PLANTER MURDERED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20365, 20 September 1929, Page 13

PLANTER MURDERED.

KILLED BY LABOURERS.

A NEW HEBRIDES TRAGEDY,

News of tho murder iq. the New Hebrides of a French planter named Ghevalier was received in Sydney last week.

Whilo reproving two Tonkingeso labourers, whom ho suspected of theft, Chevalier was set upon and literally hacked to pieces. His murderers fled into the bush, and all efforts to recapture them proved

unavailing. Owing to the scarcity of native labour Fronch planters in tho New Hebrides have for the past few years been importing Tonkingese from French Indo-China, Chevalier, who was the manager of a coconut plantation on the island of Malo, employed Tonkingeso only. _ • News of the tragedy, coming as it did through native sources, was not very reliable. It is believed, however, that Chevalier, whoso coconut groves ohad been repeatedly visited by thieves, at last discovered two of tho culprits among his own labourers. He was speaking to the men when one of them suddenly snatched a tomahawk and dealt him a fatal blow over tho head. Seizing their knives the murderers then terribly mutilated the body, which was subsequently found in a native hut not far from the planter's house. , ' x . The two murderers prevailed on the other Tonkingeso to go with them into the bush. Traces of the party have since been found and native police, both British and French, are joining in tho search.