AUCKLAND.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3705, 9 November 1880, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

This day. Another Island Massacre.

News via Noumea states that the cutter Idaho was engaged recruiting for laborers on the Island Sante. On the evening of arrival, a number of natives came and promised to return in the morning with recruits. Two canoes with about a dozen men in each came aboard, bartering bananas in a friendly manner, most of them speaking good broken English. The ship's boat in charge of a- native crew under the orders of a native named Sam, made a trip to the shore as soon as she had gone. The canoe men left the cutter for the canoes to get their tomahawks, and returned to the vessel armed. They gradually surrounded MacMillan, who sat at the stern of the vessel cleaning firearms, and suddenly split his head open with a tomahawk. There was no other White aboard but 3 natives and 7 recruits. These were attacked, two killed, and a boy wounded and pitched into the hold, where two natives sought refuge. These two men seizing muskets menaced the natives, who cleared by plunging into the sea. Simultaneously the boats crew were attacked and all killed save Sam and Santo Charlie. As soon as the attack began Sam plunged into the sea and made for a distant point of land, and concealed himself in sight of the vessel until all was quiet. He then swam off, heaved the anchor, and sailed the vessel as he best could, aided by the two left of the crew, and the recruits, for several days.' They were sighted by the Lady Boltnore, 140 miles from the scene of the outrage.