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303
The Book of Dreams and Ghosts
·
Andrew Lang
141
The
story
is
told
in
Household
Words,
where
Sir
Frederick
Forbes
is
said
to
have
acted
as
judge.
No
date
is
given.
In
Botany
Bay,
{142}
the
legend
is
narrated
by
Mr.
John
Lang,
who
was
in
Sydney
in
1842.
He
gives
no
date
of
the
occurrence,
and
clearly
embellishes
the
tale.
In
1835,
however,
the
story
is
told
by
Mr.
Montgomery
Martin
in
volume
iv.
of
his
History
of
the
British
Colonies.
He
gives
the
story
as
a
proof
of
the
acuteness
of
black
trackers.
Beyond
saying
that
he
himself
was
in
the
colony
when
the
events
and
the
trial
occurred,
he
gives
no
date.
I
have
conscientiously
investigated
the
facts,
by
aid
of
the
Sydney
newspapers,
and
the
notes
of
the
judge,
Sir
Frederick
Forbes.
Fisher
disappeared
at
the
end
of
June,
1826,
from
Campbeltown.
Suspicion
fell
on
his
manager,
Worral.
A
reward
was
offered
late
in
September.
Late
in
October
the
constable's
attention
was
drawn
to
blood-stains
on
a
rail.
Starting
thence,
the
black
trackers
found
Fisher's
body.
Worral
was
condemned
and
hanged,
after
confession,
in
February,
1827.
Not
a
word
is
said
about
why
the
constable
went
to,
and
examined,
the
rail.
But
Mr.
Rusden,
author
of
a
History
of
Australia,
knew
the
medical
attendant
D.
Farley
(who
saw
Fisher's
ghost,
and
pointed
out
the
bloody
rail),
and
often
discussed
it
with
Farley.
Mr.
Souttar,
in
a
work
on
Colonial
traditions,
proves
the
point
that
Farley
told
his
ghost
story
before
the
body
of
Fisher
was
found.
But,
for
fear
of
prejudicing
the
jury,
the
ghost
was
kept
out
of
the
trial,
exactly
as
in
the
following
case.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
