The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1890-09-20
: FED TO cANN,eA.s.>

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orribic Fate Of Four Sailors on the SOL
re-- ONION Islands. srss41Hn1
a letter from Captain -Woodhouse,
DO has charge Of trading schooner,
D Emma Fisher, belonging to Messrs
ally & Williams, of Sydney, was re-
liyed in town yesterday, giviag brior
trticulars of the preparation OF some
lrther atrocities on traders, ana tne
factice of cannibalism by the natives
Zone of the Solomon Islands. The par 4,
.culars to hand are that the Emma
Usher had fallen in company with the
shooner Enterprise, Of Sydney, from
'hich it was CLEANED that the boat
teerer, an A. B. on board the Enterprise
AIMED Nelson, had been killed and
aten, together with three others-na-
iyes. Nelson is given as a native OF
yorway, aman of about thirty years OF
re, and possessing some years expe-'
ience in the island trade. The massa-
re would seem to have been premedl-
ated. sns-ssx, sss~s1ssS<a1sH1AS
Nelson bears the reputation here OF
being a well-conducted man, and had
Always appeared to be, and was, in fact
IN the best terms with the Solomon
islanders at the places periodically
called at by the schooner Enterprise
From the information to hand it appears
that the natives came off. as is custom
airy, from lit is believed) Hammond
Island, near Rubiam, in the Solomon
group, and represented that they wanted
to dispose Of some copra. rs-,~s ssesah1A
Nelson and three of the native crew on
board the Enterprise were thus induced
to land in the schooner's boat, and pro-
ceeded up to the village at which the
copra was reported to be stored. sasssts
While in the act of STOPPING to pick
handful of the copra up, Nelson was, it
is stated, felled by blow on the back
of the head from an axe or tomahawk,
and before his crew of three native
"boys" could regain the boat they were
similarly massacred. The bodies were
toasted and eaten. ~as'a9ssss~sann
Z The letter received from Captain
Woodhouse further mentions that her
Majesty's ship Royalist had visited the
group, and Captain Hand, upon hearing
the particulars of the murders, shelled
the villages at which the perpetrators
were reported to have taken refuge. -
II The letter also contains particulars Of
the trial and sentence of Solomon
Island chief named Johnson, the native
name Sono. Johnson was taken some
time since by the Royalist for the MUIR
derof European belonging to Sydney
named Thomas Datelle, and various in
4 quiries have been made as to what had
been done with him. From Captain
Woodhouse's letter 1t is ascertaihed
that after fully investigating I the
charge against the semi-civilized savage
johnson was taken to Motu and there
hanged. As to the continuous outrages
committed by the natives Of the Solo
mon Islands, some inquiry was made
recently from one or two Of the old
traders who are at present in Sydney.u
Captain Cable, a well-known ship
master, trading out of this port, says
that skull-hunting Is as ripe as 1t ever
was with many OF tho tribes.N He also
mentions as an incident in point that
number OF ."boys" (natives) in the
employ Of white men, on the occasion Of
the massacre, and who'll were present
when the murdered men were receiving
q Christian burial, protested , among
themselves that they should lbe per-
mitted to use the bodies for food.
Cannibalism, according to all that can
be learned, still exists to a terrible ex.
tent and the cruelty and barbarism
still perpertaed by the natives among
their own people is reported to be al
most incredible at some Of the islands
in the Solomon group.--Sydney (Aus.
tralia) Herald. : s,ssessssssasnsaxssS
----------- .-saa :. ,.ss.--