The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-16
Two Parties From Austrian War
Ship Butchered.
BUSHMEN THE PERPETRATORS.
An Austrian Baron One of the First TO Die.
Both Parties Attacked simultaneously.
Relief Parties Organize But Turn Back.
Native Murderers Supposed to be CannibaIs.

SYDNEY, n. S. W., Sept. 1S.-Dis-
patches from the commander of the AL
batross, which have been brought from
the Solomon Islands by the vessel Sis
kin, and addressed to Captain ]. Mer-
gell, Consul for Austria-Hungary,
reached Sydney today. These, how
ever, were marked CONFIDENTIAL and
therefore Captain Mergell felt that he
could not break the silence which had
been so strictly imposed upon him.
This astonishing secrecy has occasion
ed much conjecture, especially as the
details received from British traders
today seem to show that except for
the distinction of the victims the mas
sacre was marked by the features COM
mon to such outrage ages-conf1denc in
the midst of hostile tribes, sudden sur
prise and a sharp retreat, pursued by
harrassing enemy. The Albatross ap-
pears to have spent a considerable
portion of the month of July in cruis-
ing about among the beautiful islands
of the Solomon group, parties being
landed wherever possible to secure OBJ
jects of scientific interest. Early N
August the vessel anchored off slop-
ing beach on the north coast of the
island of Guadalcanar. 1t was decided,
despite the unsavory reputation of the
place, to explore, while the vessel lay
here, the Lions Head Mountain in the
! interior, and a party consisting of
Baron Norbeck, Lieutenant Budik,
Midshipman De Beaufort and another
midshipman, twenty sailors, Baron
Norbeck's two servants and two native
guides, started from the coast on the
25th of August. After two days of
marching the heavy work of forcing
their way through the bush had com
pletely exhausted one of the midship
men and seven sailors, who accord
ingly returned to the ship.
From particulars furnished by Mr..
T. H. Marben of Muran Sound, the re-
mainder of the party pushed on and
reached the foot of the mountain on
the evening of the 10th Next morn
ing the party divided Baron Norbeck,
accompanied by Lieutenant Budik and
seven sailors and his two servants,
with three bushmen for guides, started
about o'clock in the morning for the
top of the mountain. MidShipman De
Beaufort six sailors and two guides
from the coast were left in camp. Sew
eral bushmen joined the Baron's party
on its way up the mountain, but as
they had no arms and seemed to be
peacea bic, no notice was taken of them.
Several bushmen had aiso been in the
camp the evening before. The Baron
and his servants with the native guides
were in the lead going up the hill, sew
eral natives being apparently near or
mixed with the party. When up near
the top they heard two shots fired
in the neighborhood of the camp that
they had left, and at the same time
they saw what appeared to be bush
man chief standing on the top Of
rise a little above them, making some
signs Whether he could see the camp
from where he was or not is not
known. but he apparently, on hearing
the shots from the camp, gave the
signal for an attack on the Baron S
party. Natives from different parts i'm
mediately rushed on them with clubs,
but they had no guns. The Baron be-
ing entirely without arms of defence,
native rushed on him with a toma-
hawk, or small axe, and cut him down
by blow on the back of the neck.
The native who cut down the Baron
was Immediately shot down by a sailor
but in the meantime there was gen
eral attack on the whole of the party
One of the BarOns servants protected
himself and did good execution with a
big knife which he carried for clearing
the track, and the other servant saved