| Site Name | The Shackle |
| Aboriginal Place Name | Unclear |
| Language Group | Malak Malak |
| Present State/Territory | NT |
| Colony/State/Territory at the time | SA |
| Police District | Pine Creek |
| Latitude | -14.217 |
| Longitude | 131.951 |
| Date | Between 1 Jan 1878 and 31 Jan 1878 |
| Attack Time | Day |
| Victims | Aboriginal People |
| Victim Descriptions | Warrior(s) |
| Victims Killed | 17 |
| Victims Killed Notes | |
| Attackers | Colonists |
| Attacker Descriptions | Overlander(s) |
| Attackers Killed | 0 |
| Attackers Killed Notes | |
| Transport | Horse |
| Motive | Reprisal |
| Weapons Used | Firearm(s) |
| Narrative | In reprisal for the murder of teamster James Ellis in January 1878, Mounted Constable William Stretton with two other troopers, civilians and a South Australian Aboriginal tracker located the party of Aboriginal suspects near the Daly River and shot at least 17 of them. After Ellis' death, a jury found that "the only available retaliation is to give a lesson to the tribe" (NTTG, 26 January 1878, p 2). An unknown number of Aboriginal people were shot by a civilian reprisal party. |
| Sources | SHAR 2014; Roberts, 2009; Roberts, 2005, p 123; Reid, 1990, p 70; NTTG, 19 January, 1878, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3146552; 26 January, 1878, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3146569; 2 February, 1878, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3146587 9 February, 1878, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3146598, 23 February, 1878, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3146639, 9 March, 1878, p 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3146690; SA Register, 28 January, 1878, p 6http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40780933; 30 January, 1878, p 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40791443; Kelsey, 1975, pp 64-65; Austin, 1992, p 16. (Sources PDF) |
| Corroboration Rating | *** |
