AFTER MANY YEARS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9099, 18 March 1901, Page 4

AFTER MANY YEARS.

IDENTIFICATIONS OF A MARTYR'S REMAINS. ! A SOLOMON ISLAND TRAGEDY. In 1845 a band of Roman Catholic missionaries, members of the Mari&t Order, set out from Sydney for the Solomon Islands, for the purpose of propagating Christianity amongst the savages of those regions; At their head was the Right Rev. Bishop Epalle. Arriving at the Solomon Islands, they cast about for a suitable place at which to effect their landing. They visited several islands, and finally decided on venturing ashore on' theS island of St. Isobel, as the natives appeared well disposed, and the island seemed suitable. On landing,, with Bishop Epalle at their head, they were received by ' hundreds of armed natives with great awe, as, m all probability, they were the first white men who had set foot on St. Isobel since Hernando- GaJlego discovered the Isles of Solomon hundreds of years before. It was not long, however, before their savage instincts got the better of their awe, and they attacked the party, who instantly began to retire towards their boat. During the retirement the Bishop re-, oeived tie full force of the attack, and when he was at last drawn into the boat he was bleeding copiously from five wounds m the head, three deep ones, and' the remaining' two scalp wounds. This occurred on December 16th, and on the 19th of the same month. Bishop Epalle breathed his last. - Afraid to bury the remains of their beloved leader on the islaind where Tie had met his death, the grief-stricken little band made their way to the island of St. John, to the north-west of Isobel, where the remains were tenderly laid to rest. Buried with the Bishop were a crucifix, rosary beads, and several medals. '■ A sketch of the position of the grave was made, and a report was sent on to the head station of the Marist Order ab Villa Maria, Sydney. For 56 years the bones of the martyred Bishop remained m ''their, lonely grave m the midst of the savages, for. whose spiritual welfare he laid, cownhia life. During the whole of that tilne his religious brethren could never effect a landing, but four years ago a successful landing was made, and m January last the remains of the Bishop were discovered and conveyed to Villa Maria, Hunter's Hill. Last week, "m the presence of His Eminence Cardinal Moran and all the Fathers of the Marist Order, Dr Sanderson Lloyd, Government Medical Officer for . Ryde, madfe a minute examination of the skull wounds, and reported that they exactly corresponded with the description given 56' years ago. With the remains . were found the cross, rosary beads, and medals, so, without any doubt, the bones now at Hunter's Hill must be those of Bishop Epalle.