MURDER OF THE REV. THOMAS BAKER WESLEYAN MISSIONARY, and SEVEN NATIVE TEACHERS AT FIJI.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XII, Issue 520, 21 October 1867, Page 2

MURDER OF THE REV. THOMAS BAKER WESLEYAN MISSIONARY, and SEVEN NATIVE TEACHERS AT FIJI.

The following account is from th Herald’s correspondent at Fiji:— After hard and rough walking, Mr Raker’ party arrived at Gagadelavatu, at about three p.m.. and almost immediately after sent a message to ask for an interview with Nakatakatairnosi the chief of the place. He, with several of his people came out, and sat himself down upon a stone it the village courtyr.nl. Mr Baker at once wen! up to him with th;- native minister aucl shook h.'irvi* with .vid whoii vert' th

tKItIVP miTHSfpr. Jif'P.nrdhvt* to t-hf* "PHion r“.vgtnrr. presented a whale’s tooth, and asked the chief to embrace Christianity and to grant them permission to pass on to the next tribe. The old man took the tooth and said, “ As for the lota I hate it. Hie path is yours in the morning!” By some i: is said that lie pave permission to pass through the laud, but policed to an axe, and significantly said that “that was for the lotu !” Mr Baker was then informed that H. M. Consul had stoop-’ at this village, and that a pig had been killed for lus entertainment. Upon hearing this, Mr Raker at once made up his mind to sleep there. After the meeting in the courtyard, the whole pirtv went into the chief’s house, and waited for an\ food that might be presented, according to Fijian custom. Nothing, however, was given; MiBaker, therefore, sent a few yams out to be cooked, but the chief would not allow it.

Tits chiefs and people of the place crowded about them, and pressed them to talk ; the native minister therefore urged them to lotu, aud explained its requirements and advantages ; tliev, however, replied by asking how m my guns, and how much powder—how many pieces of print and axes would be given to them if tliev complied ? They were asked to conduct their'lotu so glint the townsfolk might see them—the native [minister, therefore, led Mr Baker’s party’s eve-ting jdevotiou. After which they were left to thmu--1 selves, and although footsore, weary, and liungrv, 1 they were all soon fast asleep. | It is said that the native minister’s suspicions j were aroused when lie. looked out of the door in [the middle of the night and saw a number of men [coining to the town trout surrounding villages, for their toreh.es could bo seen all round. No one, however, thought of making their escape from the town in the night. Early in the in Tiling Mr Baker was astir, and looked' over the country with his telescope, when it is supposed that lie saw the natives excitedly moving about and engaged in other business than |l,lining, for lie said “ Bovs, j dress yourselves, mid let us be olf, for we shall be ! killed to-day !” When Mr Baker had conducted [their morning devotions singing, reading, and praying—lie stepped out again, whereupon the chief Makatakat.iimosi came up and said, “ Come, let its show you the path to Villa!” Mr linker called his parly out un i when all were ready they took their departure, the chief le tiling the way with a small battle-axe iu ins haul, being closciv followed by Mr Biker, Shadrack Seileka, (he native minister; Nemini Ilipio, and Aisea Nasekai. catechists ; a t i Si-a Tuilekutu, Tnniela Ratuved, Josifate. Ng i'a, N iiil.ilai Turau, Setereki Main, mil Jasitifa Nhuirawa, who were slit lea's in tin Circuit Training Institution under Mr Baker’s superintendence; these all followed on in single file. After pro.;-c ling thus for about 100 yards, Josifata Nag.it i saw a small bag belonging to the party in the luu of one the heathen ; lie went to him and asl. -d for it, when lie- man replied, “ No. go on ; I will carry it.” .Yhilst Josifata was thus turned round lie saw the heathen coming rapidly out of (lie different lions -s with their guns and clubs, and harrying lik-wi-.;; very sih; i rlonslv after them. He turnel and ran. and with a companion from the iu-titutiou, who too was a few yards behind the main party, rushed past Aisea, the catechist, into the middle of the line, saying at [the same time, “We are to be clubbed !” Aisea, jwlio was carrying a small tin box on his shoulder, replied, “ If we are, that won’t save you !” which he had no sooner uttered than lie was -truck bv a iclub from behind. The box, however, received .lite fail force of the blow and merely glanced j against the left side of his head. He dropped the box and rushed from the p ith. Mr Baker turned round at once on hearing the stir behind occasioned by the two boys running into the line from behind, and also the noise occasioned lathe blow upon the box, and with his right hand I upraised he said, “ Don’t run away ;” or “ Don’t;” I when the chief, who was imuWiat'ly before him, turned sharply round at the same time, and struck him on the, lower part of the back of the neck with his axe, and he fell dead upon the spot. The native minister, who was only a few yards or feel behind, stooped down over the body to kiss it, saying as he did so, “ IVe will die together with our missionary,” in which lie too was chopped down. The catechist Nemani was shot, and all the others, with the exception of Aisea and Josifata, were instantly despatched. The men only ran a few yards and then threw themselves down and crept under the long and decayed reeds, not daring to move lest the least rustle should betray their whereabout to those who were diligently [seeking them.

