Site Name Mt McMinn, Northern Territory (2)
Aboriginal Place Name Yutpundji-Djindiwirritj
Language Group Mangarrayi
Colony SA
Present State/Territory NT
Police District
Latitude -14
Longitude 134.316
Date 23 Jul 1875
Attack Time day
Victims Aboriginal People
Victims Killed 40
Victims Killed Notes
Attackers Colonisers: Overlander
Attackers Killed 2
Attackers Killed Notes Charles Henry Johnston and  Abram Daer
Transport Horse
Motive Reprisal
Weapons Used revolvers, rifles
Narrative On 29 June Charles Henry Johnston, Abram Daer and Charles Rickards from the Daley River Telegraph station were attacked by Mangarrayi men at Roper Bar. Johnson died the next day. Too weak to bury Johnston, Daer and Rickards wrapped the body in canvas and oilskin and placed it together with a note under the foot of a tree and set off for Daly River Telegraph station which they reached on 13 July and Daer died from his wounds on 7 August. While a punitive expedition was being organised to avenge the deaths, an overlanding party to Queensland, led by George De Lautour and William Batten arrived at Roper Bar on 19 July and found Daer's note and Johnston's body and immediately set off in search of the Mangarrayi people. They left their own note for the police party dated 24 July saying they had 'found natives mustered strongly at Mount McMinn', that they 'dispersed them and did their best to avenge Johnston's death.' The police parties arrived at Roper Bar on 2 August, found the notes from Daer and the overlanding party and buried Johnson's remains on 3 August.
Sources Reid, 1990: xi, 66-67; NTTG, July 17, 1875: 1http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144292; August 14, 1875: 1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144352; NTTG,September 18,1875, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144448 1875: 2; December 4 1875: 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144612; December 25, 1875: 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3144666; Wilson, 2008: 221-222; Roberts, 1999; Roper River Police Station Heritage Assessment Report, 2015: 9-11; Roper Bar Land Claim Report, 1982: 3; Austin 1992, HSNT: 15-16. (Sources PDF)
Corroboration Rating ***