Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-11-16
The Fiji Cannibals War and Man
Iatlng-tsreat Massacre.

The FIJI Times of July % thus describes
the outbreak OF war on the northwest coast,
which was attended By a terrible massacre
Particulars Of the fate OF Mr.. Norman,
who was murdered and eaten by his crew,
are also given:
We have just heard frightful news from
Ba, On the northwest coast of VIII Lew
For some time past the Ba people have
been st war with the mountaineers, and q
few have been killed on both sides, but a
letter just ia from the native minister in
forms Us of q fearful massa ere. The noun
taineers from Navosa came down to NaIo-
tn, an inland district, hitherto subject to
Ba, and the advanced fortress of Bri. nj mua
OF the Ba people. They put war fence,
and then Wawabalavu. the Navosa chief,
called out and said, "You Nalotu people,
| am Wawabalavu 1t was 1 who
ate Mr.. Baker, and the Bau men
| Do you trust to the Lasakau
| people? Don't; their trade is fishing.
You offer peace Offering, or make submis-
sion that you may live" The Nalotu peo-
pie were filed with fear, and pres ented
peace offerings. The mountaineers then
entered their towns and remained for few
days in apparent frendliness, but their
number was being continually increased
By new arrivals from the hills They then
turned round suddenly upon the Nalotu
people and slaughtered $40 of them
| That so many have been killed is beyond
| doubt. Silas, the native minister, who
lives at Ba, writes: 'sIhe Navunivasi
town, I'll killed; Drantani, ia; Korol
kewa, SO; Massage, altogether, $40
| That this number were dubbed
is clear, but there are many still
missing, who are . hiding in the
jungle, or have been taken prisoners Of
war to Navosa. Perhaps they are killed
but their bodies have not yet been found
Only lO4 have escaped alive to b." Tht
heathens say that the next town they vii
attack win be Sagunu, the chief town O
the Ba district. 1t is thought that Nabe
lza, noted cannibal Ba chief, who is en-
vlous OF TUT Ba, Is one with Wawaba lavr
IN this treacherys The same tribe, ant
from the same town. murdered the unfor
tunate missionary, Mr.. Baker, in 1867. il
his attempt to pass through their countr,
on al exploring tour. The Ba coast ha
no white settlers upon it, but attention
was being drawn TO the Ba River, and lanC
was being bought upon it for cotton-grow
ing when the writer was in Fiji three
months ago.
Capt HELD of the Mary Ann Christine
informs US that on board the Collier
Bawn, at Tanna, he met with Jimmi,
Lasalasu. who has long since been reck
oned with the dead Our readers will re
member that boat which left Levuka fo
Nasayusavu about twelve months ago
with seventeen New Hebrides laborers
their employer, Mr.. Norman, late of Sand
hurst, near Melbourne, and the aforesaid
/ Jimmie. never reached its destination
/ The boat was thought to have beer
wrecked, and all on board lost Jimmie
Lasulasu informed Capt. Field that whiis
on their way to Nasavusaya the natives
took possession of the boat, compelling
j them to steer first one way and then an
other, and threatened to kill them if the,
did not land them On their own island
On the seventeenth day they murdered
Mr. Norman, splitting his head open will
atomahawk. They cooked and ate the
body, thrusting portions of his cooked
companion into the face of Jimmie
The journey was long, and with no foot
or water on board the hardships may be
Imagined. The natives died one after The
other, till by lucky chance the boat was
east upon the shore reef of an island only
Twenty miles from that to which they be-