THE COLONIST TRAGEDY. A STRANGE STORY.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 401, 11 September 1889, Page 5

THE COLONIST TRAGEDY. A STRANGE STORY.

Hisnky E. Wkavku, the supercargo of the Sydney schooner Colonist, who shot his skipper, Captain W. Greenless, at Havannah Harbour (New Hebrides) some time ago, and who has just been condemned to death for the crime by the High Commissioner at Fiji, had the defence set up for him that he was insane ab the time. That this may have been the case would appear to be shown by the strange manner in which he acted in Sydney prior to leaving Sydney for the Islands in the Colonist, and from what he told Captain Pelly, of H.M.s. Lizard, who arrested him at H.ivannah. In his evidence at Suva for the defence Captain Pelly said :—: — The accused was on board my ship on the 20th Way. Prisoner told me he had cleared for Christmas Island from Sydney, but had no intention to go there. He told me where he was going 1 , pointing to the noith part of Malieta in the Solomon Islands, a certain spoc where he was going for pearl shells — tons of shells collected for him by the natives. He said he hoped to clear between £4,000 and £5,000. He said he had a gun there, and that the place was capable of being fortified. He had an idea of making the place a coal depot for Her Majesty's vessels. He asked me if I thought it possible to arrange with the Admiral of the station by which, the Admiral giving his assisttanco and protection, and helping him to attain the same position as the Rajah of Born«o, he, in return, should supply H.M. ships with 1,500 tons of coal per annum. I don't recollect whether anything wae said about gold being found. He said the people were willing to make him kin# or head chief, and he wanted English protection. William George Armitage in his evidence said : lam an agent and reside in Sydney. Weaver spoke of imaginary riches and lortunes ho came into. He told me his father had loft him £SO,OOO. I know he was in an impecunious state. He told me heknew where pearl shell, ivory-nuts, copper and beche-de-mer was stored in some island of which he knew, and thathis fortune was already down there, and he only had to bring it up. He told me he had an old wound he got at the islands. He said at times it used to drive him nearly mad. John .Barnard snid : I am a master mariner. 1 have known H. E. Weaver about sor 6 yeai-s. He often spoke of an island in the South Pacific which he was going Co annex-. He bought and took charge of the Julian Avery brig. I was acting mate when the Julian Avery was being fitted up. Fe often spoke of shooting people. He used to call the men aft, and asked them <c If they had been in a man-of-war ; could they use livearms ; could they shoot." He said — " Every one of you will have to carry a loaded revolver, and none but myself will return." He frightened two crews so much that they left the ship. He said he was going to get a private nag. I got it made for him, no one else was to know anything about it, and it was to be hoisted when we gob to the islands. The J ulian Avery was condemned and did nob go to sea. He told me he had a list of things he wanted, and afterwards showed it to me. There were, two Gatlinoguns, two Howitzers,' a number of revolvers and rifles in that list. Ho told me afterwards he 'was going ♦x> : take 5,000 rities ;; consequently 1 would not go with him. Just before Weaver shot Captain Greenless he had a quarrel with him, asking the master why he did nob receive him at the gangway when, he came on board the schooner, like a tnaivo'-war captaiu,