believed that fresh discoveries still will be made. The plan of the thieves has shown systematic resource. A bullock was slain, presumably to explain the cause of the abominable stench. The greatest care was taken to preserve the natural appearance of the undergrowth. The lair, indeed, was most cleverly selected, and the slaughtering pens, dotted among the bushes, were efforts of remarkable industry and studied ingenuity.

C. Edmonson, a well-known resident of Tantanoola, was arrested tonight in connection with the affair.

The sheepstealing revelations at Tantanoola have provided the biggest sensation the district has known for many years. "The Tiger" is the one topic of conversation from Beachport to Mount Gambier, and throughout the States the publication of extended reports by The Adelaide Register and The Melbourne Argus have left the community generally astonished at the magnitude of the thieves' operations. The two papers named and The South-Eastern Times were the first to convey the news of the discoveries, and although the number of copies was considerably augmented on Friday the surplus was speedily sold, and on Saturday evening as much as six pence per copy was paid for The Times. The issue of The Register containing the first account of the discoveries was also snapped up a few minutes after the train reached Millicent.

Adelaide, Friday.

A party of shooters yesterday discovered in a secret retreat among the ti-tree near German Creek, eight miles from Tantanoola, a large number of dead sheep, and some carcases partly buried, which created a great stench. Fifty-three sheepskins were hung up to dry.

The matter was reported to Mr. James Chant, owner of the property, and the police set a watch, with the result that C. Edmonson, a well-known resident of Tantanoola, was arrested last night.

He was brought before the Millicent Police Court to-day on a charge of sheep-stealing, and remanded, for 12 days, bail of £200, and himself in a similar amount, being granted.

Systematic sheep-stealing has been in progress for some time. The thief erected race yards for the sheep stolen.
It is believed that the business has been carried on for years. It is rumored that more than one man is concerned in the business, and that one has turned King's evidence.