The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-01-04
cUNBoAT JUSTICE.
Teachiug South Sea Natives That It Is
Costly to Kill and Eat White Men.

The Solomon Islanders who inhabit
a beautiful archipelago stretching for
500 miles parallel with the northwest
coast of New Guinea, have earned the
reputation of being among the widest
and most untamable of savages. 1t is
only within a few years that the mis-
sionaries have attempted to work
among them. Before the natives grew
accustomed to the sight of trading
vessels it was as much as 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 a
number of traders and missionaries
persistently wooed the natives to barter
and prayer. The coy and suspicious
creatures, however, have distrusted
the good intentions of the strangers,
and as they are confirmed head-hunters
they have lost no opportunity to lop
off the head of a white man whenever
they caught him alone, says the N. Y.
San.
The British government decided re-
Gently to keep war vessel in the
neighborhood and teach the natives
better than to eat missionaries and
adorn tabu houses with the skulls of
traders. So her majesty's ship Rapid
has done lively business of late, in
f1icting gunboat justice upon villages
indulging in cannibal feasts 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
native for the murder of Mr.. Duval, a
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 within two hours the village
would be shelled The Solomon island
ers 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 canoe for
the warship, having in charge native
whom they delivered up as the muir
derer of Mr.. Duval.
The accused man made full con-
fession of MS crime The captain of
the Rapid made careful Investigation,
convinced himself that the prisoner
was the culprit he was after, and sem
fenced him to be shot at s o'clock next
morning at the village where the muir
der had occurred.
At daybreak next morning a solemn
procession of boats went ashore carry
ing the prisoner. It was thought that
the treacherous natives might be i'll
hammered enough TO attempt To inter-
fere with the programme. A line of
seamen was therefore extended around
the part of the village facing the
woods, to guard against surprise. The
prisoner was led ashore and tied to q
tree. He was very calm, observed all
the preparations without a tremor, and
did not utter word even when he
was blindfolded. Several hundred
natives grouped themselves around
the place of execution, looking on in
awed silence.
A firing party of ten marines was
told off, marched up in front of the
condemned savage, and loaded their
rifles. The color sergeant gave the
command, present" and then, after
moments silence, came the word,
"fre," 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 ma
rines marched back to their boat, leav-
ing the body for the natives to bury.
Such lessons as this will impress the
natives, if anything will, that it is
better, all around, to let white men
live than to kill and eat them.