River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-06-21
LONG NIGHT OF AGONY.
Desperate Struggle for Life with n Band
OF Murderers.


Desperate Struggle for Life with Band
OF Murderers.
4 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
fiuence 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 a 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 a crew of ten white men,
including officers, left Cairns for Chilcot
island, lying two hundred miles to the
east, TO take in load of guano. On the
passage the vessel stopped off Drink Is
land and shipped three natives, who
boarded the Douglas from a canoe. On
arriving at ChilcOt, a small detached, I'M
inhabited island, 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 Daintrce. In
I 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
I and Mcintosh, and two oil 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
I their victims and dispatched them with
/ an instrument known as half ak. Re
/ tanning their weapons, the murderer
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
/ tive. who waited the coming of his fel
lows. Softly they stole about their bloody
I task. Two of the whites were sleeping
/ on deck, and murderous blows rendered
| them incapable of uttering a sound
/ Leaving these two men for dead, the muir
derers next entered the hold, and finding
| a sailor named Purcell they chopped hi:
head, face and arm in frighfful manner
and cut huge gaping cash in his back
They believed him dead, but subsequently
he managed to crawl through the hold il
the after cabin. The acting second mate
/ Deasy by name, who was asleep on tho
the forecastle, hearing the Outcry made
| by Purcell. rushed on the deck. He
lodged the blow of a bloody ak ano
cried out: captain, the natives are
numbering us.'
The three murderers attacked him, bu
he managed to get away with numerous
/ flesh-wounds and a severe chop on thu
arm. Once they had him on his back, anC
one attempted to chop off his legs while
being held by the other two. He man
/ aged to free himself, and struck down ont
of his assailants with small grind-stOn'
living on deck. Deasy and two men thel
succeeded in reaching the rigging. The
I
foreyard, Ond kept them at bay witt
blocks, cut away with the mates knife
The struggle aroused the captain. HI
started to go on deck, but as he laid hi
hand on the top of of the companion j
was chopped off with an AK, and he i'm
mediately retreated to the cabin. Her
he'remained with his son, and was subse
auently Joined by Purcell and Shaw, thu
| latter one of the first men attacked. Or
living down TO sleep Shaw wrapped ;
rug and thick bag about his shoulders
and this alone saved him from immediate
death.
According to his own story, he awok'
/ in a sort of dream and found himself ont
mass of clotted blood from wounds oil
the head and arms. The men on tn
I foreyard-the mate so wounded that h
had to be dashed to prevent falling
supposed that all hands, save themselves
were dead, and did not dare ventur
down. The villainOus wretches, not abb
to attack them in their position aloft
commenced search for the bodies o
their victims and such Others IS Nigh
have evaded their attacks. The steward
had shut himself up in his galley and es
caped their murderous intentions. Shaw
and Purcell, as we have seen, had crawle'
away to the cabin. Coming across tn
body of Troy, one of the two first struck
they found him still alive. They thel
chopped his body and Glove his head
till all life, all semblance of humanity
was lost in the horrid butehery. Trem
bling in his galley, and momentarily ex
pectlng his own fate, the steward hear
the poor victim groan out: "0h, God
I'm finished now"
The wounded, mutilated men in tn
cabin attempted, and vainly So, to load
pistol. but flowing blood clogged tn
weapon and so damp edthe powder tina
they could do nothing.
Daylight came at last, and with 1t cam
some hope for the poor bleeding victim
of the murderous fiends, although de
liverance was vet to be delayed. Tn
situation as the day dawned was as fol
lows: The three blood stained demon
held the deck, three men were on tn
ward. the steward was hidden away i
the galley. and the captain, with his boy
held watch in the cabin, with two poo
wounded men, weltering in heir bloc
beside them. One of the villains com
menced pelting the men on the yard wit