The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-12-10
eT1nU IE8s0Ns IN JUsTICE.

0T1nM LESSONS IN JUSTICE.
The Solomon islanders, who inhab;s ;
beautiful archipelago, stretching ~ 500
miles parallel with the northwert coast Of
New Guinea, have earned the reputation
Of being a4ong the wildsst and most I'M
tanable osavages. IT is only within >
few years that the missionaries have IT.
tempted to work among them. Before
the natives grew accustomed to the sight
of trading vessels It was as much - a
mans life was worth to venture on shore,
and the islanders were left pretty much
to themselves until six or seven years,
ago, when England and Germany divided
the islands between them, and then
looked around to see if they were really
worth dividing. Since then q number of
traders and missionaries have built sta
ions on the islands and persistently
wooed the natives to barter and prayer.
The coy and suspicious creatures, howev-
er, have distrusted the good intentions
of the strangers, and as they are con-
flrmed head hunters the New York Sun
says they have lost no opportunity to lop
off the head of q white man whenever
they caught him alone. The British gov
eminent decided recently to keep war
vessel in the neighborhood and teach the
neighbors better than to eat the mission
aries and adorn tabu houses with the
skulls Of traders. SO her majesty's ship
Rapid has done lively business Of late
inficting gun boat justice upon villages
INDUCING in cannibal feats with white
men as the most tempting delicacy on
the bill of fare.
When the captain of the Rapid made
his last report he had just executed a ma
tive for the murder of Mr.. Duval, white
trader. The crime occurred in Mott bay,
among the southern islands of the group.
One day, soon after the murder, the Rapid
anchored in the bay and sent word to the
chief that unless the murderer of Mr..
Duval was delivered in less than two
hours the village would be shelled. The
Solomon islanders have had considerable
experience of this sort, and the chief
knew just what to expect. The chief and
one Of his men promptly set off in a
canoe for the war ship, having in charge
a native whom they delivered up as the
murderer of Mr.. Duval.
The accused man made a full confess
sion of his crime. The captain of the
Rapid made careful investigation, con-
vinced himself that the prisoner was the
culprit he was after, and sentenced him
to be shot next morning at o'clock at
the village where the murder occurred.
At daybreak next morning a solemn
procession of boats went ashore carrying
the prisoner. 1t was thought that the
treacherous natives might be ill-mannered
enough to attempt to interfere with the
programme. A line of seamen was there
fore extended around the part of the viii
lage facing the woods to guard against
surprise. The prisoner was led ashore
and tied to tree. He was very calm,
observed all the preparations without a
tremor, and did not utter q word, even
when he was blindfolded. Several hum
dred natives grouped themselves around
the place of execution, looking on in
awed silence.
A firing party of ten marines was told
of, marched up in front of the condemned
savage, and loaded their rifles. The color
sergeant gave the command, "present, y
aud then, after moments silence, came
the word ''firel' and then the ten rifles
blazed away. The murder of the white
man had been avenged. The doctor pro-
nounced the victim dead, and the marines
marched back to their boat, leaving the
body for the natives to bury. Such les
sons ~ this will impress the natives, il
anything will, that it is better, all around,
to let white men live than to kill and
"