Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-10
CAST AWAY IN THE PACIFIC.
A Poor Italian Who Was for Many
Years Slave Among Cannibals.

A Poor Italian Who Was for Many
Years a Slave Among Cannibals.
The crew of the bark Rambler, which
returned to London late in May from a
trading trip among the islands of the
Western Pacific, reported having seen in
q crowd of native New BritaineTs the un-
fortunate italian OF whom sailors have
now and then brought tidings. AZ far
as is known no attempt has ever been
made to restore him to his native land.
For years he was a solitary captive among
the fierce natives of BougainVille, one of
the largest islands Of the solomon group.
He was starved, maltreated and over
worked. HIS sulerngs made him almost
an imbecile. Twenty years Of life among
the worst savaQes of the Pacific so
changed him that he is hardly reCogniza-
bic as man of European origin.
The crew of the Rambler say he is as
big a cannibal as any Polynesian, wears
one long lock of hair in coil on the top
of his head, is dressed in native lark
cloth, will not visit the vessels that at
rare intervals cast anchor near the tribe
with whom he now lives, and will not
open his lips to white men, except TO ask
for food.
When Mr.. R0milly was cruising in the
Western Pacific in 1881 he saw The man
and tried unsuccessfully to talk with
him. His name, it is said, was published
years ago, but every recent writer who
has mentioned HIM seems to have forgot
ten it. He was a member of the cele-
brated expedition which the Marquis de
Ray sent to New Ireland. This large
party of French and Italian colOnists, de-
ceived by glowing accounts of the rich
ness and salubrity of the country, left
their homes to settle in the new FL Do
An
hOspitable cost of New Ireland, and the
ship sailed away, leaving them to their
fate.
Some of them died of hunger or fever.
Others were lost while making their way
to other islands in small boats. A few
were eventually rescued. The last relic
Of this melancholy enterprise is the ltal-
ian whose wretched existence is still pro-
lOnged. With five comrades be rowed 200
miles to Bougainvllle, where, as soon as
they touched the shore, his companions
were killed and he was reserved for
more terrible fate. He was sold as a
slave to bush tribe in the interior.
Years of captivity 30 completely changed
the man that when he was offered to
Queensland labor ship for two tOmahawks
the trade was made. His new owners
thought he was native, and expected TO
make fine profit by dispOsing OF his SER
vices 10 some Ruesusldnu planIeT. lucy
discovered, however, after few days that
he was nothing but al unfortunate ltal-
ian, and so they showed him ashore on
New Britain as an object OF no CONNER
cial value. There he still lives. mis-
cradle reminder of the most unfortunate
party OF Europeans who ever went to the
Western Pacific.
A number of white men long held In
captivity among savages are known to
l., 10. ~,
their cruel experiences. Joseph Forbes,
young English sailor, was a prisoner
on the little islands of TimOr Laut, north
west Of New Guinea, for seventeen years.
When he was rescued, in 1889, be could
not talk to his rescuers nor even under
stand word of English. The knowledge
of his mother tongue, however, rapidly
came back TO him as he improved in men,
tai health. He died only few years ago
in Australia