MASSACRES BY NEW GUINEA NATIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 247, 20 October 1886, Page 6

MASSACRES BY NEW GUINEA NATIVES.

[Br Telegraph.]

Cooktown, occoDer 14.

Tin: Java "Bode" of 25th August gives the following particulars of the murder by New Guinea natives of the captain and three ci the crew belonging to the steamer Koredo ; —On the 25th July, at 9 a.m.. H.M. steamer Tromp anchored in the roadstead of Ternati to lay in a stock oi coals before proceeding fuither on hei voyage to-fcew Guinea. On the previous lay, the arrival at the same port ■ f ths steamboat Koredo, owned by a i^ew Guinea irader, with ber flag flying at half-mast, be tokened at once that something calamitous had happened. It was bood ascertained that a case of p:racy and murder, similar to the piracy on board the Hok Canton, had cropptd up, and that foui dea rl andtwc wounded persons were on board. Further inquiry brought out the following details :—Tfie Koredo, which four times a year vii-its different ports on the New Guinea coast, and carries on trade with the natives, cMt-ily in Geelvink'tt Bay and Biak, arrived at the latter place about the middle of July. The master, Holland by name, had several tim s leceived parties of natives on board without any unpleasantness arifing. One day, the master, desiring to go ashore, landed, and met a Papuan woman, who with loud outcries took flight from before him, she seemingly being frightened by the blue spectacles with which he sceeened his eyes fom the dazzling sunlight. Immediately a native i armed with a spear came down upon him, but on Captaiß Holland asking what he wanted the fellow lowered his spear. The master not deeming it advisable to stay any longer on shore, returned forthwith on board. All was quiet, and everything went on ■well, until the twelfth day after that on which the master went on shore. Early that morning several prahus put off towards the Koredo with natives, who subsequently came on board. The master was sitting on the bulwarks talking with them as they walked about unarmed on deck. All at once the master, when standing up to go away for some purpose or other, was laid hold of by one of the natives, who grasped his neck with both hands. Two others seized both arms. A fourth native, who in the meantime had got weapons from thu prahus. thrust a spear into his side with such force that ifc went right through the master, who was a corpse within 20 minutes. The natives rushed up the bridge, and meanwhile their number was increased by more prahus with armed men coming alongside. The natives then fell upon the first engineer, and a native struck his head off. The same fate befel a sailor who happened to be on the bridge, and the stoker, too, when hastening to his aid, wag killed. The boatswain was all this while in the forepart of the steamer. He quickly grasped his mueket, and by a lucky shot killed one of the murderers. Two were so severely wounded by him that they died shortly afterwards. Their comrades, on seeing this, hastily took flight in the prahus, which happened to be handy. While all this was taking place, those natives who took no active part in the murders raado use of the opportunity to carry oft" every portable article they could lay their hands on. They made away with even all the engine-room fittings and gear, besides a very large sum of money which was oa board On the Sth August the Tromp, in company with the Koredo, left for New Guinea, having on board also the boatswain, who, by his heroic conduct, secured the preservation of the vessel and the lives of .the remainder of the crew.