The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1882-04-19
Balraiiall @azette.
WEpNEspAY. APRIL 10. is.
. The Lizard Island Tragedy.

definitely ascerfalaed, and the detailed account
previously given by the natives as to her
murder is shown to be all pure invention. She
only escaped from one death, however, to
meet with another. She fed from violent
hands only to meet the lingering sufferings of
death from thirst. Sad as her tate has been,
however, her physical and moral courage were
something to be proud Of. With only an at
tendant Chinaman whose wounds she seemed
TO have tenderly dressed, she acted for the
best under the circumstances, and until she
could write no more, kept diary, that her
fate might be known. With her child and her
Chinese servant, she drifted from island to is
land for forty miles in a shallow iron tank
but, unfortunately, the island on which she
last landed was destitute of water, and she
simply fioated to a painful death. 1t was
death to have stayed, it was death to escape;
she fed from known evils to unknown ones,
and found them no improvement Her fate
was not to be avoided but she seems to have
struggled and borne unto the last with IN
daunted energy, ana her name will remain in
Australian story on the list Of its pioneers an
example of feminine self-helpfulEess and
courage that will often be quoted
Ii will be IN the recollection Of our readers
that Mrs. Watson was left on Lizard Island,
with a baby and two Cinnamon, by her hus-
another station in search Of trade During his
absence some blacks made an attack on the
! island, spearing the Cinnamon, and, as it was
then supposed, outraging and numbering Mrs.
Watson and her child, after desperate resis-
lance on the part Of the unfortunate woman,
barricaded in her hut and armed with a
revolver. That the attack was made by a
number Of savages there Is no doubt Of, and
that Mrs. Watson defended herself with
| revolver and succoured a wounded Chiuaman
is also certain. But the sequel, which has
now been discovered, shows that Mrs. Watson
was not killed by the savages, but made her
escape in an extraordinary manner only to
meet a lingering death on another island.
Evidence Of this braye-indeed we may say
extraordinary-wom fate Of 4 conclusive
nature has been obtained by the schooner Kate
| Re0Hey, which arrived at Brisbane on the 22d
January. Captain Bremner reports calling at
No. Island, Norwich group, where be acci-
IDENTIFY discovered three skeletons, which on
/ investigation proved 10 be those Of Mrs. Wat
son, her child, and one Chiuamau The bones
Of the mother and child were found in half an
! iron tank, in which they had escaped from
/ Lizard Island a revolver, full cooked and
| loaded, Was by her side, also box containing
| her cloths, account books, and diary. The
| Chinaman, All Sam, was found about twenty
yards distant, under tree, with loaded rife.
They evidently died from thirst, as plenty Of
| provisions were found. The remains were
carefully covered by Captain Bremner, who
read the Church Of England burial service
| over them. The tank in which Mrs. Watson
escaped was half an ordinary ships tank,
used for boiling beche-de-mer. The Chinaman
was speared in seven places. Mrs Watson
had evidently extracted the spears and dressed
the wounds, as bandages were found under the
skeleton. The dates in the diary proved that
death occurred at least five days before any
suspicion of the disaster reached Cooktown
The following are extracts from Mrs Wat
sons diary =" October 9: Brought the tank
ashore as far as possible with this mornings
tide made camp all day under the trees.
Blowing very hard. No water. Gave baby
dip in the sea. He is showing symptoms of
thirst and took dip myself All Sam and
self very parched with thirst. Baby showing
symptoms. Sunday 10th: Baby very bad
with Inflammation very alarmed no fresh
water, and no more milk but condensed self
very weak. Really thought l should have died
last night. Monday, lIth: Still all alive.
Baby very much better this morning: self
feeling very weak. think it will rain to-day;
clouds very heavy wind not quite so high
no rain every appearance Of fine weather.
All sam gone away TO die; have not seen him
since the 9th Baby more cheerful: self not
feeling at all well have not seen any boats of
any description. No water. Dead with
thirst" The diary ends abruptly, but death
must soon have enc ed, as they had been five
days without water She says steamer
passed the It'll October, aud that they made
signals, but failed to attract attention. The
island is about forty miles distant from Lizard
Island, and right in the track of steamers.
An official telegram from Brisbane states
that the diary shows that Mrs Watson left
Lizard Island on the Sd October. She was
afoat all night, and next day landed on the
reef, where she remained till the 9th, when
she left, pulling the tank to No. Island, Hor-
witch group. There she looked for water, as
what they had brought was exhausted. She
saw some natives and left, and reached No.
Island, where she died.-FVi Times.