WOMAN ABDUCTED

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 25, 30 January 1929, Page 17

WOMAN ABDUCTED

A MELANESIAN STORY

BISHOP'S FIGHT FOR RIGHT

A light between the Bishop of Melanesia (Dr. F. Merivalc Molyneux) and tlie skipper.o£ a French ship for the possession of a native woman, who had been abducted, is described in letters written by the bishop and the Rev. K. Godfrey,-to the "Southern Cross Log," and published in the "Sydney Morning Herald" just prior to the departure of the Tahiti, which arrived at Wellington this morning. "On my way to Qatnapni from Lainalanga I knew I was to pass a French recruiting vessel," the Bishop writes, "which had on board a young married woman! The chief of her village and her husband had both been to the vessel to ask the man to release her, but _in vain; so I took them in my boat with .me, and —well, to out a long story short, I got the woman oil, and saw her and her husband and chief well on the way back to their village, leaving the Frenchman not in the best of tempers." A more detailed account is given by the Key. E. Godfrey in another letter, as follows: — "The bishop interviewed the Frenchman and asked him to give up the woman to her husband; he pointed out the illegality of the action, which the Frenchman admitted, but flatly refused to give her up. He said to the bishop, 'You can report me to the Government,' knowing that nothing would be done. "The bishop thereupon decided that lie would take the law into his own hands and, rescue the girl. When he intimated that.he was coming on board the cutter, the Frenchman produced a rifle, and said that he would shoot the first man who stepped on board. "The bishop replied: 'Then you will shoot me and take the consequences.' Forbidding any of the natives to follow him, he stepped on board, seized the Frenchman's rifle, and forced the muzzle down lest he should shoot.

"The Frenchman struggled to get the rifle away, and called on his crew (a dozen men) to attack the bishop. One burly man came forward with a log of wood, -and belaboured tho bishop over his arms and legs. He was rather badly bruised, the skin was taken off one of his shins, and his watch-glass was smashed.:. . ' . .

"But .while this was going on, the girl's husband, got her- into the boat, and, the bishop, when ho saw that she was safe, let go the rifle and. followed her. The Frenchman was furious, and made all sorts of threats.

■ "The bishop was unable to unbutton his clothes that evening,- but he was quite recovered the next day; his skinned shin only is giving him a. little trouble—not healing too well." Diplomatic communications between the Dominions Offico and the French Government are expected to follow a report of the incident, which is being made by, British administrative officials in the islands.