CRIME IN PAPUA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 12 September 1924, Page 5

CRIME IN PAPUA

MURDER. OF RECRUITER.

FEROCITY TOWARDS NATIVES

6Y GABLE—PRF.BB ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT

Received Sept. 12, 9.5 a.m. SYDNEY, Sept. 12. The Sun’s special representative at Papua records the trial of six natives for murder some time ago of a Labour recruiter, O’Dowd. Four of the prisoners were employed by and were accompanying O’Dowd at the time of the murder, and according to the eviufence of one of the accused O’Dowd was returning to the village to recapture two of his brothers who had escaped. Their father told them to kill O’Dowd and prevent him from taking his sons away. They ambushed and speared O’Dowd to death. The natives then deserted the village and took refine in the bush. A punitive expedition composed of native police and other natives was sent to the scene and indulged in wholesale shooting. Three of the wives of the accused, witness’s father and three other women were killed. One of the headmen’s wives had a little child at her breast and it was killed as well as all the other children in the village, excepting. three belonging to the witness who, with himself, wife and four male natives, were taken prisoners. Two male prisoners had since died. The scene of the shooting was the Potsdamhaven area.

The Judge, commenting on the evidence; said that if this ferocious punishment was meted out to these people it had an important bearing on the relations of natives to the adniinistration.

The Sun’s representative states that m view of the serious statements a searching inquiry will be made into the conduct of the. punitive expedi-tion.-—Sydney Sun Cables.