A Massacre at Laverton –

A NATIVE MASSACRE AT LAVERTON

A pathetic interest is attached to the following portraits of baby Sunday, aged three months and a half-cast girl Kitty, aged 10 years, in connection with a recent Laverton massacre.

The raiders, who were gathered from the surrounding districts of Kalgoorlie, Kookynie. and the spinifex country towards Lake Darlot, made their first attack on the Laverton camp at dawn, the favourite hour for native attacks. This is generally the time when all are asleep most soundly, and consequently, the attacking party were able to get some of their spears home before the camp became thoroughly roused. In this instance, success attended the raiders, who killed four women and one man. The remainder of the Laverton camp fled in all directions.

Kitty Laverton aged 10yrs who was forced to guide the murderers to the Lancefield camp.

Kitty Laverton, a half caste girl, was with three Laverton men were threatened with a rifle and made to precede and guide the raiders to the Lancefield camp, a distance of some five miles, in order to point out the position of the camp. On arrival at the Lancefield camp, the murderers compelled Kitty and the others to turn their backs upon the camp in order that they should not be unable to identify the actual murderers of the Lancefield natives. A rifle held by one of the attacking party still covered the four guides, as the work of butchery commenced. Although the Lancefield natives were awake and up, they were so taken by surprise that, several of their number, the majority being women, were killed before they could grasp spear or club in defence.

Glady Sunday Lancefield whose mother was killed in the massacre.

Maudie, thc mother of baby Sunday Laverton, was one of the first to meet her death, receiving a spear in the back while running away with her baby. No sooner had Maudie fallen than Emmie, either a friend or a sister of the murdered woman, stopped in her flight, and rushing over to Maudie’s side, picked up the baby and endeavoured to run with it towards some white people’s houses in the vicinity. She had not gone far, how ever, when a spear also struck her in the back and she fell. Her last conscious moment’s were spent in covering the body of the little baby, whose life she had lost her own in saving.

If she had fled at once without waiting to pick up the infant she, would probably have reached a place of safety. When her body was found she was lying face downwards with the little girl tucked under her left arm and entirely unhurt. “Sunday” as the baby was christened, is now thriving at the Salvation Army home at Kalgoorlie, where also is Kitty, whose life for some years will be in danger from the vengeance of the relatives of those whom her evidence may help to convict.

Sadly baby Gladys Sunday Lancefield was to die in Kalgoorlie aged only 9 months of age, she is buried in the Kalgoorlie cemetery.