NATIVE GIRLS AGONY.

Shannon News, 4 May 1923, Page 2

NATIVE GIRLS AGONY.

——— ARM CHOPPED OFF. SAVAGERY IN PAPUA. Twenty Papuan natives were killed recently on the Fiy River in a fierce battl e which followed a quarrel between a native chief and a young native, who had fallen in. love with his daughter. The young native was to marry the girl, who was the pride of th e village. The chief would not allow the marriage, and took the daughter to. a schooner lying in the middle of the stream. He chopped one of her arms oil, and locked her up on the craft. For five days the girl struggled to free herself, but her struggles ended in a terrible death. Her young lover later discovered her body, and with his tribe attacked the chief. The heads of the 20 who were Killed were put on spears and paraded through the village. The chief’s head lead the procession.

The missionary steamer, John Williams, which returned to Sydney last week, has cruised around New Guinea and was at the Fly River, where the tragedy occurred. According to the officers of the vessel, th e scene was about 30 miles from Daru, the nearest port. There were no white people about, and all the natives were of the worst type in the district. A missionary who visited the place later, heard the full story, and he called a magistrate, who made several arrests. It appears that the inhabitants of the village had been living quietly until the daughter of the chief spoke of her marriage. She was a very popular girl among her tribe, but the chief used to think that there was no man in the village good enough for her. •

The young native, from another tribe, came to the chief one night and asked for the hand of his daughter. Not only did the chief refuse, but he had the young native thrown from his hut. The lover was badly injured, ana on returning to his tribe, told his

story. An attack on the chief was prepared. He heard of this, and the same night the daughter was kidnapped and taken out into the stream about five miles from the house. The girl was led to believe that her lover’s men were holding him until they came, but later her father came. He toid her that her young lover had been killed. The girl assaulted her father. He threatened her with terrible punishment, but offered to forgive the girl if she would cease to mourn over the young native’s death, and live peacefully with her father again. This the girl The .chief left her and she was locked up again, but that night four natives broke into her cabin. Her right arm was chopped!off, and the ,girl was then left to spend the days, ih dreadful agony. The assailants, the story runs, stayed on the river bank and tormented the girl by shouting out to her. They could even hear her terrifying knocks against the wooden door of the cabin. Toward the end she became. mad, and tore at the wood: " Sut tlie, door remained shut' The young girl "dlea too soon to hear .the triumphant pro-, cession of her lover’s tribe with her father’s head leading the rest.