Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-29
BULLY HAYES RUSE.
Remarkable Escapades Of a Slave
Trader Who Was Known as
THE PIRATE OF THE PACIFIC.
Stealing q Vessel and Assuming the Role Of
a Bishop.
FEEDING l5O SLAVES TO THE SHARKS
WRITTEN ron THE D1srAron.

Some years ago the state of affairs in Poly
nesia was such scandal to civilization
I. that the attention Of the European power
was called to it, with very important re
suits. The Fiji Islands, one of the fines
groups in the Pacific, had become an AL
satia for all the vagabonds and desperadoe
in what has been called the fifth quarter o
the globe. Thither resorted' every fugitiv,
from justice and every broken adventure
from all the British colonies or the French
penal settlements, certain to find thert
plenty of kindred spirits among the reckless
characters who at that time carried on tn,
island trade. Under the pretense of estab
fishing law and order, number of thest
worthless had banded themselves together
under native chief named Thakombau
whom they had proclaimed King of Fiji
and established what they were pleased t
call government The only effect Of thii
was to subject honest traders to extortior
under the form Of dues and taxes, while en-
abling the lowest ruffians afoat to evade all
national responsibilities by flying the Fijiar
flag.
The great development Of the sugar trade
in Queensland and of the cotton, coffee and
copra industry in many Of the islands,
/ necessitating the employment of colored
hands, had, about the same time, given a
sudden impulse to the labor traffic, more
| commonly known as "black birding" and
in many instances not distinguishable from
slavery. The ordinary practice among the
more regular traders, was to make arrange
ments with the tribal chiefs in the groups
where the best laborers are found, to supply
| certain number on fixed scale of pay
ment, with an undertaking to return them
by certain date, when they had completed
their engagement. This was regarded as
legal, if anything could be legal where no
defined authority of any sort existed. But
there were numbers of traders, or so-called
traders, who cut things short by landing an
armed party and capturing all the people
in a village, or else enticing them on board
their vessel by one device or another, and
having got them down below, sailing away
with them. These raids were often accom-
panied by blood-curdiing cruelties, and the
men who were guilty of them were among
the most depraved and callous wretches
that ever disgraced the human form divine.
RATHER A SURPRISE.
About this time news reached the great
German trading house of Goddefroi, at
Apia, that the Karl, one of their vessels,
was engaged in slave-stealing and piracy.
The Goddefrois were thunderstruck. Thev
had been established attSamoa for many
years, and had the highest standing in the
Pacific for fair dealing with both whites and
natives. Moreover, they were in no way
concerned in the labor traffic, and the mas
ters of all their vessels had instructions, not
only to carry no labor on account of the
firm, but never to have any dealing, how
ever profitable, with that unsavory trade.
The captain of the Karl was an old and
trusted servant OF the company, and man
Of excellent judgment and of unswerving
honesty,
Afterward it appeared that the Karl,
while on her cruise, had been hailed by a
Fiji vessel flying signals of distress. The
captain of the Karl answered the signal,
and promised to stand By the disabled vessel
during the night, but darkness had hardly
fallen when the Karl was boarded and
captured by the men from the Fiji vessel,
headed by Bully Hayes, the pirate of the
Pacific. The captain and crew of the Karl
were put ashore on small island.
WOLVES IN SLEEPS CLOTHING.
A few weeks later, the Karl, with her
weIl-known white hull and trim rigging,
came to an anchor one day off one of the
most populous villages in the island of NAL
licollo. The natives having often seen her
before and had no occasion to regret her
visits, soon swarmed round her in their
canoes. They were all the more confident
by seeing on her deck several men in the
black silk coat and soft black felt hat which
are commonly worn by the missionaries in
those seas. Hayes was always well pro-
vided with these DISCUSSES, and on this oc-
casion he chose to wear one himself and to
play the role of new bishop coming to es-
tablish a mission station on the island.
Meanwhile, his mate, who was acting as
captain, appealed to the cupidity of the ma
tives by offering to buy all the produce and
curiosities they could get together at a
price which seemed fabulous to their simple
mind.
He had no inducement to be economical,
as he was never going to pay. The next
in the village, both to meet the missionaries
and for purposes of trade, the "Bishop" es-
pecially requesting that all the young men
and women might be present to hear him
preach to them in their own language.
At the appointed hour the largest build
ing in the village, an immense shed built of
light timbers and the leaves Of the cocoa
nut, was crowded with the very flower of
the population, only the old people and the
children being left in the neighboring set
Elements or the other houses of the village.
The produce which had been brought for
sale had already been taken on board the
brigantine, and payment for it was to have
been made at the meeting.
DRAGGED INTO SLAVERY.
Billy Hayes money, however, was on a
par with his religion. The first thing the
unhappy natives knew, volley of bullets
and slugs was fired through the fragile
walls of the building, killing and wound
ing great many and striking terror into
the rest Taken entirely by surprise, and
being quite unarmed, they were unable to
offer any effective resistance, and though
the people in the village made gallant
struggle, woupding several of Hayes men
and killing more than one of them, fully a
hundred of the finest young men and women
were driven or dragged down to the boats
and carried off to the Karl, while probably
double that number were left dead or man
gled by the murderous fire and cruel blows
Of their assailants. The prisoners were inn
mediateIy placed under matches, and the
Karl was away before the terrified natives
could gather in sufficient numbers to sur
round her in their canoes with bows and
arrows.
When the news Of this atrocious deed
reached the Commodore, ne commissioned
young officer named Freemantle, who had
already distinguished himself by his activity
against the slavers, to take the swiftest |
cowatta on the station aud go in pursuit Of
the Karl, which, it was surmised, would |
make for some port on the coast of Queens
land, where alone SO large q number of |
laborers could safely be disposed Of. Cap
tain Freemantle accordingly kept course |
which he calculated would bring him on the |
track of the brigantine somewhere among |
the islands of the Araiura Sea; feeling |
easv ahout overtakinr her bv his steam. |