NEW CALEDONIA NEWS. (PER PRESS AGENCY.) Noumea. 13th June.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 545, 25 June 1879, Page 2

NEW CALEDONIA NEWS. (PER PRESS AGENCY.) Noumea. 13th June.

H.M S. Conflict arrived on the sth from Aoba, Leper's Island, tbe scene of the Mystery massacre, and reported that some months ago the Wolverene, Commodore Wilson, had visited the island, and invited the chiefs to deliver the murderer. They said they would see the Commodore hanged first. However, when an armed company of sailors and marines were landed in 'full strength things began to look serious, for the chiefs and their men seemed much inclined to show fight. The chiefs demanded a parley, and a deputation from each of the threatening parties advanced midway between them. The parley resulted in the delivery of the asserted murderer to the Commodore and the payment by the chiefs of twenty- Qve pigs, which in native "currency" is equal to killing five men, or twenty-five women, the scoundrels valuing as many as five pigs for the life of one Man, and but one for that of a woman. In connection with the murdering of the Mystery's boat's crew, a dreadful incident has come to sight. One of the four South Sea Islanders escaped into the boat, and for months he was sought in vain. Nothing was ever seen of him until the day after his death, through starvation and the suffering caused by one of his hands being chopped off.