Aisea lay close until the murder was finished and the bodies were dragged off to town, when all being quiet, be endeavored to get a away from the place, but had not gone many yards before he was seen by two women, who instantly gave the alarm to the men of the town, who rushed out at once and in the direction pointed to by the woman; but he doubled upon his pursuers and j crept back to the town, and there lay concealed mid er the long grass and reeds not a great many yards from where the bodies were piled. The two snides from Dawaran prepared to leave j with Mr Baker’s party, but where stopped by tlie I people of the town, and detained in the house, but | in such a position as to be able to sea all that j transpired. They confirmed all the paricuhirsj given me by the two men who escaped. The bodies after being dragged to town, were then 1 stripped and thrown one on top of the other—the late Rev. T. Baker being placed on the top. They were then formally presented to the god, and nt'teri wards divided out to different, towns—three

being kept for the chiefs and people of ho Gaga-j delavatu—two to the next town of importance, the remaining three to three separate towns. The guides j were then sent off to report what they had seen, I Aisea, meanwhile, lay still close at hand, not daring to move throughout that long Sabbath day From eight a.m. until eight p.m. he was compelled to listen to that awful death drum, and to the noise of their singing and dancing as they fiendishly rejoiced ronnd and insulted tin-bodies of the slain. He heard the clapping of hands as the bodies were presented to the god, and again when they |were given to those who received'them on behalf ] of the chief, of neighboring towns. He heard too The chopping up of the firewood with which the ! bodies were to be cooked, and he dared scarce breathe lest it should be used to roast himself. |M’hen all was dark and still he crept forth and jinade a circuit round the town until he came to !the path over which he had passed with the murjdered party only the day before. He says, “ I I did not then run fast, eg I thought my strength

night fail mo, as 1 had not eaten all day, and I .new it would he a long time before I could again it. The morning rose, and 1 turned ;nrav from he path and sought a place of hiding. I found a five, and entered and slept. When it was again light I hurried off I came to Kamara, the town if Darawau, and there ,aei a little hoy, I seized

his hand and said, 1 Tell me, now are the teachers here or not?’ He said. ‘No.’ I, therefore, thought perhaps Waqualiquali and the people here knew of the plot that was tried to kill the nissionary, and if would not be good for^me ■her, I felt about for his mats and pots, and they vere gone. The teachers are gone, I said, so I must go too. I went into the house or pots (kit;hen) and there found two yams, these I grasped mil ran. When the morning was nigh, I went again from the path, and rubbed the sticks ; they moked and I blew the spark and lit the fire and •masted my yams, and ate but one. I then went m until I came to a town where the teachers are, uid then I said, I live.”

Josifata Nagata, who sprang out of the path at die commencement of the mischief, also hid him--:;lf under the dry reeds, and did not stir until all was over, and darkucess had set in. He heard 'hem several times say, “ Some go for a firestick, md let ns burn the reeds but no one went for the light. He therefore escaped. One of the memy, whilst thrusting his club among the reeds to raise them, stood for a short time upon his leg; but so well had Josifita buried himself, that he was not even then uodcei. This young man was wandering in the hush from Sunday until Thursday before he arrived at a Christian town; and when being brought home in a canoe, he was wrecked, and again narrowly escaped with his life.

As yet it is uncertain as to the cause of the murder, and it is likewise uncertain how far the nlut was known. Reliable information has been obtained that a chief of an influential tribe sent oime months ago a club to the various tribes, which Mr Baker visited, and asked them to itiurI t any who might attempt to cross over the land. Whether it lias been done to stop the farther idvancs into the interior of white settlers, or is in attack vpoa Christianity by the heathen, or is a cinllcnge to Tiiakob.au, cannot yet be satisfactorily ascertained. The two latter reasons appear the most probable, For all those tribes look upon tiie advance of Christianity into their territories as political confiscation of their power, land, ami persons by the influential tribes on the coast. For these reasons the iota is opposed by the heathen, and not, as in many other heathen .countries, because it is an attack upon tiie cods and worship of the people. The heathen Fijian is alniO't without a religion, far they have no faith in those whom they call gods. So that, when the, oi l chief replied to Mr Baker tiiat he hated the lota, lie meant that lie hated the authority and power oftbe people of Bau and Rewa. tu fact lie is reportea to have said that lie “ had the fork with which he was going to eat Thakobau’s tongue.”