A SOUTH SEA TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1747, 30 August 1905, Page 64

A SOUTH SEA TRAGEDY.

trader hacked to piece© with TOMAHAWKS. The narrative of a recent South Sea tragedy' is thus told by the “Sydney Corning Herald.” It appears that a few weeks ago Mr W. Finlayson, a trader, in the service of Mr Norman Wheatley, of the island of Gizo -in the Western portion of the British Solomons, proceeded on a trading cruise m the cutter Savo, belonging to his emplc yer. The crew was a native one, and Mr Finlayson placed entire confidence in his men, who were well treated and cared for. ■Vfrhen the Savo was off the coast of Vella Lavella, and was nearing the village to which the native crew belonged, the men were seized with a sudden desire to abandon the cutter, to return to the scene of their early childhood, ‘ and to once more mingle with their comrades. To accomplish their designs, it was necessary /to do away with Mr Finlayson, ' the only white man on board, and arrangements were accordingly made to remove the obstacle which stood between them and the freedom of their former, savage life. The unfortunate trader and skipper did not suspect his crerw, and never for a moment thought that plans were being made to take his life. The natives communicated with each other in their own language and by means of signs, and they waited a favourable opportunity to carry out their scheme. The Savo had anchored off the coast when the deed was oommitted. Mr Finlayson "was engaged in trading with some of the natives who had put off frobi the shore to barter their island's products for stores, and he was taken completely unawares by his mutinous Crew for he was unarmed. Treacheri is~4y the native crew advanced towards hi:;; f- cm behind, and at a given signal they rushed upon him, seized him, *nd securely hound him. The unfortunate man never had an opportunity to defend himself. There were plenty of firearms on board, but he had left his revolver in his cabin, and his men knew that he was defenceless. As soon as Mr Finlayson had been secured, the natives attacked him with their tomahawks, which they had received from other traders in exchange for copra. Tomahawks are regarded as one of the principal mediums of exchange in the South Seas, and they are to.be found in the possession of all natives^

Mr Finlay son was literally hacked to death. Huge gashes were cut in his body from half a dozen tomahawks, and no heed was paid by the relentless natives to the dying man’s agonising screams. Great quantities of blood flowed from his gaping wounds, and eventually the unfortunate trader passed away from exhaustion, consequent upon hemorrhage. The crew hardly waited for the breath to leave the body before it was thrown overboard in ion-the shark-infested waters. The mutineers, having murdered the captain, to sail the cutter to theif' pative island, hut they were all ignojrant of even the fundamental principles of navigation, and were unable to make any progress. They feared that the story of their crime would soon reach the white settlers, and they made frantic endeavours to make good

their escape. The little craft, however, was absolutely at the mercy of the winds, seas, and currents, and on several aocasions the Savo narrowly escaped shipwreck. In the meantime, the Savo had been looted by the mutineers. Every portion of the vessel was searched for prizes dear to the hearts of natives, and. especially for firearms and ammunition, tomahawks, knives, tobacco, jewellery, and highly-coloured calicoes. These South Sea pirates had stacked all their loot on the deck of the cutter, with the intention of landing it as soon as they could make the shore. Owing, however, to the _ strength of the currents, and the want of a knowledge of seamanship on board, the Savo continued to drift along the coast, but never sufficiently close to the shore to enable the men to escape.

The remarkable antics of the Savo eventually attracted the attention of those on board another schooner commanded by Captain Julius Oien, which happened to be trading on that coast at the time. Captain Oien decided to investigate the matter, and upon coming alongside the Savo discovered, to his dismay, that the natives were in charge of her. He thereupon captured the Savo, together with the mutineers, and brought them back to Gizo, where the cutter was still lying at the date of the latest advices.

The British Resident Commissioner in the Solomon Islands, Mr O. M. Woodford, is at present on a visit to England, hut a report of the tragedy has been furnished to his deputy. The High Commissioner fotr the Western Pacific, Sir E. 'F. i-m Thurn, is now on his way to the Solomons by H.M.S. Torch, and will probably hold an inquiry into the” circumstances surrounding the outrage. The Savo was a , cutter of about 12 or 15 tons, and was built in the year 1898 by Mr Fisher, of North Sydney, for Messrs Butdhart and Griffiths, of the Solomons. Subsequently the craft was disposed of to Mr Norman Wheatley, her present owner.