The Dickinson press., 1888-09-01
PITCAIEN'S ISLAND.
CRIME THAT RESULTED IN THE Evo-
LUTON OF A NEW PEOPLE.

LUTON OF A NEW PEOPLE.
Mutiny "n II british Man "f War Leads
to the Development of IL New Race.
The Advantages "f Civilization without
It's attendant Vices.
The ship Bounty, dee. ~. 11S1, sailed from
Spn,l"ai. England. bound for the South Sea.
The ship WAS under 4; commission from the
Brl,i>i, admiralty to visit the Society and
other islands and collect n number of the
bread fruit plants, which were To hr taken to
certain al tn" British West Indies for the
purpose 1T stocking those islands. The YES
sci started ON her lnm"ward VOYAGE with
I.icn,. Hliyli in command. He was uf an mn
u~>lali> uNrrlraring and insulting disposition.
He accused Fletcher Christian, the mate,
with having stolen some C,HuanutS which lie
hal bought ut Otahcite, one of the islands
ti,y l,n,l visited. Christian Determined to
st away from the ship. and was informed
lay the lult>waiu that tlccrcw were ready To
mu,inN. He surprised the captain in his
i"rtn. made IL prisoner of him and took pos
session "f the ship. Thrcaptain and eighteen
"f iM> officers and men We're then set adrift
in an open boat.
Christian. with the twrnty-four others
viii" had remained in tho ship, steered for the
S"rirty Island. and sixteen of them finally
| decided Ia remain at Dtaieit", while Christ
ian aud the rest. taking with them twelve
Ulaliritran women and seven men, set sail in
| the ship for any place that chance might take
them. Nothing was heard of Christian and
THOSE who Ind gone on the Bounty fortwcnty
Wears. At the end of that time an American
.ji,. l,,,.nin,r "a, tn,,..l, rt Iitnrirp'S Island
found there an l:ngli>hnan called Alexander
Smith dis name was aftcwnll changed to
John Adams. VIII" said lie was the sole sur
viv"r of those who had sailed on the Bounty.
Christian, thinking the island IL place
where there would be little chance of their
being discovered. had landed there and
burned the ship. Things Went smoothly for
two Wears, WHEN one of the men, having lost
his wife, insisted ON taking one of the Ota
Ilritcan mems. Tie Otaheiteans rebcllcd and
killed three of the whites. The rest of tie
whites. with tn" aid Of the women. then
killed all the Otaheitean men. Only four
mrn We're now left on the island. One of
these succeeded in making an Intoxicating
liquor and drank himself to death, another
one was executed ly his companions, and q
third died of consumption.
Adams, now an old man. became ut last
impressed with til" responsibility resting
upon him of teaching the descendants of HIM
self and his companions the truths If the
Bible. The result was Il model community.
In $50 the inhabitants moved to Norfolk Isl
and. hut i'll lSoti IL part Ut them returned to
Pitcairn. This colony has since been remark
able for the purity in which it has retained
the principles iuculcatcd 10y the lutriarchal
| Adams.
Between the years 1860 and 1850 n number
of ships called at the island. In lSS3 the
American ship Harry Mills visited tue place,
and one of the inhabitants, named Mccoy,
accompanied the ship to Liverpool. In the
same year another American ship. tho
Wandering jew, stopped ut the island and IN
leaving Capt. Talpev, the commander. took
with him another me of the inhabitants.
This WAS Earnest Haywood Christian. tho
great grandson of Fletcher Christian. Until
hi, arrival ut Hull, England. Earnest Chris
tian had never seen a house, Il horse. or any
qradrnIm,l. His delight and astonishmri.t
wlrrn he first saw II steam engine and train
We're unlmlndcd. TN his arrival Christian
was treated with the greatest Kindness, anil
when lr left England took with him many
vn!uahl" presents for the islanders.
Christian spent three years oil the ship,
visiting San Francisco, and going completely
around the world before he returned to his
island home. TN her second visit to Pitcairn
Mrs. 1allmy had will. her IL young English
girl. IL years old. She was the Youngest
person who hal ever visited the island. and
great was the interest and admiration She
excited among the girls of her own aye.
One in particular, Miss Emily Mccoy, kept
close to her all the time, asking her all mul-
,.. al N, ans nluo,t fln n,f Si,ln ,vurll
You are the first girl of my own age,
outside of this island. that l have ever SEEM
Sic said. Tell me all you can. What do
horse cars look like. And the cliurcllcs-tlo
YOU have people enough to fill thcm!'
Among the island women who visited the
slim on this occasion was Miss Rosalind
Young. one of the most attractive and enter
,risin- on the island. She was at this time
about y; years old, hal never had Il Shoe on
her foot. wan li';c IL fish, played the organ
in the little island church, assisted her father
in teaching the Village school" and was tile
leader in everything among the women on
the island. She has written an account of
the island for The Century, and she told Mrs.
Talucv that she never hill IN idle moment.
Another curious vein of modern civiliza-
tion that has cropped out on the island is
the desire for some place where one can get
II rest and change from the ordinary routine
of life. TN an isolated island only II few
miles in circumference. i'll midoccan, and
containing only one village of les; than
lW inhabitants, 'sulnlncr residences
would seem IN he hardly practicable or de-
sirahlc. Hrttllcsc people have already begun
to build, II little way from the main settle
mcnt. Il snail summer colony where tn"
older oHcs may so away for Il little whll,
every year and be more retired than they
can in the village. They have named their
retreat "llappy Valley
The condition of the islanders has lately
been considerably improved by the nunler-
GUS visits of English and American ships.
The population is increasing slowly. In 1919
it was ~. In December, 1882, it was los. of
which number . were shipwrcrked sailors
who had settled there. The colony consists
of about q families, who live i'll single story
cottages formed of bamboo. with matched
roofs. The islanders are still noted for their
strict religious conduct, grace being said
before and after each meal, and swearing or
anything of IL similar character being abso-
lutcly Unknown. When any dispute arises
among them the settlement of it is laid over
till the next arrival of IL man of war. when
it is referred To the captain, and his lie.
cisiun is iinal.-New York Press.
Girl, Who Ride Tricycle..
a Detroit lady in Washington writes to