Spearing of William Bagnall (James Coutts’s shepherd), 27 May 1850

Date: 27 May 1850
Place: Coutts’ station
Bagnall was waddied and speared fifty yards from his hut. Kankarra Widlo was later charged with grievous bodily harm. In court, Bagnall gave contradictory evidence regarding the assault and the reasons for the confrontation. Bagnall later developed a reputation for committing ‘criminal acts’ with Aboriginal women. He also had a ferocious dog that attacked Aboriginal people.
(See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
Notes:
LocationAccuracy: Approximate

People involved

  • Jemmy
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Jim Crack (interpreter)
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Kankarra Widlo
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Kaukara Widlo
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Kerkarawidlo
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.
  • Keskarahrowilla
    Match note: Matched from legacy people.event_external_id to resolved_event.tlcm_id, mainly data from SA Frontier and its Legacies project.

Sources

Event mentions

  • Spearing of William Bagnall (James Coutts’s shepherd), 27 May 1850
    27 May 1850 — Coutts’ station
    Bagnall was waddied and speared fifty yards from his hut. Kankarra Widlo was later charged with grievous bodily harm. In court, Bagnall gave contradictory evidence regarding the assault and the reasons for the confrontation. Bagnall later developed a reputation for committing ‘criminal acts’ with Aboriginal women. He also had a ferocious dog that attacked Aboriginal people.
    (See 'The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies' for more details.)
    Source: Robert Foster, Skye Krichauff and Amanda Nettelbeck, The South Australian Frontier and its Legacies, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 2024, http://ua.edu.au/south-australian-frontier