The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-06-20
A LONG NIGHT OF AGONY.
Desperate Struggle for Life with q Band
of Murderer.

of Murderer.
- A London, correspondent of the New
York World writes as follows: The ma
tives of the South Sea Islands should
either be speedily brought under the in
fuence of Christian civilization or suffer
extirpation. The latest case of horror
which reaches us from this section of the
world is the massacre of part of crew
belonging to Melbourne vessel, the par
ticulars of which have been furnished by
a correspondent of an Australian paper.
1t appears that in January the schoon-
er Douglas, vile crew of ten white men,
including officers, left Cairns for Chilcot
island, lying two hundred miles to the
east to take in a load of guano. On the
passage the vessel stopped off Drink Is
land and shipped three natives, who
boarded the Douglas from canoe. On
arriving at Chilcot, small detached, un-
inhabited island, a brig belonging to the
same owners was found there partially
loaded. A member of the firm who had
gone out with the schooner decided that
as there was not native power enough to
screen the guano as rapidly as desired, he
would return with the brig and fill up
her cargo with cedar at the Daintree. In
the presence of the three natives shipped
at Drink island, nearly all the arms be-
longing to the schooner werh transferred
10 the brig, and the latter sailed on the
morning Of the fifteenth. The arms it
may be said, were taken because the Dain-
tree was known to swarm with treacher-
Gus inhabitants, and no one dreamed that
the natives on the remaining vessel would
undertake the murder of more than three
times their own number. A hut had
been erected on shore for the storage of
water and provisions.
Early in the night this hut was occu-
pied by two white men named Cochrane
and Mcintosh, and two OF the natives.
The latter seemed cheerful and happy,
and the whites were under no apprehen-
sion of danger. Watching their opportu-
nifty the two natives stealthily approached
their victims and dispatched them with
an instrument known as half Ak. Re-
tanning their weapons, the murderers
swan off to the vessel. The whites were
all sleeping in fancied security, and not
a soul was on the alert save the third ma
I1VC, VIII "d1CCA COn1uR Oh Ills lei
lows. Softly they stole about their bloody
task. Two of the whites were sleeping
on deck, and murderous blows rendered
them incapable of uttering sound.
Leaving these two men for dead, the muir
derers next entered the hold, and finding
sailor named Purcell they chopped his
head, face and arm in frighfful manner,
and cut q huge gaping cash in his back.
They believed him dead, but subsequently
he managed to crawl through the hold in
the after cabin. The acting second mate,
Deasy by name, who was asleep on the
the forecastle, hearing the cutlery made
by PURCELL. rushed on the deck. He
lodged the blow of a bloody ak and
cried out: captain, the natives are
numbering us!" ' ~ via
The three murdercrs attacked him, but
he managed to get away with numerous
f1esh-wounds and severe chop on the
arm. Once they had him on his back, and
one attempted to chop off his legs while
being held by the other two. He man
aged to free himself, and struck down one
OF his assailants with small grind-stone
lying on deck. Deasy and two men then