NEW GUINEA MURDERS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16208, 4 December 1926, Page 15

NEW GUINEA MURDERS

THE ARMED EXPEDITION CLASH WITH THE. ENEMY SYDNEY, Nov. 2d. Enemies oi’ the British Empire arc sure to raise-the question of the recent expedition against the natives *f the Mandated Territory in New 1 Guinea, following the murder of four Australian prospectors, at the next mooting of the League.of Nations. The prospectors met Jheir death at the hands of hostile natives who attacked their camp while they were resting and speared them. The Administrator of the Territory, Brigagiei -General Wisdom, at once formed an armed expedition comprising a dovon or so white men and about d'l natives, armed with rifles, revolvers and a machine-gun, to reinforce the ordinary officers. Under orders from the Federal Government the machinegun was not used, but according to an official report by the administrator the expedition pushed its way into th > host ile territory, where it was fiercely attacked by natives, and during the lighting three of the natives were killed without loss to members of the expedition. It diind that official story there is a thrilling story, which has been made public by a message to a Sydney newspaper. Early on the morning of Not ember 8, the expedition moved forward to its objective, and met a severe obstacle in the form of a cliff which had been made, almost inaccessible by the natives felling trees. A few natives could have held the advancing force at bay at this point, but none appeared, and the cliff was at last surmounted. WARRIORS AND THEIR WAR • CRIES Umu, the village of the hostile natives, was approached, and the advan ‘,o party found it full Of warriors. Sentries among the latter gave the alarm, and shots were fired at them by the expedition. Immediately an uproar started in the village. Garamuts were beaten furiously and war cries came throbbing across to the waiting expedition. The neighboring villages at on# took up the signals, and from everywhere these continued until dawn, ' Interpreters explained that every new outburst meant the arrival at Umu of fresh warriors. Tho villages of the group were set on rugged ridges. On either side there was a drop of many hundreds of feet. Ten members of the expedition showed themselves, and were greeted with cries of defiance.. Fire was then directed short of the village, and not until the bullets were ploughing the dirt at the feet of the natives was any effect noticed. One of the natives seemed to .fall, and the rest Hed. The Government party then rushed the heights without resistance. They found the village deserted, only the l)iillet-scatte.red ground and a few drops of blood marking the place where the natives had congregated half an hour before. EXPEDITION’S WORK COMPLETED Tin' expedition decided to camp at this place, and fur purposes .of defence, it was decided to cut back the dense growth of scrub. While the native members of the party were engaged at this task, a warning cry was heal'd, then fierce shouts. About 120 hostile natives, armed with spears and other weapons, had crawled to the edge of the camp without being seen. A brisk volley was fired, followed by several others, before the attackers broke and fled back into the bush. A party pursued them, and brought back three dead natives. This was the crisis of tho expedition. From that time onward, a programme of pursuit was followed, but few natives were seen. Villages were found deserted. The party had to force its way along jungle paths and dangerous ridges 800 feet above sea level, and across the strong current of a mountain river. Every section of the hostile country was searched without further obstruction, and having achived its object of teaching tdo hostile natives a lesson, the expedition returned to Jtabaul.