HOW THE SPANIARDS WERE SLAUGHTERED. FULL ACCOUNT OF THE AFFAIR. THE CAROLINE GROUP.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 237, 14 January 1888, Page 5

HOW THE SPANIARDS WERE SLAUGHTERED. FULL ACCOUNT OF THE AFFAIR.

THE CAROLINE GROUP.

MrF. J. Moss, M.H.R., in a letter published by us a few days ago, described the condition of affairs at Ponape, in the Caroline Group, where the recent massacre of the' Spanish Governor and trpops , occurred. By the San Francisco mail yesterday we have received full particulars of the affair, gleaned from a letter sent by Capt. G. F. Garland, of the barque Morning;, Star, to, Rev. A., 0. Forbes, Secretary of the Hawaiian , Board of Missions. This shows that Mr Moss had correctly gauged' the case. On April 11th, Mr Doane, an American! missionary, sent a protest to the Governor against his arbitrary conduct in buying land already the property of the' mission, and of which he held the deed., For this letter the Governor ordered. him* into confinement, where he was well treated, but was ultimately carried on to 'Manila. The natives strongly resented the removal of Mr Doane, and , their anger was further aroused by other acts on the part of the, Governor violating their native customs. The Governor had made the first and 2nd chiefs of each tribe " little governors" with power to punish "little offences." Accordingly the King of the Metalenim tribe, which includes Owa Mission, put 4 persons ( in irons for adultery, which is one of the '" little ,offences." The Governor sent and ordered him to release them. He refuged, thinking the messenger was drunk and lying. , Officers were r then sent who took them out ; this was May 15 or 16. The same day the King was told he must send SO men to work for Government, and each tribe was to send 30 men each week, and to supply their pwn food and have no pay.' This order of things to go on as long as the Governor wished. Spme had to bring their food 20 miles. No one was exempt except tho two "little governors" in each tribe. The work was building houses and making roads. . - The King was then called before the Governor A who threatened to take away his title and flog him, and if he ever disobeyed again, 1 he would put a ball and chain on him I and set him to "work on the road. Ponape chiefs are hisrh-toned in some respects, and this, sort of thing didn't suit them. ! These things are mentioned as leading up to the climax. At some time the King was asked whose were the schools at Owa, and when told they were in charge of Messrs Doane and Rand, he said, " You must stop the day school,'' and it.was done : lie also said, "We have brought you teachers and preachers (Roman Catholic prieets) : they are the ones you ought to listen , to, we want no American teaching here." May 31st, the, Spanish Donna Maria de tylolyia arrived in Ponape with supplies and tp remain a store ship. and. on June 2nd Mr Doane was transferred to her, here he was well jbreated and had, the freedom of the ship. Onthe 15th, he was 'transferred )back tp the Manila, which sailed on the 16th' for Manila. Mrs Rand sailed for home oil the same vessel. " The mission .thought it necessary some one should see the Board aboi\t these matters,. „ , . The day tHe Manila sailed', Manuel, the interpreter, tolcHhe Kenan Christians that if they tried to hold services the next Sunday, the Spanish, would break ifc up,, and threat^ 1 of like nature ,\yere* continually coming,on. The meeting was'rnot broken \)p\ ■Mr J^and ? was tjkero ; v th'e Governor also came in for a' short' time, hp said, ,to make a sketch', , * „'' t .'J' , "' \ „' ,*' " Before sailing,- Mr Doane had 'written a farewell letter to several of the churches, foreigHers told the GoVernor, and he at once sent and had it translated into, Spanish. Towards the last o£, June,, natives, were ordered to hold no m,ore feasts, not to tatqo their' bodies, to kill all", dogs,, etc. Then' another message, came ordering all the chiefs' co" come to ni)p July'lst, to have their, titles taken, a way, and froln that day the law about feasts," etc. , was to be enforced. Their rffles, guns, and pistojs had aVe'ridy Taken tafcen jfroin' them 'about' May lsti'aleo'a 1 lew old rusty .cannon," and' now another' search vftis' made al* ove 'v fc^ i^arids for' 'guns ' Whidh 1 . migjft * yet 1 : remain among ? thom'. e *'-As, 1 will^seeen' 'later 4 , 1 " the n'atrves siiccWd<k l iri J Mdin#<iiiite l>(l > ( 16jrof them. ' ThVcsh'ieft and'nie'rin Worked x tip "t'6 July ;" dn'tha^day'th^Ma^edWa^.'" 1 : f ltseems I *foreigneVs;ye6<!)Hed the native's were io^Qld^'coUncil'bfK^fri^ ffleh& tju'hifelifedf »B#. BaViri'g^Keir* mcfatbs '&weU Mb nfSjfc 6PJWumF&i seS'ifJt M« A i!ii wp JJ f f #ith*«"t>Ka:^r«ii£:6its;^ibe 'KW m&iM> 1 '^!! men'home that night fearing" att*#tbft§al# July 4fet^>iie^ii|,*moon','Kthe-'i ©pterh^^nt Manu^litj&sJakoits^o^e^lhe bHiefs%d*oomV UslTO&S^^i-^^^s^^nAm^^ges^^

