THE NEW GUINEA MURDERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 131, 10 April 1879, Page 2

THE NEW GUINEA MURDERS.

The following telegram, dated Cooktown March 19th, gives the particulars of certain atrocities perpetrated at New Guinea.

According to the latest reports everything is very unsettled along the coast of New Guinea. .The Rev Mr Chalmers found Messrs lorns and Willlis in December in a boat off South Cape, Hestrongly urged them not to land, but they persisted and he then left them and proceeded to Kerrpania. Seven days afterwards heheard of their murder, and ascertained it had been committed by Theelalay natives. They admitted that they found Mr Willis sick of fever lying on the beach, and they j speared him. Soon after they found Mr lorns walkingabout looking for cedar, and they killed him and cut his head off. Captain Webb, of the schooner Pride, sent a boat in charge of Mr Hastings to obtain further information, but the party were attacked at two different places when they tried to land. At Cloudy Bay, however, they managed to get Messrs Willis and Iron's boat off each beach On Mr Chambers return to South Cape, lie was informed that a Chinese junk from Cooktown had been attacked at Orangerie Bay through a dispute which arose about trado and in the end three of the natives had been shot, Of the native teachers and families who landed from the John Williams, missionary schooner, nine had died of fever, two had been poisoned at Du Fame, and five poisoned at Isa, The natives had proceeded about the poisoning of the teachers with diabolical cunning. They hired a skilful medicine-man of another tribe, and he poisoned tho drinking water with poison taken from a tree supposed to be a variety of the upas tree. The natives avowed openly that the object of the murderers was to obtain the hoop iron, beads, red cloth, &c., known to be in the teachers' possession, They expressed their sorrow afterwards to Mr Chalmers for having committed the murders, and offered to give compensations for the lives they had destroyed, The natives all along the coast of New Guinea are said to be very unsettled and hostile. The Roy Mr Becswick has relieved the Rev Mr Chalmers at South Cape.