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Wanganui Herald, Volume V, Issue 1428, 25 March 1872, Page 2

MURDER OP THE MATE OF THE WHALING BARQUE 'ADVENTURER, 1 We (Southern Cross) have been furnished by one of the men present -with

the following account of the murder, of the mate of the barque «Adventurer' ':— ''We sighted Santo, one of the South Sea Islands, on April 2, 1871, and came to anchor on the 3rd. The Captained die mate went to see if the nativeTwcre friendly or not—before sending the boats ashore to trade. When they <r O t there the natives wanted them to co*on shore, but they did not like to go as it might have been a trap to get'them there. On the 4th, the captain sent the mate and the third mate to .trade lor yams and pigs, giving them orders not to land if they thought there was any danger," When they got near the land the natives seemed very friendly and wanted the mate to come ashore also bringing down to the beach some cocoanuts, &c. The mate traded for some of them, at the same .time telliu«them that he wanted yams and pi^ and showing t!.em some fancy handkerchiefs. As soon as they saw the handkerchiefs they all shouted out ani made motions for the boat to go further up the bay. The mate told the third mate to go on bonrd and get more goods to trade with, and that he would up the bay and they should follow & The third mate did as he was ordered and upon again coming up to the mate they went up the bay together, the nal tives walking along the beach The natives stopped, and told the boats to come in at a spot they pointed out Ihe mate went first, letting go his anchor a little way off shore, and permitting his boat to drift ; the third mate stopped outside of him The natives came down to the boat, some with fruit and some with yams. They brought them out to the boat, getting iron hoop merchandise. Seeing that they were so bold, the mate thought that they were disposed to be friendly, and after telling the third mate that there -was no danger, he jumped ashore. One of the third mate's boat's crew swam ashore but, seeing that the man could not make the natives understand what he wanted, the third mate told him to come into the boat and let his boot steerer -is had been there before and understood the language. A little after the boatsteerer went to be along with the mate to help him in trading, the natives made motion for the boats to come further up the bay, the mate and boafc-steerer walking up the beach for ab^Uorty yards. The mate turned roundlosneak to the third mate, who waTV the boat, when a native split his skull with a tomahawk, and at the same time the boat-steerer got a large spear in his back. Ihe mate endeavored to make for the water, but fell, but the boat^ steerer succeeded in reaching the water As soon as the boat's crew saw this they shouted out, and the third mate and one of the men fired muskets at the murderers. The third mate's gun went off, but the other missed fire The natives ran in all directions to the bush, but as soon as they saw that there was no more firearms they all made a rush down to the beach, and threw abouc fifty spears into the mate's body, and then attacked the boat with spears and stones, wounding three of the boat's crew. The third mate, seeing there was no chance of saving the mate made for the ship to procure assistance '; but, before the boat had got many yards away, the natives had dragged the mate's body up on the beach and stripped the clothes off it."