--'J?he*JfikoitB't:chiiet'wasrreadys:to-'g'O,Tbrtifc-others prevented him. The sergeant re* turned , without them. , Then- the second lieutenant,/ thp 'sergeant, twenty soldiers*and Man del} were sent over. Before this Manuel had told the Governor that the Ponapeans were towards, and if he would kill a few of them the'others would obey. Upon reaching Jakoits the soldiers formed at both * ends; of .the feast house where the chiefs and men were gathered, some inside, some oujiside.. They nod no arms in sight. Without saying a word to them, the order was given to- fire, which was done by the; soldiers. Five natives fell, one dead ; one died soon after, and three were wounded. The natives then made a rush for what few guns and knives they had, and fought the soldiers, killing fifteen or sixteen, includ ing the officers and Manuel. Manuel,, after being shot, begged them to spare him, saying he was their friend. , kt Yes," said they, " and now we will reward you;" which they did by cutting oft his head. The fight lasted but ' a few minutes. Saturday, July 2nd, the natives gathered on and near the mission grounds and found the Spanish all in the fort. A skirmish occurred in which five of the Spanish WQie killed, and a largo boat from the storeship captured by them this day. The natives fought mostly from behind trees and a lumber pile. , Sunday, July 3rd, the natives held their meeting as usual. While the bell was ringing, the Governor sent from the fort to Edward, the teacher, 'saying he was ready to stop fighting, and wanted ,to be friendly; that the natives were in the right, for God had helped them.and not the Spanish. Edward went to the fort and held quite a talk with him, then ,went back and conducted the meeting. The Governor's secretary went too, and stayed through the services. ; Dulling the service a. Boat from the storeship took a , load •of boxes on, j board. After service the boat took [ another ,I'o^cl,^ including . the priests. ' When ,a sKdft' distance from the shor.e> | a native, who thought the Governor was trying to escape, fired on the boat. Then the fort opened on the natives ; they returned the fire, which was ,kept up till 2 a.nil July 4th/' The Molina 'also dropped several shells among them. At 2 a.m. those in the fort made a rush for the water, trying to get on board the ship, and were all killed. The Governor, his seeretery, second lieutenant and doctor were killed while wading in the water up to their waists. Before the rush several soldiers left the fort ; some of them escaped, and are now living on good terms with the natives. The soldiers were Manilamen, the officers X Spanish. It is supposed that about forty Spanish were killed, and not over tea natives. July sth, Edward came to Owa from Kenan and reported the natives resting, and that they would take the ship on the night of the sth or 6th, but th.ey wanted the captain to send away the women and children. MV^ltand sent Edward back to try and stop the natives, intending to go over himself on the 6th. The natives did not want Mr Rand' to go. on board the ship, ff aring the captain would keep him, and so prevent their firing on the ship. Mr Rand "could not go on the 6th, but sent a Mr Oldham instead. The captain of the Molina said he did not know what the fighting was for, and wished to stop itw Oldham then went to the chiefs, and they agreed to leave the ship alone if the Spanish jlW'duld leave them alone, and signed a paper ! to that effect, drawn up by Oldham. After the fight fchenatives destroyed the town, carrying away whatever was of value to them. - July Bth, Mr Rand went to Kenan. The chiefs wanted him to ask the captain to take all hands out of the ship and let them burn it, saying they would stick to their word and kill no one; he told them itwpuld be worse for them in the end, and so they gave it up. Then they wanted the captain to see the captain, of the next Spanish vessel that arrived, and a&ked for a council before any more firing was done, that, they might show that the Spanish began the troubles. He said he would, and that a council would be held. Interfering with their tribal laws had much to do on bringing in the war.