Coniston massacre
On 24 August, Murray captured an Aboriginal person named Arkirkra and returned to Coniston, where he collected Padygar (Woolingar had died that night still chained to the tree) and then marched the two to Alice Springs. Arriving on 1 September, Arkirkra and Padygar were charged with the murder of Brooks while Murray was hailed as a hero. On 3 September, Murray set off for Pine Hill station to investigate complaints of cattle spearing. Nothing has been recorded about this patrol, but he returned on 13 September with two prisoners. On 16 September, Henry Tilmouth of Napperby station shot and killed an Aboriginal he was chasing away from the homestead; this incident was included in the later enquiry. On the 19th, Murray again departed, this time under orders to investigate a non-fatal attack on the person of a settler, William "Nuggett" Morton, at Broadmeadows Station, by what Morton described as a group of 15 Myall Warlpiri people who were also in the same area.
Ulick Fionn Burke
Early in 1503, "Mac William of Clanrickard gave a very great overthrow to O'Kelly and a party of the people of Conmaicne-Cuile, where the greater part of the gallowglasses of both the Clann-Donnell and Clann-Sweeny were slain around their constables, and where Walter, the son of John Burke, a distinguished captain, was also slain." This was followed up with a successful encounter against the king of Ui Maine, at Bel Atha na nGarbhan:Burke followed this by attacking, seizing and demolishing three of O Cellaigh's castles.O Ceallaigh had a personal motive, in that his wife was in open adultery with Burke. FitzGerald had a similar motive, in that his daughter was being slighted by the affair, but, with Burke's capture of the independent towns of Athenry and Galway, the matter had become national and could no longer be ignored. FitzGerald assembled an alliance of Gaelic-Irish and Anglo-Irish lords, led by himself, to confront Burke. They included Ó Donnell of Tír Conaill, Ó Neill of Tír Eoghain, Ó Connor Roe, MacDermot of Moylurg, Bourke of north Connacht and many lords of The Pale.