HORRORS IN NEW CALEDONIA.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 104, 30 May 1885, Page 6

HORRORS IN NEW CALEDONIA.

A Noumea paper has the following dreadful narrative of atrocities committed on the natives on an island adjoining New Caledonia :— Some little time ago two barques belonging to a certain company m«t at a neighbouring island, and the captain of the one left his vessel in charge of the other in order to go ashore about 1 o'clock in the morning, having with him the crew armed with sniders. upon arriving at tho beach theymetaman,anexcellenthandat his work, who was accompanied by four or five others, who were also armed with Bniders. One of them took command of the little troop, and advanced into the interior with every precaution, and eventually reached a kanaka village without being seen, After a short respite the wholo of the troops rushed upon the village, forced open the doors of tho huts, fired a number of shots on the unfortunates, who, taken unawares in the most profound darkness, did what little they could to defend themselves, and then followed things impossible to write about. After thia senseless and brutal murder, pillage and ravage followed, and at last, to crown all this horrible work, the place was set fire to. Some kanakas and popines (the women) were lying on the ground wounded, and others were dead. An old popine, who had not sufficient youth or charms to attract the attention of the rascals, had been thrown outside and half killed by strokes from a clubbed gun. Later on, tired of hearing the groans of this unfortunate creature, one of the crew put his gun to her ear and blew out her brains. In returning towards the beach, their road was lit by the fire from the village, the blaze of which had communicated with the surrounding forest. Their ears were rejoiced by the pitiful cries of the agonised wounded creatures who were burning in the midst of the smoking ruins of their homes. An hour before they had been sleeping tranquilly,notfearing, truly, that the flag of a civilised nation would shelter beings a thousand timeß more savage and more ferocious than the most savage and most ferocious of their greatest enemies. Then, satiated with murder, the brigands returned to their respective* destinations, taking with them tho prisoners they had made, and who had been the principal objeot of this trip.