RESEARCHED BY PETER KILLACKEY HOW THE CONVICTS WERE TREATED THE JAVELIN MAN A Javelin man was originally an attendant of the court who carried a spear or pike. In Van Diemen's Land they were usually "Prisoners of the Crown with Indulgence" which meant that they were employed at a small salary by the Sherriff, under the direction of the Gaoler. One such man, Isaac Solomons, was the javelin man at Richmond Gaol in Tasmania.