MASSACRE OF MISSIONARIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12476, 13 September 1904, Page 3

MASSACRE OF MISSIONARIES.

SHOCKING DETAILS. PADRE RASHER KILLED WHILE READING. TERRIBLE DEATHS OF THE SISTERS. United Press Association—Per Electric Telegraph—Copyright. BRISBANE, September 12. Details of the massacre show that the attack was made at. S o'clock in the morning. It appears that the murderers stood by their victims until a signal was given by Tomari, who was the only one with a gun. Tomari shot Padre Rusher dead with a> charge of buck shot while the father was reading in his house, and immediately the other members of the mission were killed.

The. majority were struck down with hatchets from behind.

Brothers Bleu, Blarchaert and Schellekens at the time were engaged in joinery work at the new church. Sister Anna was in the next room to Padre Rasher, and when she heard the shot went to his assistance. Tomari followed her and shot her through the head. Sister Sophia was returning from the village, where she had been to attend a sick native, when she was struck down. Sister Agatha met her death while binding the wound of a native. Sister Agnes, teacher at the station, at the time was engaged in needlework.

Sister Willielmina was murdered while, arranging the o'rnainents on. the altar of the pew church, and her mutilated body was found on the altar stairs.

The new church was to have been opened on August 26th, and preparations n-ere being made to celebrate the event. Brother Rosten's head was chopped off, and his skull battered to pieces. Padre Rasher was the founder of t- e missions, and had received from the Kaiser the Prussian Order of Recognition for his works on the native language and ethnology.* All the other victims were of Dutch or German extraction. Two of the murderers were freed slaves, and the rest came from the adjacent mountains. The chief criminal, Tomari, had been at the mission since it started.

The general opinion at the islands is that _ the attack was not only against the missions, but really a prelude to an outbreak against the whites. It is understood that the attackers intended to attack several other stations, and only the watchfulness of the people prevented further massacres. Three other attacks were afterwards made on stations belonging to the Catholic Mission, but the people were prepared, and the attacks proved unsuccessful. It is stated that the outbreak was due to the desire of the natives to be free

from the presence of white men. They do not like being compelled to work, and wished to live as they like without restriction. A report states that 36 of the murderers were captured and 16 shot. TRAGEDIES ON BOARD KETCHES. NATIVE CREW KILLED. CAPTAIN AND MATE BUTCHERED. United Press Association—Per Telegraph—Copyright. ; BRISBANE, September 12. Further massacres are reported at the New Hebrides. A boat belonging to the French recruiting ketch Charollaix, with a crew of five natives, landed at Mallicolo. The natives surrounded and killed four, and the fifth native escaped, wounded, and swam £o the ketch. . A second tragedy occurred on board the French labour ketch Perle. When lying off. the coast of Santo ,the native crew butchered Captain Leboulielic and the nicte, Willie Champion, while asleep. They snipped the vessel and escaped in boats to Aoba, where they were captured. A French warship has gone to Jn\frigate the murders.