EXTRAORDINRY MURDERS AT SEA BY SAVAGES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 206, 31 August 1877, Page 4

EXTRAORDINRY MURDERS AT SEA BY SAVAGES.

The Cooktown correspondent of the Brisbane Telegraph tells.au extraordinary tale o|. murder and attempted piracy at sea by three natives of Drink Island, near Cardwell. Condensed from his voluminous account, the harrowing story is ns folio ws:-The schooner Houglas, owned by a Melbourne firm, was on her way to Chilcot Island, there to; load guano. When passing DriDk Island, three savages came off in a boat, and volunteered to go with the vessel On,, arriving at Chilcot Island, they found the brig Alexandra, owned by the same firm, half loaded. Mr Beaver, ooe of the owners, waa on board the Alexandra, and he determined to go with her to Daintree, there to load wilh cddar. .As Daintree was known to swarm, with savages, he took all the firearms, with the exception of one revolver, from the Douglas, the blacks od the latter ship seeing the exchange. That eveniog two sailors from the Daaglas (the crew numbered ten white men) went on shore with two blacks. While sitting ia a hut they had erected for their convenience, the two blacks, came treacherously behind and killed them by sudden and simultaneous blows, of their hatctets. They then swam' on board the vessel, where the third black joined them. The white men were all asleep, no watch being kept, and slowly they stole about their murderous work. Two sailors were sleeping on. the deck, aad both were struck with the hatchets, so suddenly that no alarm '■ was raised, though neither of themen was killed outright. Then they went into.the hold and attacked Purceil another Bailor, bnt be managed Jo-give the alarm belore he.was rendered senseless. This roused Deasey, the. second mate, who was asleep ia the forecastle, and he rushed out. He dodged a deadly blow aimed at his head,_ and sang out " Captain, the blacks are murdering us." Then all three (eii oa him. How he escaped is a miracle, but he managed to hold his assailants at bay, without receiving anything worse than several severe flesh wounds, until the noise brought the mate on deck, Ue rushed into the the lore rigging, and tbis distracted the attentioa of the plucks for aa instant. Deasey took advantage of the pause to draw his knife, but at tbe first blow he shattered it upon one of the savage's axes. He a picked a small grindstone lying near, and knocked down one of the blacks, and seized the instant to rush for tbe rigging. After a fight with two of the savages on the bulwarks, he made good his escape to where the male and a seaman named Lawrence were taking refuge. With the mate's knife they cut three blocks loose,, and with these, fastened to ends of rope, kept the savages at bay. Hearing the struggle, the captain was coming on deck, but his hand was cut off by a black, as he put it on top of the. balck way. The black remained to k_ep watch, but in an interval wheu his attention was attracted elsewhere, {Shaw and Purceil, who had recovered consciousness, mauuged to crawl iuto the cabin. They attempted to load the revolver, but the flowing blood filled the barrels and wet the powder. Thus two mea were dead on shore; three were badly wounded iu tbe cabin; tthree were in the rigging. Deasey was lashed to prevent hia lulling, for he bad fainted (rom lossot blood; oue man Troy, was lyiug badly wounded on the deck; aad the steward, who made the tenth man, was locked in his own cabiu. The two blacks who were at liberty next killed Troy, outright; then they attempted to briog down the men from (he rigging by hurling iron and pieces of coal at them. Thus matters stood when tbe grey dawn revealed (he blood-stained deck, with the three demoGs dancing like the very fiends incarnate that they were. Somehow or other they remembered the steward in bis galley. Tbey burst open one door, but he made his escape by tbe other, and, dodging the blow, aimed by the guard, joined the others in the riggiug. Here at last wa_ a gleam of hope. Hu cleaned the blood from the revolver, loaded it, aud, patiently waiting for au opportuuiiy, shot the black who was guarding the cabin through the heal. The two remaiuiiig .lacks exchaug_d u sentence iu tbeir own language, and one went to pick up tlm iuti.u guard. The suilors in tbe riggiug dropped on deck ut ibis _aoui_ul. The mate seized a handspike, aud at one blow killed tbe BecctQd black. Tbe third, seeing that the game was up, jumped into the sea.

He was fired at several times by the ste ward, and suddenly disappeared. The men who were least wounded pulled to the island, and found their comrades dead. They returned, and set sail for Cairns. Arrived there, an inquiry , waa held, and the worst wounded were*' sent tothe hospital, where,' under skilful treatment, they are progressing favorably.