THE MAPOON MISSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14146, 23 August 1909, Page 6

THE MAPOON MISSION.

CHARGES AGAINST REV. HEY.

EVIDENCE AT ■ THE INQUIRY.

At the Queensland Government inquiry in-

to the charges formulated at the instance of Michael Baltzer, a former employee at Mapoon Mission, involving alleged cruelty to the natives and mismanagement of the mission by the superintendent, the Rev. Nicholas Hey. Baltzer deposed that he arrived at Mapoon in May, 1906, as an assistant missionary from Alsace, Lorraine, to be paid £5 a. month for two years. Hey came to him one day early in 1907, and told him to come to him at 12 o'clock to hold Ellen, a half-caste girl, as he wanted to give her a hiding. At that hour Hey came out of his house, bringing twostingaree tails, each three or lour feet long, and a single-barrel breech-loader shotgun. He went with Hey into the dormitory, where he saw Ellen and one of the schoolgirls. Hey opened the door, called Ellen out, took her by the back of the neck, and put her up against a past. Hey put her hands round the post, and told him to tie her hands up with the rope, which Hey had in his hands. He (Baltzer) tied her up by the hands, passed the rope round her neck and round through her legs, low down, by Hey's direction. Then Hey gave him one of the stingarce tails, retaining the other himself. Hey said : " Baltzer, you hit her after me, and strike her hard." She had on only a thin loose dress. Hey started to beat her, and he followed him. She cried very hard. He (Baltzer) did not say one word against the whipping. While it wag going on he saw the girl's head fall back. He believed they gave her between them 100 cuts. He did not protest against the severity of the whipping, as he presumed Hey knew what he was doing. He was only acting under instructions. When he saw the girl's head fall back ho threw his whip away, and went to loosen the rope, without Hey instructing him. Ellen slipped down the post to the ground. He thought she had fainted. _ He then left and went home. After this the boys told him something, and he went back, and saw that an anchor chain had been fastened around her neck. That same evening, about five o'clock, she was in the same place, and had on the same dress, and was lying down on the sand alongside the whipping-post. He did not look to see whether there were marks on the body. She looked as if she was asleep. The girl was kept tied to the past for some days. Hey told him that the girl had struck Mrs. Hey in the school. That was all he knew about why she had been whipped. He was told by Jessie, one of the school inmates, that Hey told Tier she was only to give Nellie a bit of food, and that she would be punished if she disobeyed. Further cross-examined by Mr. Hey, witness said : I remember having flogged Harry Brown. I do not remember saying on one occasion that I told you I flogged him till the blood came, i also flogged Ruth, the wife of Phill, and Martha, the wife of Peter, also Leonard, a boy of 18. I flogged them by your orders. I did not strike Georgina; I only pushed her away. In reply to Mr. Hey, again Beltzer admitted having written a letter- to Germany withdrawing certain charges made against him (Hey). Ellen, the victim of the floggings, said she was a Christian, and understood the oath. She remembered being at Mapoon. Before she went to service to Mrs. Costin, at Thursday Island, in 1907, she had been at Mapoon about five years. She remembered being beaten before leaving for disobeying Mrs. Hey, who told her to teach the class. She was beaten more than once. It was with a stingaree tail, like that produced. She went •to the class after being beaten, but would not teach. "Mrs. Hey," witness continued, "struck mo with the tail, and I gave her a push. A girl came between us, and I didn't touch her. Mrs. Hey sent me out. I went into the dormitory and stayed till school was over. Mr. Hey came "after the girls were out of school, and Baltzer with him. They took mo cut, tied mo up to a post near the dormitory, and left me there while they had dinner. They came to me after , dinner, and brought two stingaree tails with them. ' They called the boys and girls around, and both flogged me." Who loosed them ?—I don't know. I remember them putting a chain round my neck. (Chain produced, like an anchor chain of a dinghy.) There was the thicker part of the chain round my neck. Mr. Hey explained that the chain produced was part of the chain used on the occasion.

Ellen continued : I lay down under the shade. My dress was not torn, but there were marks on my legs, which bled,from the hits. The flogging was on Tuesday morning. I was kindly treated at Mapoon all the time, except for that one beating.

Nicholas Hey deposed that he was superintendent of Mapoon Presbyterian mission. He had been so for about 18 years, and assistant three years previously. " One day in 1906 Mrs. Hey returned to the house from the school "looking very pale, and stating that she had been assaulted by Ellen. He went to Baltzer and asked Baltzer if he would be willing to carry out the punishment on Ellen, telling him, "I am not able to do it myself Ido not like to inflict corporal punishment on anyone." Baltzer replied, "Oh, I can do it," and then went into the house with him, arranging for the flogging of Ellen. The ends of the rope securing Ellen were not tied, but simply turned in, the rope being wound round her. The school children were standing round. He explained to them wiry this punishment had to be given, telling them bow painful a matter it was to him, and that it was a serious thing for a child to hit mother," meaning Mrs. Hey, (as they always called her), lie was not certain who gave the first blow. The rope came off loose after about 25 cuts had been given, and Ellen eat down, by so doing protecting her legs. He stopped the beating, and said in German to Baltzer, " That will do." Baltzer gave one or two cuts more. Ellen was crying, but not very loud, and saying, " 1 won't stay in this place any more." He talked to Ellen telling her not to use that language. She still continued, and threatening what she would do. He got a chain lying not far away, the smallest on the station, and padlocked it round her neck. He told Ellen that as soon as she apologised to " mother" and gave up her lover affair with Mamoose she would be released. He then put a black mark on her forehead with stuff made up of tar, fat, vaseline, and other ingredients, which was generally mixed to cover small sores in order to keep the flics off. He believed she was now over 17 years.

To Baltzer: There were only about 25 cuts. It -was after the whipping, while she was on the ground, that Ellen said she would not stay in this place any more. To Mr. Howard: I have an objection to corporal punishment. I took part in it because it was my duty. Do you not think it cowardly to bring in another to share the responsibility.—l explained it to Baltzer. I did not consider it cowardly. Were Ellen's hands tied so that she could not use them when sue was tied to the poet?— Yes. How were the chains secured? chains were connected by a padlock. Ido not remember how the chain was secured to the post. Do you consider Ellen's punishment severe?—l consider it a severe whipping. Do you consider the offence so heinous that it required a whip for the thrashing and a chain to prevent her running away? —I would have administered the same punishment to one of my own children under the same circumstances. In the case of a person employing a child like Ellen, who was incorrigible, and .administering similar punishment, what would have been your opinion of it?—l don't know. Assuming such circumstances, would you report such a matter as an onlooker?" would take no notice if it was reported, and as I should have no responsibility, I would not be morally bound to report it. Then you have no idea of moral obligation?lndeed, I have. [The findings of the Commission were published in the Herald on Saturday.]