National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-11-08
South Sea Kidnappcrs.

following particulars with reference to Q
case recently brought under investigation
at tho Water Police Office vt appear,
that tho brig Carl left Levuka on tho 4tl
Of July, 1871, for tho New Hebride'
group, her mission being labor and {
search for lands suitable for a cottor
plantation. Tho crew consisted Of the
captain, J. Armstrong the mate, Charles
Dawden; tho cook and steward, Davas
cove also George Heath, William Lewis
and two natives of Somoa. Besides these
the following gentlemen accompanied the
vessel DR.. Murray an intended shsrel
in any land or cotton gro wing speculation
that might be available) and four others
Mount, Wilson, Scott, and Morris. The
! vessel arrived at Az without taking any
men or being successful in exploration
but block of land was purchased from
tho natives. No whites were on tn,
island. Yams In large quantities wer,
purchased here, and all went we'll. Tn,
natives came of in large Numbers Il
trade with the people on the ship. While
trading, however, boats crew was SEN
to sound for oil anchorage, but the boa
was fred at by other natives. 1t il
alleged that this conduct SO incenscd the
crew and passengers that Oh the return
Of the boat an attack was nade on those
trading. Some dozen men were captured,
and some few were shot. Every one
Joined in the outrage. They next sailed
along Espiritu Santo, not touching, and
sighting Cape Cumberland. They stood
for the Solomon group, and at the lslet OF
Santa Anna many natives came to trade.
Here, when tho canoes came alongside
they wero upset, and the vessels boats
picked up the natives when they were
attempting to swim to shore. On this
occasion there was q native shot in the
water because he happened to be armed
with bow and arrow. About twelvetrnen
were taken. They then sailed along the
coast of Maylayton. No men were obtain
ed here. They proceeded to the Straits
of Maylayton and Ysabel Island. Natives
came out, and having traded with them for
some time, their canoes were captured
and broken in the following manner.
Either (when their canoes were alongside)
q number of the men jumped into one of
them, and SO by their descent upset or
sank it, or else heavy weights, such as
plCSCS vi HlR utIuCHSo w ioPNt
were suddenly thrown down, and thus
the canoes we're broken up. The natives
invariably took to the water, and most OF
them were picked up by the ships boats
Several natives were taken on this oc-
casion. There were no lives lost. They
then proceeded to the Florida Island,
shortly after the scene of the murder of
the crew of the Lavinia schooner, of
Sydney, as detailed below, when one of
the boats took three or four men, the
number being uncertain. No violence in
the way of shooting occurred at Florida
Island, As no canoes came out except in
the case of those taken. The Carl re.
mained but q short time there" The
Herald adds = ne scooner Lavinia I
arrived in port few days since from the
Solomon islands. During her cruise
among the group terrible catastrophe
occurred to q number of her crew, insti-
gated, no doubt, by the outrages that
have been committed on the natives by
vessels in search of laborers. The follow
ing particulars of what may be termed
massacre are taken from the log of the
Lavinia, and have been furnished to us by
captain Brodie "On the Goth of April
we anchored In q small blight at the
eastern end of the Florida Island. We
ished here for ten days very successfully,
,he chief Domo rendering his assistance
n keeping order among the natives on
'hore. 1t was by his advice that We
Ihifted round to .Moboli Harbor, about
our miles from where we then were.
)n Monday the 9th of May, we arrived at
Aobon, and got our house up. ready for
,rring beche-de-mer. The natives at
hat place indicated treaohery. Friday
he 10th, everything looked very quiet on
hore and not many natives about. After
We had our breakfast told Louis Nixon
md five natives to get into the whale.
,oat, as l was going away to look for
mother harbor. Before getting into the
,oat particularly told the three men on ,
'oard the steamer to allow no natives on
,oard. We started with fine breeze !
light aft. After we got away about four
niles the wind begin to freshen into
tiff breeze, and l begin to be afraid,
we went away any further, the natives
would not be able to pull back, SO [ turn
d round and made for the schooner.
When we got about 900 yards from the
=
oward the shore, we saw a native SWIM
ng off to the boat. We pulled towards v
i'm, and, to our surprise, found him to be ,
ne of our own men, and, from what we 1
ould make out of him, and seeing no Il
,ovements on board the schooner, We II
ulled along shore. The Florida natives "
-ere yelling and brandishing their spears a
{ us, and | surinised their must be some .
hing wrong. As we pulled up to the Ii
,hooner we all got ready for boarding,
nd on getting alongside we jumped up o
L together. Seeing no natives on deck Y
e rushed to the matches to see II they b
ad got possession, but there were not h
wing soul on board but we saw one of \
10 most horrible sights imaginable. Il
ames Shearer was lying alongside the r
indlass with his head split open, and
everal wounds in his side. Charles Wolf
AZ lying amidships, with his head batter p
in and his brains scattered over the d
atches. George Sellers was lying with p
is head nearly severed from his body. t.
think, from the appearance of the bodies, II
Iat Sellers was the only one that had to
ruggle with the natives. Shortly after et
Q got possession of the schooner our Il
xn natives rushed out of the bush into o.
10 water, and sent the boat and picked
em all up. .
PRESS SECRETs.--A curious press case u
Is Just come before the Swiss law courts. NJ
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