ANOTHER MASSCRE IN THE SOUTH SEAS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 4, Issue 178, 25 December 1880, Page 2

ANOTHER MASSCRE IN THE SOUTH SEAS.

I Si,/,„■,, Mail, Xorvmhrv (!.] NoI'MKA, Ol'tok'l' •,'?. liytlu'st'linoiiei'Amora.t.'iiiitiiiiiM'l 1 tile intolligonre was Immglit to-tluy of imoi.lii.-r nmssami liy tliu South Sea Isliimli'rs. Tin! oiittci' Kliilm.iKl tn K> tons, t'u|il:'.ii) M'Milliin. was utijjjngt'il lust month rcci'iiitiny luliutir nt the inland of Santo. Tlic cvoiiinji nl' ]n>r arrival a iniinlii'i' of imtivt's oami.'nil', ami im-iiiim-il M'Milliin tn roliirii ni'xt inoniinn' with kdihu mttivuH wini wisht-il tn In.' i-iijjiigf.-il. 'J'w.i caiuius, I'Diitnintn!,' Umi or I'lrvun limit I'lirh, cimiiu I'.irly iifxt iimniinj'. tliu iiiilivus mi liimiil, iiflci'iiiji liuiiitiiiiN, \i\. I'ou sale in tin! hi.i-1 friendly itinmll r, ntnsl of ilt. m K|iii|iUiii|j pun I lii'oki'ii KnglMi. (in Ilit'il ui-iival, tliu »liiji'n boat, in clmi'i'i' nf u ualivu i'ii'\v iiinlt'l' tin' ui'ilt'w nf ••Sam," ii uutivo nl' Maui U.unl- nt tliu Loynltk'S clusti to

) I New Caledonia— made a trip on shore > So soon as she had gone tho canoe-rneti ~ left the Idaho for their eanoes to "et ;! their tomahawks, armed with which tlw-v i returned to the v-makl, in the stem ,',f . which sat l> •>r M'Millaii, cleaning his . , iirvarms.- "Walking about the. deck in ' tho 'most friendly maimer, they grn,iu;il!v surrounded M'Millaii, when one of them . J -a rullian, speaking Ih,H, English and ; Fijian Ihienlly, he. having been both in ! giieouslniiil and I'iji —split tin- nnsns. ' | litrotiiiy man'-, head open with his tonia--11 hawk, then gave lull venl t,, his lovd „f •, 1j1<"»I hy hacking first his head and then ; his lej;s, as though he inteiuled to make 11 iiiiiieeimiit i>r liini. N - o otkr wliite mini | wast aboard, lan there wire two or three of | the black eivw. and seven recniits. These , j wore attacked, two or three killed, and a • boy Wounded and pitched i„t„ ||„. |„,|d where tw,, of the natives bad sought i re!ugc. These two men, seizing two • j muskets, mciiaccil tin; natives [,'n the deck, who at tiiien cleared out hv pluii"jing into the sea. Theouly injiirv'iiiflietcd , "I"" 1 tl'i uderiug band comprised one I having bis lingers chopped oil on the j bulwarks, and another having a spear ! driven into him as he was making oil. Simultaneously proving preconcerted (schemes— with the attack on the vessel, j the boat's eivw was also attacked, those in \\<'i- all but "Sam" and one ■■Santo j Charlie" hoing killed, and the boat, j smashed to pieces. ■•Sam, - * as soon as ■ jiis the attack commenced plunged into | the sea, and hy swimming and" diving as Marc men know how. made to a disjtiirit point of land, where he concealed i hiuisuif j,, sight of the vessel until all or, | board seemed ipiiet, when he swam oil'. i up anchor and awav, sailing tin. vessel | as best he could, aided by two left, of the jcrew and the seven recruits, for.sevoral days, when thev were sighted and boarded Ihy the l.ad\ lielmure. labour recruiting j vessel. ~ll' tile coast of Vaiuia Luva.,l 10 : miles Iron, Cape Northumberland. Saute | Island, the scene of the massacre. i .Mr. Webster, mate of tie., i.idv l'.el|more, took the Idaho u, llavamia h.'u- | hour, after fourteen days' and nights' ■sleepless cruising, for 'experience "had taught, him' to beware of the treaehorv jof the South Sea Islanders. It was ceritainlv plucky in such a ease for a man jto go single-handed amongst eight, or ' | ten natives and make sucli a voyage. ; I'V Ilavaima harbour. Mr. Webster | was brought on here in the Aurora, and •j proceeds to Sydney by the next mail. . j Santo Charlie', referred to above, is a , | native who Ims for your* bed, ai gst ■j the whites. I'.efore' leaving- the Idaho ■ | he put on double shirts, trousers. Jfc,... ' ami stoweil awav in his shirt as mil hj •j tobacco as be ,"-.,1,1,1 conceal. 1,,-loro I reaching the island San, observed and remarked this, and was informed the tobacco was for Charlie'., brother, on the ' island. This fellow. Charlie, was a »v!l----kiiown had character, and had been heard ■ to say be -would solne day or other hove I u while man's head." ("pun reaching • shore he joined the crowd, and no doubt was foremost In murdering bis whilom • companions. Probably this wretch con- • coded the whole thing for the sake of a ' little plunder, no cause whatever for tiei attack having been given by the Idaho. ■ It seems to have he.-ii pure licmli.-hm-ss. , as amongst the six natives munleieil were I hive natives of Santo Island itself. ' The shooting of some natives and the j running d,,u ~ of some canne.s about three ■ , months ago may he one of il xciting cms, f, rit is certain that ths mind i ' of the llauntlcss people followed the ' shooting of the sub-chief of the island ' by one of the cleW of the Auro.a. from 1 this port, as reported hv the Commodore 1 j when last here, and which ease has been 1 ; the ~!il,|cet of a spe i,l ciuilini., i:n of 1 I inquiry ben- for upwards ~1 two mouths 1 j now. resulting so far in the dismissal of 1 j the (lovernmeiii agent for omitting |o *! notify |.i tie- authorities her,- a fact which transpired the previous voyage ' to that upon which the -iib-chief' was 1 shot, at n place but fortv miles from the ' Island of Santo. I The stale of all'iirs among the islands 'I is described ass ething very lamentable. | Truly have the predictions made in communications of lasl year been fliltilleil. The natives,, armed 'with all kinds of ; weapons IV (J iiisliind end other places, Snider rides being far from rare with them, and provided with ample provision of animurition, are bee lining daily proportionately more dangcions. as they increase in insolence, deriding the very idea of an Knglish man-of-war. It is reported that the natives of the island ', last bombarded by the Commodore express themselves as ipiite injured that . he does not send them word whether he intends another visil or not so as to decide them relative to the reconstruction of the lew grass houses destroyed. From another island, where so many pigs were paid as a line for murder and outrage, the chief -ends word to the traders that they li i vis more pigs ready, and mo-it willingly will pay them away for like equivalent to the last occasion.* Trailers assert, that no one's life is sat',- amongst the islands, nor will it be so until a radical change in lb,: absurd regulations which, as predicted, have nourished a thorough contempt in the native mind for the Knglish (lag. The late sequence of massacres ma) have the effect of inducing a longii led change in the administration of Polynesian atl'airs.