CAROLINES REVOLT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1081, 21 March 1911, Page 5

CAROLINES REVOLT.

NATIVE MURDERERS SHOT. HUNTED DOWN LIKE WILD BEASTS. By Telegraph—Press AasociatLon-Copyriclit Brisbane, March 20. A well-known Sydney merchant', who has arrived here from Ponape, in Hie Carolines, states that the lato rebellion was quickly crushed by the German authorities. The German punitive expedition, numbering 800, attacked the rebels' position in tho mountains, and stormed it. Jinny natives were killed, and sixty surrendered. The rest were hunted like wild beasts till only sixteen of the principal murderers were left. Finally they surrendered. The two leaders, who were shot first, addressed tho natives. They declared they had been fools to revolt against the Germans, who had treated them well, and advised their friends to obey the law. The other fourteen were afterwards shot. They- faced death laughing and joking. Several hundred natives have been deported to the Western Carolines. THE NATIVE MURDERS. The Germans have had trouble on and off. with the natives in the Caroline Islands ever since the purchase of the group from Spain. The present fighting has been to avenge the murders of last year. On October 18 last, .after a gallant struggle against tremendous odds, the lives of Mr. Boder, district magistrate, Mr. Hollborn, office assistant, Mr. Branckmani), secretary, and Mr. Haffner, road-making' expert, wero taken by the natives. The troubje-'was caused by one of the natives working on a road in the district of Fermoy becoming insubordinate. He was reported by Mr. Hollborn, and punished by Mr. Boder. This incensed the natives, who refused to go on with _ their work, and assumed such a menacing attitudo that Mr. Hollborn and Mr. Haffner were forced to seek protection at the station of the Roman, Catholic Mission. News of the occurrence reached the colony on the afternoon of October 18. Messrs._ Boder and Branckmann, with two native servants, thereupon started for Fermoy in a boat pulled by five natives. Notwithstanding warnings of the dangerous temper of the natives, Mr. Boder and his seoretary approached them at a place called Fanepi, when Mr. Boder was at once shot at, receiving a bullet in the abdomen; He fell, and was killed outmht with a'bullet through his head. Mr. Branckmann endeavoured to get back to ( the boat, but was fired at as he ran. Ha managed to reach the water, when the natives ran in after liini, and murdered him with a knife. • Two native escaped int.) tho bush. Meanwhile Hollborn and Haffner made a dash for the boat, and were-at once assailed by the crowd of natives, who attacked them savagely. The white men defended themselves gallantly against the attack of a horde of natives, Hollborn using his revolver effectively, but he fell a victim to the knife of a native. Haffner wis-shot before lie could reach the boat. The native crew of five fared no better, all live being shot or stabbed. The steamed Germama (supposed to be missing at the time) relieved the. anxious settlement from its suspense. Later on the cruisers Planet, C'ommoran, Eniden, and Numbers' appeared on the scene, a smaller expedition liavmg been found to be of no avail. The rebels had put up fortifications on a rugged mountain, and it became necessary to shell them out ot their stronghold.