Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-28
SOUTH SEA KiDNAPPERs.
A Terrible Tale-Searehing for Labor
and for Land-Murder, Outrage,
and "NRssagre.s

$50
The New zealand Herald Of the
ninth Of August gives the following par
I ticulars with reference to a case recently
/ brought under Investigation ut the
/ Water Police Office. at appears that
I the brig Carl left Levuka on the fourth
/ of July, 1871, for the New Hebrides
! group, her mission being 1abor' and q
| search for land suitable for q cotton
plantation. The crew consisted Of the
captain, J. Armstrong; the mate,
Z Charles Dawden; the cook and steward,
I Davascove; also George Heath, William
I Lewis, and two natives Of SOmOa.
| Besides these the following gentlemen
accompanied the vessel: DIR. Murray
/ ian intended sharer in any land or cot
/ ton-growing speculation that might be
available) and four others-Nount, Viii
son, Scott and Morris. The vessel ar
rived at An without taking any men or
being successful in exploration, but a
| block OF land was purchased from the
natives. No whites were on the island.
/ Vans in large Quantities were purchased
/ here, and all went well. The natives
I came off in large numbers TO trade with
the people on the ship. While trading,
however, a boats crew was sent to sound
| for an anchorage, but the boat was fired
at by other natives. 1t is alleged
/ that on the return Of the boat
an attack was made on those
/ trading. Some dozen men were cap
/ tured, and some few were shot. Every
one Joined in the outrage. They next
sailed along Espiritu Sanio, not touch
! ing, and sighting Cape Cumberland.
/ They stood for the Solomon group, and
at the Islet Of Santa Anna many pa
/ tives came to trade. Here, when the
canoes came alongside they were upset,
and the vessels boats picked up the ma
tives when they were attempting to
swim to shore. On this occasion there
was a native shot in the water because
he happened TO be armed with a bow
and arrow. About twelve men
were taken. They then sailed along
| the coast Of Maylayton. No men were
obtained here. They proceeded to
the straits Of Maylaytan and Ysabel Is
lands. 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) a number of the
men jumped into one Of them, and so
by their descent upset or sank it, or else
heavy weights, such as pieces Of pig
iron attached to rope, were suddenly
thrown down, and thus the canoe was
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 occasion.
There were no lives lost. They then pro-
ceeded TO the Florida Island shortly after
the scene of the murder of the crew of
the Lavina schooner, Of Sydney, as de-
tailed 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 remained bur
a short time there" The Herald adds;
"The schooner Lavina arrived in port
on Saturday morning from the Solomon
Islands. During her cruise among the
group a terrible catastrophe occurred
to a number of her crew, in
stigated, no doubt, by the outrages
that have been committed on the ma
tives by vessels in search of laborers.
The following particulars of what may
be termed a massacre are taken from
the log Of the Lavina, and have been
furnished to US by Captain Brodie: 'On
the twenty-siXth Of April we anchored
in a small hight at the eastern end OF
the Florida Island. We fished there for
ten days very successfully, the chief
DomO rendering his assistance in keep
ing order among the natives on shore.
1t was by his advice that We
shifted round to MObOli Har-
Dor, about four miles from where We
nv q
NJ ay, We arrived at Mobon, and got our
house up, ready for curing beche-demer.
The natives at that place indicated
treachery. Friday, the tenth, every
thing looked very quiet on shore, and
not many natives about. After we had
our breakfast | told Louis Nixon and
five natives to get into the whaleboat, as
l was going away to look for another
harbOr. Before getting into the
boat, l particularly told the three
men on board the steamer to
allow no natives on board. We started
with a fiue breeze right aft. After we
got away about four miles the wind be-
gan to freshen into a stiff breeze, and l
began to be afraid if we went away any
further the natives would not be able to
pull back, so / turned round and made
for the schooner. When we got about
six hundred yards from the vessel we
heard a shrek, and, looking toward
the shore, We saw q native swim
ming of to the boat. We pulled
toward him, and, to our surprise,
found him to be one of our
own men, and from what we could
make out Of him, and, seeing no move
ments on board the schooner, we pulled
along shore. The Florida natives We're
yelling and brandishing their spears at
US, and | surmised that there must be
something wrong. As we pulled to the
schooner we all got ready for boarding,
and on getting alongside We jumped up
all together. Seeing no natives on deck
we rushed to the matches to see if they
had got possession, but there was not q
living soul on board; but we saw one Of
the most horrible sights imGgina-
ble. James Shearer was lying alongside
the windlass with his head split open,
and several wounds in his side. Charles
Wolf was lying amidships, with his
head battered in and his brains scat
tered over the matches. George Sellers
was lying with his head very nearly
severed from his body. think, from the
appearance of the bodies, that Sellers
was the only one that had a struggle
with the natives. Shortly after we got
possession of the schooner our own ma
tives rushed out of the bush into the
water, and l sent the boats and picked
Nhar,, ~,