MURDEROUS OUTRAGE BY NATIVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9335, 19 October 1893, Page 5

MURDEROUS OUTRAGE BY NATIVES.

Thursday Island, October 6. I Mr. Harry Nicholls left Thursday Island on September 28 with nine Batavia river natives, who were engaged only a few days before at the mission station, in the presence and with the consent of the missionary in charge. Nicholls arrived at Burke Island all right, and finding that the schooner Lookout, which they had to join, had left for Adolphus Island, they left for that place. When out at sea the natives knocked Nicholls overboard, and changed the boat's course for Batavia river. Another native, who came from one of the islands, declined to go to Batavia, and persuaded the other natives to put him in a dingy and cast him adrift. They did so, and°went on their course, and this native then rowed back and picked up Nicholls. Both men reached Burke Island after a very hard pull. Meantime the cutter had come here to advise Nicholls of the scooner having shifted her position, but Nicholls having left, the cutter returned to the schooner, from whence it was sent to Burko Island, where they rescued Nicholls and the native. Two of the runaway natives had been with Nicholls before, while they are all well-known men, previously engaged on the fisheries. The men are repotted to have spent their evenings singing hymns i when aboard.