Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-06
SHELLIN,1 THE SAVAGES.
ENGLISH METHOD OF FURNISHING
SOUTH SEA CANNlBALS.

Avensins the Murder of Sailors by Bonn
harding village-Treachery of the Ma
tives-Evidently Not Pleasant Place
for White Men to Live.
IN vague sort OF way reports ara received
now and then in England-and by telegraph
in the United States-of the vengeance"
taken upon some savage tribes in the ''south
seas" by the Smelling of a village" supposed
to contain the residences of sundry cannibals
who have murdered European.
1t sounds well enough to have it reported
that adequate reprisals' have been made in
such cases in the manner indicated, but the
following account Of how vengeance is taken,
together with the reasons for such action,
given US by an eve witness OF one such oc-
currence may enhghten US somewhat in re-
gard to the real effect produced by such
methods:
They talk good deal of keeping the ma
ton of the New Hebrides and Saloman s
groups on their good behavior" remarked
our informant; 'but let me tell you, these I'M
breeched devils of cannibals amt hurt much
by all we do to them.
MR.. CRAIG's WARNING.
'Take, for instance, the case of two unfortu-
nate traders we found located on Ambrym,
one of the New Hebrides, when we were there
a little while ago. We were running down
the windward side of that island, and when
we were near Craigs cove-just as pretty a
little landing as you ever saw, on the edge of
a cocoanut grove, about six miles long and a
mile wide-we were hailed by white man
in boat, and when he came aboard he told
us he was Mr.. Craig; that he had leased that
plantation from the native chiefs for EGO a
year, and he and his partner had been doing
business thus for more than five years. They
got along well enough until one of the chiefs
Of a little village with whom they had been
trading all the time for copra dried cocoanut
meat had grumbled about the price thatwas
being paid, and had warned them that unless
more trade was paid in the future somebody
would be hurt-with the poisoned arrows so
silently and fatally used by that people
Craig said he knew what that meant, for he
had often seen some poor devil struck by one
Of these noiseless, venomous darts, and in
few hours die in dreadful agony. His native
wife, he thought, might be a protection to
him, but he was very much afraid that his
partner was doomed man.
''Of course, we promised to do what we
could for him, and soon after, meeting the
English gunboat patrolling those waters, we
reported what Craig had told US. We were
assured the matter would be investigated,
and we learned shortly afterward that the
gunboat visited Craigs cove and the COM
mander had 'palaver' with the chiefs of
that district. They were informed that if
they injured the property or hurt the persons
Of the two foreigners living there summary
vengeance would be taken. OF course, they
We're assured that nothing of the kind was
thought of, and so they sailed away.
"a few days afterward Craig's unfortunate
partner, while walking through their cocoa
nut grove, was strucl, by one of those slen-
der, noiseless, poisoned arrows the New He
brideans use, and in an hour was dead.
''Then the second mate OF labor vessel
going in shore in answer to friendly smoke
signal from the beach, was killed, with two
of his crew, by a volley from the ambushed
natives, armed with rifles, and the boats
contents plundered-
BOaBARDISG THE HUTs.
GAS soon az the commander Of the English
gunboat heard of these murders he fastened
to execute vengeance. Arriving Off Craig's
cove, he found-from Mr. Craig's evidence
that his murdered partner was an 'Ameri-
cam and so he declined to interfere In that
matter, evidently presuming that in the
sweet by and by some war vessel flying the
Stars and Stripes would deal out the proper
punishment.
But, at the scene of the massacre Of the
mate and seamen of the English vessei-a
few miles from Craig's coTe-he resolved
upon inficting condign punishment. So the
gunboat ranged up and down that side OF the
island, firing shells ashore, some Of which
burst in the tops Of the trees. some In the
forest itself, which clothes the whole island
so densely that not a sign of a habitation can
be seen from the sea. And some, when they
did not fail to explode dropped and burst in
the midst Of scattered huts whose primitive
rudeness was such that such explosions mere
ly altered their old features without damag-
ing materially their effectiveness as places OF
shelter TO the people who, at the first alarm,
were miles away. Now and then a shell
would be sent in the direction where black
dots on the seashore indicated that the saw
ages collected in curious groups watching the
BON baI$nent
In such cases it Is reported that there was
some loss OF life, but this Is only ssirrnised
from the fact that at spots where shells were
seen TO explode there were afterwsTd founf
traces Of fires, where It booked as thouy
bodies had been roasted and aaten, and it was
that the victims Of TIE Assault had
there been utilized, as Is the custom among
that primitive rece. After the proper number
Of smells bad been thus exploded, a body Of
marines and sailors were ssnt ashore TO
complete the task OF destruction They
penetrated fer enough inland 70 assure them
selves that 10 natives were IL tde ne.zhbor-
hood, and, after destroying a yam pztch OF
two-the only serious dan2ee coae-tney
came back with s4ndry fsh ne.s. eoccanut
jaw bones of .turky 5ozrs, a
spear or two and other trophies. al Ct which
formed but a poor compensation for taa lives
taken by the sayages
''The latter. having seen tue gun boat
move away from the shore. returned TO
their viilsge. where tneir woman g5ssd il q
few hours returned everything 70 is wonted
aspect
Such Is the raal mode II procedure and its /
effects Ii spelling a viIlsze7 u sl4e New
Hebyldes, II punishment fer TIE r1i,Fxsa- II /
IRA or more Europeans p. L CIa-k III san /
7 francisco Caroat-ie
The Condemned Mas Wish.
TO flslZs i.szs / INT sesv- tie vor1