The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-25
THE BOUNTY MUTINY.
Capt. Bum, of the British Bark
MikadO, Visits Chief Mccoy.
ROBBED AND HANGED, BUT LIVES.
The Horrible Experience of DR.. Allen In North
Carolina-An Organ Grinder and His
Monkey-FrOm Wisconsin Wilds.

| Especial to THE HERALD Examiner Dispatch,
NEW YORK, May 24.-The British bark
Mikado, commanded by Captain Bum, ar
rived yesterday from the East Indies after
four months voyage. Captain Bum gave
the World some interesting facts concern
ing the colony on Pitcairn island, settled
about hundred years ago by the leaders in
the historic mutiny on board the English
ship Bounty. To-day their head is Russell
Mccoy, descendent of the original mutt
neers, who presides over the destinies Of
III human beings. Chief Mccoy is making
great preparations to celebrate the landing
of Adams and his band of twenty-six per
sons on the bleak shore of Pitcairn.
The Mikado hove to off Pitcairn island on
February IA and spent three hours outside
of the only accessible harbor So over
iOyed were the people at the sight of yes
sci that they proclaimed it day of thanks
giving. The occasion was seized to send
greetings to distant friends who lived in
Tahiti, the home of most of the original
settlers.
Captain Bum brought with him thirty
letters which will travel across this cont
nent, thence by steamer to Australia, and
from there to their destination, Tahiti. All
the letters but three bore the same sur
names. when L approached the islands,
said Captain Bum, 1.-TWO boats came off and
hailed me- Chief Mccoy was in the first,
which was named Queen Victoria, and the
second contained others of the nobility of
the place Chief Mccoy is tall, robust and
very commanding in appearance. He was
clad wholly in white. We were invited to
stop for some time. As expressions of his
pleasure, he loaded our boat with PUMPKINS
and melons. They came aboard and talked
o11 IS hi, T,0cA ~,
gave US three rousing rounds of cheers" ~
Pitcairn island is an island of the Pacific
ocean, in latitude % degrees 3 minutes
south, longitude 100 degrees S minutes
west; the extreme length is about two and
quarter miles and its breadth one mile
The island was discovered by Carteret in
1867, and named after one Of his officers,
who was the first to see it. Its chief in
terest, however, is derived from the mutiny
of the Bounty, a vessel sent by the British
government to convey plants of the bread
fruit tree from Tahiti to the West Indies
The Bounty arrived at Tahiti at a wrong
season for transplanting, and was compelled
to remain there for six months, during
which the crew formed connections with
the natives. A few days after sailing, in
April, 1889, the crew mutinied, and when
they had sent Captain Bligh and
those who Joined him adrift in an open
boat, they bore away for Tahiti. Here one
of the crew named Christian and eight
others, after the rest had landed, induced
nine native men and nine women TO come
aboard, when they put to sea and were not
heard OF for many years In 1908 Captain
F'olger of Nantucket, while on a sealing
voyage in the Pacific called at Pitcairn
island, and, having supposed it TO be unin-
habited was much surprised to see a canoe
with two men of light browniSh color
approach his vessel, and request in good
q. ~, -
them. They were the descendants
of the remnant of the long lost and
long sought crew. Determined to
cut of all traces of themselves,
when the mutineers reached Pitcairn
island they ran the Bounty ashore, where,
after stripping her of all that might be use
full to them, they burned her Christian
and his associates took the Tahitian
women as wives and reduced the men to
bondage. They appear to have got on
well for time, but at length the slaves re
belling, they were forced to destroy them
all, not however before three of the
masters had been killed in the ARRAY,
among whom was Christian. One of the
mutineers committed suicide, and another,
becoming enraged, and exceedingly violent,
was knocked in the head with an axe by his
companionscaS measure of self-defeuce
The rest all died natural deaths, and
at the time of Capt. Folger's visit Adams
was the only survivor of the mutineers.
| He drew up simple code of laws, by which
the islanders are still governed. He also
organized divine service according to the
forms of the English church, and aided as
school master. In 1856 the whole com
munity was removed, by some well-wishers
| in England and Australia, to Norfolk
island, but the greater part of them were
much dissatisfied with the change, and
early in 1859, two families, numbering sew
| -
The number remaining at Norfolk island
was 202.