THE MASSACRE ON BOARD THE SCHOONER DOUGLAS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4992, 23 March 1877, Page 3

THE MASSACRE ON BOARD THE SCHOONER DOUGLAS.

(From the Cairns correspondent of the Brisbane Courier). A. magisterial inquiry was held on February 22, before Messrs. B. Morey, P.M., and D. Spence, J.P., regarding the murder of three i men, and the wounding of five others, belonging to the schooner Douglas. The following'is the evidence of the master of the schooner, whose statement was corroborated by those of hiß crew and officers who were examined :'—■Thomas Harris, sworn, stated :, I am a master mariner, and am in command of the schooner Douglas ; my owners are Beaver and Coi, Melbourne ; I am engaged in the colonial trade ; we had a crew of eleven all told, including myself and cabin boy ; on January' 8 left Trinity Bay for Dnnk Island, to procure firewood and dunnage ; the first morning after reaching, the island, two canoes came, off, having ■• a native on board ; they 'came on board my ship voluntarily; I gave, them tobacco and other things; "• I also 'gave them to understand that* they could cbine with the "ship for eighteen months if they liked ; they said " budgerrie," and- three - days after.-just when we were getting underway,'four natives came off (the two who bad previously visited the ship and two others); • three of them were allowed to come on board; the other one ,1 refused to take with us on account of his treacherous looks; there was a licensed authority sent on board the ship authorising me to recruit native ! black labor on certain islands inthe South' Pacific"! or the "main, land, for a period of twelve months, to be ongaged in beche-de-mer fishing, or-procuring guano; natives so engaged were not to exceed twenty in number; we were bound for a guano island named Chilcott, which, with the Corringgo reef, -are the property J of Beaver and Co., my owners; I believe the license under which .1 sailed was- a general license, issued by the Governor of Victoria; in favor'of'Beaver, and Co.'s vessels. .When' the natives .were engaged : they were told, they would get wages, and plenty to eat, and their engagement;was Entered in the ship's log-book (book produced and entry read); that is; correct ; all it wants is my signature. Owing to head winds did not reach Chilcott Island for about three weeks. Arrived there, and commenced operations by erecting-'hut-and discharging planks and barrels. I forgot to tnention that we found the Alexandra, brig, also belonging to bur owners, lying at : the island, and about four'days- after our arrival it was decided that the brig should go to the Daintree to load cedar, and Mr. Beaver, (the'Owner's brother), who had come with us from'Trinity Bay, took passage in her to Cooktown, and I think he must have- inadvertently takeir our license with him, as I cannot find'Strand hate not it since, then./ The brig, I think; left on Tuesday or yesterday week, and,during the day she left our work went on all right. At 1 night two of the men (Humphrey,Coughlan and Alexander Mcintosh) were left to sleep on the island, two of the blacks remaining with them. The men had no arms, save halfaxes, whioh-they were cautioned to be ; careful j not to leave in the way of the blacks, 'That night on. board ship all hands turned in as usual. Did not consider it necesHary to keep a watch, all hands being tired after work, only one blackfellow being on board, and the vessel half-a-mile from land with the boats astern ; about midnight, while the mate and I were asleepon the." lockers,'! we were awoke by a cry of- "Save me, they are murdering me ;" . I said to the mate, " For God's sake, get up ;" he rushed out and'l followed ; the mate went by the port side, and when I reached the deck I met one of the hands (James Purcell),all cui and bleeding ; I told him to go down into the cabin; he went down, but seemed half stupid ; I next saw a black following the mate with a raised axe ; I sang out to him, and lie turned round and struck at my head, severuly wounding my hand, raised to guard my head. I immediately closed with him to take the axe, but could not succeed, so I made for the cabin, jwhere I found Purcell lying in a pool of blood, and moaning very ranch; the boy was also there; I tried to load a revolver, but could not on account of the wound on my hand; the blacks were then .assailing the skylight with' pieces of coal and the butt-ends of oara ; with .the'.'assist-,. ance of the cabin-boy got 'p, revolver loaded, and. fired several shots ; some short time afterwards" John Shaw came to the cabin through -the lazarette, and said " for God's sake let ; me in ;" I assisted him'in, find put him in tike mate's berth ; in the meantime the blacks had full possession of the deck, cutting and.hacking everything with the 'axes they had ; about fifteen jminutcs to 5 o'clock a.m. heard a black- , fellow's voice, and immediately afterwards the

steward tumbled down into the cabin, unwounded'j.lrgave'himai revolver,' and'toldhim" to fire at the black stationed at the skylight; he'fired, and I believe hit the black, but-did-hoi kill him ; he ran up on deck, and put another shot into him, which killed him ; I followed; and saw some of the crew forward ; one of them called: out " One of I the blacks is overboard;" I looked through the* gangway and saw a black swimmipg ; I told the steward to' fire: at him, wh,ich he did, but cannot say whether the fugitive was hit; I saw him land ;on a rock, and sent the boy to the maintop to watch hiß movements ; next saw a sea I .take"; him off the: rook ; never: saw. him-again.;: believe he was: drowned ; on .looking around:: saw two blacks : deid, and ordered the: bodiert to be thrown overboard ; also'saw the body of Patrick Troy, greatly mutilated ; on mustering crew* found the others badly: wounded, the mate and steward only being unhurt; I sent them away in the boat to the island to see how matter* stood there; when they returned, they reported that the two-men Humphrey Cougblan and Alexander Mcintosh had been murdered in the hut ; the mate stated that the bodies were much cut about the head, and that decomposition was fast setting in ; but before Bending the boat' away again,-1 ordered the body of Patrick Troy to be wrapped up in his blankets and taken on shore to be buried with the others - r the murders were no doubt perpetrated with the half-axes; those now produced are 1 the weapons mentioned.' The other witnesses wer&—Daniel Deaxy, seaman ; Frederick Dowdall, chief mate ; and Henry Fuller, cook and steward.