TRAGEDY IN NEW GUINEA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2115, 23 October 1890, Page 4

TRAGEDY IN NEW GUINEA.

Cooktown. Sept. 30.

The Harrier has arrived here Signor Loria, after a sixteen months’ ( successful collecting tour, returns to Italy by the Jumna, He intends to resume work in New Q-uinea next year. Signor Loria brings full particulars of the discovery by Mr A. C. English, the Government agent at Rigo, that the late George Hunter, whom he succeeded at that place, did not die of fever, as was supposed, but was foully murdered by his native wife, her paramour, “a parishan,” another native woman, and five other natives Mr English was instructed, oh being appointed Government agent, to hold an inquiry into the circumstances cennected with Hunter’s death. He discovered that Mov, Hunter’s native wife, together with her lover, concocted a scheme to get rid of Hunter, who at the time was very ill from fever. The following are, the particulars : Yetakooro, Hunter’s station boy, went into the room where Hunter was lying ill, and offered to squeeze and rub his aching head with palms of his hands, this custom being very prevalent among the natives for the treatment of aches and pains. Hunter acquiesced, and the boy pretended to do so, placing his body in such a position that Hunter could not see the murderers entering the room. Mov, his wife, suddenly seized him by the throat. The other native woman threw herself across his abdomen, pressing with all her might on his body, the others assisting by holding the struggling man down while the women suffocated and strangled him. Hunter, although very weak, seized a tomahawk and inflicted slight wounds on some of his murderers. Yetakooro then told Mov to make tea in the morning and take it to Hunter, She was then to pretend to discover his death and commence her lamentations, whereupon he would run screaming and wailing through Rapa Kapa village, where the murder was perpetrated. This was done, but the secret leaked out, and the villagers hunted Mov out ot the village, and proceeded to Port Moresby with Hunter’s body. English having identified all the murderers, who were living in the three villages, divided his force of sixteen men into three parties, and succeeded in capturing every one of them. This was a most difficult operation, but was successfully carried into effect. English brought eight prisoners to Port Moresby, where they were tried before Judge Winter. Mov and another native woman, Yetakooro, the station bov, and three other men were sentenced to death, and two others were acquitted.