A SOUTH SEA TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 14

A SOUT H SEA TRAGEDY.

MUTINY AND MURDER. ' News of ono of the meat sensational ' tragedies enact-ed in the South Seaf — a story d! mutiny, murder, looting, escape, and sapsure — reached Sydney on the 9th in»:. from the Samoan Islands. The narrative j is one of a deeply-laid plot against a British trader by his crew, and of a treacherous - aiid brutal murder, the details of which j lire of a most revolting character. It appears ( ' that a few weeks ago Mr W. Finlayson, a < - trader, in the service of Mr Nor on an "Wheat- j ■ ley, of dhe Island of Gizo, in the western : • portion of the British Solomons, proceeded j on a trading cruise in the cutter Savo, j , belonging to his employer. The crew was a native one, and Mr Finlayson placed entire j ' .xmfidenoe in his men, who were well treated ■ ' and cared for. j When the Savo was off the coast of Yella Lavella, and was nearing the village to J ' which the native cr&w belonged, the men "were eeiz-sd with a suddei; desire to abandon ( the cutter, to return to the scdue of V. eir , •' early childhood, and to once more -ningle ! '- With their comrades. To accomplish their I designs, it was neecevsary to do away with > Mr Finlayson. the only white man on hoard. [

and arrangements weie accordingly made to i remove the obstacle which stood between j them and the freedom of their former sayage life. The unfortunate trader and j skipper did not suspect his crew, and never for a moment thought that . plans were being made to take his life. The natives j communicated with each other in their own , language and by means of signs, and tl-<ry \ waited a favourable opportunity to carry out , their scheme. j The Savo ha-d anchored oft (.he coa^t when tha deed was eommi'tted. Mr Finlay- ' son was engaged in trading with some of the natives who had put off from the shore to barter fchsir island's products for stores, • and ho was taken completely unawares by { his mutinous crew, for lie was unarmed. Treacherously the native crew advanced towards him from behind, and a* a given signal they rushed upon him, seized him, and securely bound him. The unfortunate | man never had an opportunity to defend ( himself. There were plenty of firearms on ! board, but hs had left hh revol\er in lus cabin, and his men knew that he was > defenceless. As soon as Mr Finlayson had ! teen secured, the natives attacked him with | their tomahawks, which they had received j from other traders in exchange for copraTomahawks are regarded as oa© of the

principal mediums of exchange in the South Seas, and they are to be found in the pa-cession of all natives. Mr Finlayson was literally hacked to death. Huge gashes were cut in his body from half a dozen tomahawks, and no heed "was paid by tho relentless natives to the dying man's agonising screams. Great quantities of blood flowed from his gaping wounds, and eventually the unfortunate trader parsed away from exhaustion, consequent upon hemorrhage. The crew hardly waited for the breath to leave the body before it was thrown ovei board into the shark-infested waters. The mutineers, having murdered the captain, resolved to sail the cutter to their native island, but they were all ignorant cf 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 thoir escape. The little craft, however, was absolutely at the mercy of the winds, seas, and currents, and on several occasions 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, tomaliawks. knives, tobacco, jcwoliory, and highlycoloured ( alicoes. These South Sea pirates had stacked all their loot on the dock of the culter, with the idea 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 ctlons 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 thos>.on board another schooner commanded by Captain Julius Oien, which happened to be trading on • that coast at the lime. 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.