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Jacky Whyman 1875 Case Study

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The case of Jacky Whyman 1875 is a much a case about a society and its tolerance of crime as it is about a society which sees Aboriginals as an animal and a species unto their own of which the laws at times appear barely relevant. The case throws up interesting concepts of Aboriginals place amongst a white society with laws and notions of understanding of a white yet ignorance of how a crime against a black is not the same.

Jacky Whyman, a middle aged Aboriginal man murdered another man, Paddy Hadigaddy on the28th of February 1875. Whyman and Hadigaddy were both members of the same tribe.
The case as reported states that;
Whyman gave himself up at Bega, “I have killed black Paddy, and am going to the police at Bega to give myself up.”
Isaac Jessop testified that on the 1st of May he saw the body of Hadigaddy after …show more content…

A sentence which barely raises an eyebrow in these times, especially a crime amongst aboriginals.
Some customs of retribution and punishment when viewed in an unbiased light take on new characters, almost respectful forms of civil obedience and respect. Take the case of Whyman and Hadigaddy, two men from all accounts clashing over familial and romantic notions, not unlike two gentleman may seek to settle with a duel with pistols.

The courts are often swift to convict a settlor to hang for murder. Convicts receive little mercy and a swiftly escorted to the gallows. Aboriginals at times are summarily killed at the scene, treated as flora and fauna, with them not representing civilised society. The courts seldom hearing cases between Aboriginal against Aboriginal.

Whilst minor in judicial circles, the Whyman case may yet be a case which reverberates through the courts in years to come, not only in murder cases but where the white system meets the customs of the Aboriginals. Nothing changes the nature of a crime but society may well and has changed the outcome for those involved and those to

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