Hubert Burton was having a bad day. The Roebourne Police Court, sitting on 31st Oct 1888, heard four charges arising from offences against a James Edkins all in the course of one day at Yule River. Two charges were for assaulting Edkins. The third charge was for using abusive and threatening language about Edkins. And then to top it all off, there was a fourth charge for false imprisonment – Burton was alleged to have taken Edkins into custody and detained him for a period of three hours.

Burton was found guilty on all four counts. He was fined 20/- or one month’s imprisonment on each charge and ordered to pay £6 1s in court costs.

But what made him do it? Well, here is the twist in the tale…

Having dealt with Burton, the court turned its attention to Edkins. Mr Roderick McKay charged Edkins with assaulting an aboriginal called Jerry, at Yule River, on the same day that the Burton assaults took place. He was found guilty and fined £5 or 2 months imprisonment.

While it would seem that the magistrate was pretty clear about who was the villain of the piece, I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.

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Author’s note: The report of the hearings was found in the Western Mail – ROEBOURNE POLICE COURT. (1888, December 1). Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 – 1954), p. 7. Retrieved October 25, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32714243