Huntsville gazette., 1882-11-18
The Fate of Explorers.

From Singapore we learn that Mr..
Witt formerly an officer in the Austrian
army, an explorer in the service of the
British North Borneo Company has been
treacherously murdered by "head hunt
ers," who also killed several of his
native attendants. Mr.. Witt had, il
seems, been making his way to the..aeSa
of the Sibuco River, This region may
be considered at present quite beyond
the active administration of the British
Borneo Company. The Governor was
not aware that Mr.. Witt intended to
make so long and hazardous a Journey.
At the same time, Mr.. Witt being an
experienced traveller, brave man, and
on good terms with the natives gener-
ally, there was no reason to fear that he
might not 60 through the very heart of
the country without molestation. He
had made, it seems, an important trip.
and was, it is believed, on his wav to
Kimanis. Near the head of the Sibuco
River he would be on the frontier of
Dutch Borneo, and in a region where
Mr.. Carl Book found the natives un-
uually savage and unfriendly. Witt had
party of seventeen men. He divided
them. Some nine or ten were told off
to attend to the boats. They were navi-
eating river, and Witt had bought
boats from the natives. The other men
remained to push on ahead in company
with the explorer.
The natives had shown no disposition
to hostility. The local chiefs (the tribes
are, no doubt, the Muruts, though one
account says they are Tandjoeing
Dyaks) had Hospitality entertained Witt,
which is generally guarantee of friend
ship. While his little party were pre-
pairing to move forward, Witt sat down
to make some notes in his diary. Sud-
denly, from an ambush in the river, some
three hundred natives, armed with
poisoned arrows and spears, rushed in
upon Witt and his men. Three of the
latter fell almost Immediately. Witt
defended himself with his revolver and
killed two of his assailants. The rest
crowded upon him, however, and speared
him to death. The others of the party
had already run away, one of them, who
was carrying Witti's Winchester rifle,
taking it off in his flight. From hiding
place they saw one of the attacking
party decapitate Witt, while others cut
off the lower limbs of his dead attend
ants, fling them, with the explorers
head, into boat, and make off with
their bleeding trophies down stream.
They also carried off Witti's papers and
| dispatch-bOx.
The event has created sensation at
| Singapore and at Labaun. A police
party, of the Borneo Company, has
been, or is about to be, dispatched to
the scene of the massacre, with view
to complete investigation of the affair
and the punishment of the Muruts. The
head of the Sibuco River is on the con-
fines of the British North Borneo Com
pany's territory, occupied by tribes of
an entirely different character to those
among whom Mr.. Frank Hatton, an
other scientific explorer, is at work in
the northern regions around about KIM
Bolu. He and his party, including an
Australian engineer, have been well re-
ceived. They found the company's flag
flying at several somewhat remote
points, and, so far as the real work of
the company goes, it is moving on sat
isfactorily.
Mr.. Witt must have had the dangers
of his expedition in his mind at the out
set. 1t is quite likely, from what is
known of his adventurous spirit, that he
had resolved to accomplish a great
achievement even at the risk of his life,
for, prior to setting out, he made his
will and left behind him full instructions
as to the distribution of his. property.
He was known to the Geographical So
ciety of London, whose "Journal Of
Transactions" contains several of his
contributions to the geographical his
tory of Borneo. The commercial cirili
zation of North Borneo is of great an
portancet to otradinginterests int the eastern
seas, and it will be necessary in the in
terests of Borneo and adjacent islands to
make an example of the murderers-
London Telegraph.