EXTRAORDINARY MURDERS AT SEA BY SAVAGES

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 835, 25 October 1877, Page 4

EXTRAORDINARY MURDERS AT SEA BY SAVAGES

The Cooktown correspondent of the 'Brisbane Telegraph' tells an ex traordinary tale \ot murder and atpiracy at sea bythreenatives of Drunk Island. * near Cardwell. Condensed from his > voluminous accaunb, thn harrowing^story is.as follows :—The schooner Donglas, owned by a Melbourne firm, was on her wny to Cbilcot Island, there to Ret guano. When passing Drunk Island, three Bavages same off in a boat, and volunteered to go with the vessel. On arriving at, Chilcot. Island they found . the brig Alexandria owned same firm, half loaded. Mr Beaver, one of the owners, was on board the. Alexnndin, and he determined: to go with her to Daintree, there to load with cpdnr. As Daintree was known to «wnrm with savnges, he tppk; all the firearm*, with,-the exception, of one vevolver, from the -Douglas, the blacks on the latter ship seeing the < xchange. That evening two sailors from the Douglas (the crew numbered ten white;mem;went on shot ; f ; with two blacks. /Whilei" sitting in ii hut they had erected'for'their cuuvenieuce, the two-blacks, .came treacherously bebind ( a-nd, killed them by sudden and. si.miltaaepus blows, of their hatchets..,: They then swam on Vessel, where the third black joned them. The white men were all asleep, no watch being kept, and slowly they stole nboul their murderous work. Twosailors were sleeping on the deck, and botli were struoV with the hatchet!", sc suddenly that no alarm was raised though neither of them was killec outright. They then, went into the hole and attacked, Pnrcell anpthei but he. managed to ;give th< alarm before jbewas rendered:sense less. TliWrpused Deasey,: th< second mate, wljo; was asleep in th< forecastle, and he rushed out,. H< dodged a deadly blow aimed at hi head, and sang out " Captain thj bl.tcks are murdering us." Thenal three fell on him. How- he;escape< is a miracle, but,he managed ta.hoL his assailants without re cciving anything worse than severs si vere flesh wounds, until the nois brought the mate on .deck. H rushed into the .fore rigging, an thus distracted the attention: of th b-ajks for an instance. , Dease took advantage of the paiw to draw his knife, but at the firs blow he shattered it upon one of tl: Bilvage's axes. He picked up small. grindstone lying near, Van knocked down one of the black and seized the instant to rush fc the rigging. After a fight wit two of the savages on. the bulwark he made good bis escape to whei mate and a seaman name Xawrence were taking refug With the mate's knife they ci three blocks loose, and with. the£ fastened to ends of kept tl savages at bay. Hearing tl struggle, the.captain Was coming c

deck, but his hand was cut off by a black, as he put it 1 on top of the hatchway. The black remained' to keep watclybut in an interval when bis attention was attracted else-

where, Shaw and Purcell, who had recovered consciousness, managed to crawl into the cabin. They attempted to, load the revolver, but. the flowing blood filled the barrels and wet the powder. Thus two men were dead on shore; three were badly wounded in the cabin; three were in the rigging. Deasey was lashed to prevent his falling, for he had fainted from, Ipes,of blood; one man, Troy, was lying badly wounded, on deck; and .the ..steward,. who made tb<? tenth man, was; locked in his own cabin.. The. two blacks who were at liberty next killed Troy outright; then they'attempted to bri »g down' the men from th i rigging by hurling iron and pieces .of coal at therai Thus matters ; stood when ithe grey drfwu revealed v the blpod-sjained deck, with the three demons duhoing like the very fiends incarnate that they were. Somehow or other they remembered the stewfrd in his galley. They -burst open one-doory but he made his escape by the other, and dodging the blow, aimed :by the guard, joined 1 the others .in the rigging. Here at last was, a -gleam ;of hope. He cleaned the blood from the I'evolver, .loaded.> it, and, patiently • waiting for an opportunity, shot the black Who wiis guarding'the cabin through the head.',„, 'J'he,.two remaining blacks exchanged a sentence in their own language, and went-to pick up th'e' fallen guard." The, sailors in the rigsring dropped on -deck at:; th is; m'omen t; • 'The '* mate seized a handspike, and a,t one-.blow killed the second black. The third,

seeing- that .the game was up, jumped ;'nto the sea. He was fired at several times by the 'steward,'and suddenly disappeared.,. - . The. men who were least wouflded palled to the island, and found their comrades dead. They returned, and set sail for Cairns. Arrived 'there, an inquiry was held, .and. the._worst wounded were sent to the hospital, where, under skilful treatment; {Key are progressing favorably.

SO that one-hall the .fuctories are closed, or only working' half-time; not more than one fourth of the total quantity of sugar will re produced • his .year,, as compared; witlithe--preceding 1 ones. Fiscal difficulties have not a little to do. with the I'esulti but a short yield—lo tons per acre of roots—has all its influence. While some are advocating the cultivation, of smiiU roots for sugar purposes as beiu'ff most suitable, the Eure Farming Society encourages the contrary by prizes. Again, high manuring has hitherto been accepted n« lessening the percentage of sugar and affecting the ch realisation of I -lie juice. Messrs --Chapman, and Pel let," from their cartful experiments,\;conclude the opposite. Finally, two r celebrities Claude Bferiiard; and ./Coreiiinder,' aiv of contrary opinions as';toh|ow the sugars and the salts localise themselves \n., the cells of. the roots.. p|aRIS CORRESPONDENTi ... , -..,.