TERRIBLE TALES FROM NEW GUINEA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12564, 19 January 1903, Page 11 (Supplement)

TERRIBLE TALES FROM NEW GUINEA.

DROUGHT. STARVATION, AND CANNIBALISM. TRIBAL WARFARE AND MASSACRES. The London Missionary Society's steamship John Williams, after a cruise among the isjands of-,tho South Seas extending over a period of nearly four monlie, returned to Sydney on December 30. Tlio John Williams brought news of a sensational charactor from Now Guinea ports, including murders, massacres, drought, starvation, tribal war, and BRUTAL .MURDER OF TWO MINERS. Further murders of Europeans are reported from tho gold settlements in tho north-east division of New Guinea. It appears from what can bo gathered that an Englishman named Brackenbury and a foreigner known as "Jimmy the Austrian" wero recently murdered/by tho nativce. in a most bruta! manner. Tho victims were engaged in prospecting for gold in the district watered by the Kumasi River and Giri Creek, and in their search for the precious metal had traversed for a considerable distance into the interior. The, two mon travelled in different directions and woro murdered in different ways. Details of the outrages are not, of course-, available, but the manner in which tho men met their deaths was evident from the appearance of their bodies. •,

It is presumed that Brackenbury was either stoned to death or brained with clubs. Tho body was found in a valley, and tho skull was completely shattered. The general opinion in expressed that he was taken by surprise by a hand of natives who had lain in wait for him, and that ho had no time to defend himself. Judging from the appearance of the locality, the deceased miner was engaged in digging for gold at the timo.that he was rushed by the tribe. . . ' Tho body of the Austrian was discovered many miles away from tho go'dfield sott!c r ment, and hia head was pinned to' tho ground by moans of a- minor's pick. It wns at once evident that the nativea who had attacked had thrown him to the ground, and then, seizing his pick, had driven the tool through his skull to the ground, i Many otlior murders of a similar brutal character are feared, in tho gold districts. A parly of three men-which set out some time ago in search of gold into hithorto unexplored country has not since been heard of. Although it is within the range of possibility that these prospectors have lost their way or have died from thirst or starvation, still the opinion is unanimously expressed by the returning- missionaries that they have met a similar fate to the two unfortunate miners whoso bodies were recently discovered. The sole object of the natives in murdering the Europeans appears to be to rob them of their possessions. In order to avenge tho murders the whites an expedition _ was organised by some of the trader? and miners and the offending tribe, it i? said, was found and severely punished. Complete details of tho punishment meted out to tho murderers havo not been received, but it is stated that those- forming the expedition shot tho ringleaders. An examination of the villages inhabited by the natives in question disoloscd tho fnct that they were pca?ossed of a largo quantity of miners' picks and other tools, in addition to the ordinary cooking utensils used by prospectors and other personal effect*. Those, ,it is understood, were recovered. A DISASTROUS DROUGHT. One of tho moat disastrous droughts in the history of New Guinea is noiv being experienced, and thousands ot natives are on tho verge of starvation. The drought appears to be peculiar to New Guinea, for there havo l>cen abundant rains in tho Cook Islands, and also in the Gilbert and Ellice groups. "We had incessant rains for weeks," remarked one of the officers of the John Williams, "right through a number of tho groups. The rain descended in torrents as only tropical rains can, and it never ceased—in fact, the Gilbert and. Ellice groups could do very well with a spell of dry weather. It rained the whole time until we approached the coast New Guinea, where we found that no rain had fallen for a great number of months." The. opinion is expressed by. those who have resided in the islands. for a number of yours, and also by the natives themselves, that the present drought is the most severe experienced for a period of over a quarter of a century. A most deplorable state of affairs exists throughout New Guinea, and the outlook was never so 'black as at present. " There hae been a great drought on the south-east coast of New Guinea and right up to Dclana," said the Rev. C. Rich. "There is a great scarcity of food, and the natives are half-starved. In many of the villages the natives are- barely existing on one meal every second day. Matters aro worse in many districts than at Fyfe Bay, where I am stationed, but it is quite bad onough there. One native woman died of starvation just before we left,' and I do not anticipate any good rains for another three months. The existing state of affairs is jleplorablc, and large numbers of the natives are living on herbs and roots." The Rev, A. Pearce said: "In some parts of New Guinea, there have been no rain* since last April. We at Kerepunu hayo been a little more fortunate, for we did receive a downpour in June last. From the end of June, however, we have had nothing except a light shower juet before I sailed for Sydney. The people everywhere are half-starved, and are subsisting principally on roots."

NATIVES EATING ONE ANOTHER. Cannibalism has again been resorted to in some parts of New Guinea as one of the results of tho terrible drought. Reports to hand from Goodenough state that the natives there are dying from starvation, mid. that as a last resource they . are killing and eating each other. The Rov. A. Pearce, upon being spoken to on this subject, said: "I have heard that in the islands to the cast of Samaraijthe natives are killing, cooking, and' eating one another owing to'the shortage of food supplies consequent upon the awful drought. Whether these reports aro true or not I am not. in a position to say, but no doubt cannibalism has again been resorted to. Nothing of the sort has, however, been practised by the natives in districts where our stations are established." Large numbers of natives are daily dying from dysentery and other ailments as _ a, result of living on green fruits and berries and the roots of herbs. Quite an epidemic of dysentery is reported from various parts of New Guinea, and the death rate at some places is alarming. It is also stated that starving natives havo alloyed the pangs of hunger by feasting on the dead bodies. , Assistance is being sent from Australia. Only recently a steamship was despatched from Queensland with food supplies for/New Guinea, and tho steamer was passed by the John Williams. Large quantities of food, principally rice, were also landed by the John Williams at different centres, and the natives have been helped as far as possible by the missionaries. Food has hesn supplied in numbers of cases, but it is impossible to provide for the entire population. The inhabitants of some parts of New Guinea have appealed to the "Government for assistance in their distress. Tho crops almost everywhere are dying rapidly, and at Delana. where the Rev. C. M. Daunoey is stationed, the water supply is very short. NATIVES KILLED IN WAR. Tribal wars are reported from some parls of New Guinea, but over the greater part of tho territory peace reigns supreme. Tlioee natives who have been Christianised have lons si"M given up warfare. A few weeks before the John Williams sailed from New Guinea a large tribe of savages, thirsting for battle, visited the peaceful district of Kerepunu. and the friendly natives who inhabit that part of the island were compelled to defend themselves. The visiting tribe 'was most savage in its attack, and as n. result of the fight, which was of short duration, 25 native? were massacred. The visiting tribe then fled.