CAPTURE OF AN ENGLISH CREW BY SUMATRANS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1164, 20 June 1884, Page 3

CAPTURE OF AN ENGLISH CREW BY SUMATRANS.

A paragraph in our mail news intimates that England is about to embark on another little war in the East. How this has come about will be best understood from the following narrative related by Captain Woodhouse, of the ship 'Msero : “ When tbe stranded off Acheen (in Sumatra), which was occasioned by a cyclone, I ordered the crew to go on shore, but us soou as they ‘a ided, the Rajah of Tenom. Ida Moedo, with his officers, came upon us and mane us captives. We were subjected to tbe most humiliating treatment, and had noi-h----ing giving ns t < eat but dried rice twice a day ; and by the Rajah’s orders we were sent into the interior daily from ll) o’clock in the morning to half past nine at night, sometimes up to our nicks in water and under a burning ana, with only a sma I cap on our heads to protect us from tbe heat. We were closely guarded on our arrival at Tenom, our hips being surrounded by a h'gh enclosure. I frequently during the time of my imprisonment held interviews with the Rajah, who told ho about his grievances with tile Hatch people. He insisted on our agree! m: to his terms, and said if na di 1 u t obtain them he wou d speedily sacrifice our Uvea, ttur sufferings were terrible, and our suspense of min i awful, as we expecie.l each day to be murdered After 1 eing in : captivity.for 31 days, and receiving no, . reply to the le ter which I sent to the Hutch 0 imul, I requested tno Rajah o allow me'i to gd on board tbe Dutch ma'-of war, which was waiting for the II jab of. Reals, who was friendly with us, o embu k, in order that 1 might tiinninglilv explain our, 1 Bituatibn'and ail the circuni-tances of the ■ case, an I. if possible, arrive at a aatisiaoi tory agreement so that we might ha hiia- I raie'i,. This the Rajah refused to allow mo | to do ; but af er poisistently ur-ing (he Uiitcer ho-c-mi-mited, jelling me at the suno time that ha should expect me bank again, and that be shoul I retain the cr.-w until the terms were agreed upon. I proceeded to /the man of war'sn order to have an interview with Consul Kennedy. I told him the teims ot our re ease, which were a ransom of SOOOdol and a guarantee that he (the Raj ih) should go u punished. I was 'old ih.ic it was impossible to grant this, and .‘hat no such guarantee couid be given mi behafot England. I then asked permission to go back to the oiptive men, stating that I had pledged my word to go back, an i I could not en'ertim the idea of aban ■ Inning the crew in their distress. I was told that they did not in end to allow mo to return to captive y, hut £ must remain for the present with them, and, although 1 protested strongly against this a rmgemeufc, j was not listened to. L then proceeded to Regus, wh re her Majesty’s snip Pegasus was lying, having been ordered the e to at tempt our rescue, and on which I subsequently embarked. 1 greatly appreciated the jiiudness sh iwn me by Giptain Bickford an! the officers of the Pegasus, who paid me great attention We afterwards flaw the Governor ot Acheen, but he de- i dined to co-op rate with us. Negotiations ware then entered into,with the Rajih of Tenom, and Captain Bickford sent him a present, together with a letter respecting the crew of the Nisuro. The R jahivc ive.l the present and letter, hut did not acknowledge the former in any way. Ho merely wrom io the C nsulto say that the terms of relea-e wou'd be. the same as be'o.e. Irri'ated by the answer, Captain B oktord at once de i led to land an armed force m the mo ning, an.’ enWvonr to rescue ih" captives. Accor i.igly 100 men were ord-red to proceed on ah re, wmlst. L was to pilot them. Uuforiuuately, the boat which was sent to sound the bar was e .psiz id, the sea being very heavy at the time, ami two of its occupants were drowned. Cap am Bickford th -n decided not to proceed with tbe expedition, and wo returaso to Acheen where it was subsi quern ly deshied that if a sa i isfactory teply to our letters was not ieceived by January 4, an expedi'ion should be sent, consisting of 1200 men, who will eo.bark in five Duich meu-of-war, two merchant transport vessel ', and Her Majesty’s ship Pegasus. In the mean ime we sent another letter ! y the Rajah of Regus to the Rajah,of Tenom, stating that we would give IOO.Oi'O 01. if he would deliver up his prisoners, but on his refusing we shmld foice him to yield. He repded that he would not give up the crew, and was prepared to meet us when wo came on shore. We then sent him another letter, but no reply was vouchsaf' d, and Captain Bickford ordered Tenom to be bombarded. This was done,- ‘and troops were lan'ed. The H-.jail’s forces we-e awaiting us, and a short fight took place. in which a number of Dutch s Pliers and officers were killed ; i ut the Rmah was in tbo'end overcome, and retreated into the interior, where the priso ers were incarcerated. A dispatch was immediately sent to Captain Bickfo- d, who was with Her Majeaiy’g ship Pegasus, announcing the success of the expedition, and he lowered a boat in order to ascertain its anthe Hicity, thinking, of course, that the release of the Erisoners had been effected. On a ; rival, owever, be was told that they had not been secured, and that the Rajah had taken them with him into the in tenor. The Dutch troops then n-*esn harked, and proceeded to Acheen, nothing furth'T being done to rescue the prisoners- I remained at Acheen fur six weeks, doing my utmost

to accomplish their liberation ; 'mi- Captain Sick for-1 i-.form-id me I muH nu nothing more at prescii . ami it was useless to stay any; longer there, .as everything would tie done by thy ’British Government to release, the njeji and on his recommendation I came tty England, where 1 have been exerting myself on beha'f of the captives. T could mention numberless cruelties and wrongs ■ to which we have been subjected, and \o which the nnfortn? nate men are still snijected, the climate intensifying the sufferings, and it is a wonderful thing that none of the crew have succumbed to the evils of their condition. Asttf-'tho future I am quite certain the release of the men will never he effected unless the Rajah obtains all than hj : mentions, in bis terms -, butift the meantime the crew are enduring the greatest privations and sufferings, and the matter should therefore he hastened towards settlement as soon as possible ” ,