MURDER OF LIEUT. LUCKRAFT.

Patea Mail, 21 April 1882, Page 3

MURDER OF LIEUT. LUCKRAFT.

The Noumea correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writing under date March ,21st, gives the ; following details relative to the murder of Lieutenant Lnckraft :—Yesterday evening, near sunset, H.M.S. Cormorant arrived, .with-, fier flag at half-mast. The cause of the sad signal \va;s the death of the above named officer, shot by the natives of Espirbu Santo on the 16tb inst., whilst engaged searching for the murderers concerned in the .massacre of, the boat’s crew of the Isabelle. With this object the Cormorant proceeded to Espiritu Santo, arriving there on the morning of the 16th, When about four miles fro.ra.the village it was intended to surround and surprise before daylight ; a, detachment under the command of Lieutenant Lnckraft disembarked through a fearful surf. They .were guided by a native pf. Tpngoa, a small island near to Santo, who volunteered to show them the village. They reached it at early morn, and partially surprised it, capturing two women. The rest of the natives, roused,. fc»y the barking of their dogs, plunged at once into the.: thickets surrbimding the village, and soon opened up a fire upon the detachment. Lieutenant Lnckraft: dashed forward, in the direction of the firing, and was immediately mortally wounded. Seeing the “ surprise ” had failed, and that, owing to the nature of the country, it was worse than useless to pursue the natives—-who mounted higher and higher, as pursued,, upon the mountain which rose thousands of feet just behind their village—the detachment returned to the boats; with their wounded officer. He, alas ! died ere reaching them. Great difficulty was experienced in re r embarking, through the breakers on the shore ; and during this time the natives kept up a fire upon the men from high cliffs 200 or 300 yards distant, fortunately without -.hitting any .one. - - —■ -