The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-30
VIEWS OF AN AMERICAN WHO HAS
CRUISED IN THE SOUTH SEAS.
The Solomon Islanders, He Says, Are
White Men from a Sense of Duty.
New York Sun.


Kiondike region. That is the golden side
of it. Truth is often more strange than
fiction. and the strange and thrilling ad-
ventures Of Allan Quartermain and his
party in search of King Solomons mines
as described by Rider Haggard, read as a
child's fairy tale in comparison with those
that will face the expedition of the Sophia
Sunderland, commanded by Captain Nc
Lean.
Gold never heard Of in these islands.
The crude gold ornaments spoken Of as
worn by the natives and exciting the Gu
pidity of traders, were doubtless obtained
during their term of servitude in Queens
land and various islands, on plantations
where great number of Hindostan coolies
are employed who make quite a trade of
melting coin and converting it into orna-
ments. OF course, these people are canni-
balls to-day as much as ever. There have
been many massacres of whites who have
ventured on these islands for scientific re-
search. Persons unacquainteG With the
facts think these massacres are horrible
and that the savages should be extermi-
mated. The first opinion, fully concur in,
but not in the latter. Retaliation is human
nature, in black or white.
In 1863 what is known of the Southern
and Western archipelago as the labor traf-
fic' was started, that is, in plain words, the
kidnapping, or stealing of natives from I'M
explored islands, as, for instance, the
Union, Gilbert, Ellice Banks, Santa Cruz
New Hebrides and Solomon groups and
from Papua and New Guinea and taking
them to work on plantations in the Fiji, Sa-
moan and Tahite islands, and later to
Queensland, North Australia. At first, as
TIE Hon. H. H. Romly states, when the
white man was a sort of rara avis, and
where the intercourse had been very slight
the natives were not afraid of them On
the contrary, when they heard that a
white mans ship was within reach they
would go miles TO see it, invite the white
men TO pay them visits at their own places
end escort them about, without having any
designs on their lives or skulls In nearly
all cases of cannibaliSm, where whites have
been the victims, it has been brought about
by their own folly in wifully ignoring and
ABUSING native prejudiceS and customs and
through deceit, treachery and cruelty Their
vessels recruiting laborerS would heaVe to
opposite native village, whereupon ca
roes would come off with yams, taro, bread
Stunts, cocoanutS, etc. to trade. The ma
tlVeS were enticed on board, presents were
given them and they were asked if they
would not like to go and see the white
mans country for one moon or maybe three
moons. They were made to understand this
by holding up three fingers and pointing to
the SKY. Some would consent. These were
placed in the hold of the vessel and the
matches put down on them, and the rest in
or they would be shot. Should any attempt
to escape the vessel would run down their
canoes, and they would then be picked up
out of the water and secured with the 9TH
ers in the hold.
SOLD INTO SLAVERY.
"a first mate of one Of these vessels dis
gusted with the brutal work deserted and
afterward shipped my vessel as mate,
and from him and other trustworthy
sources l learned of these things. He said
that the ship he was on took out for bal
last large round stones, which were used to
heave into the canoes as they came along
side, breaking large holes in them and sink
ing them. Then the poor wretches were
seized and thrown into the hold. The aged
and young boys were picked out and thrown
overheard. to swim ashore if they were able
and the sharks did not eat them. 1t was
often pleaded as an excuse that having no
idea of time as we count it, the natives
could not be made to understand what three
years meant. Had they been told it was for
months, they would have understood but,
of course no such explanation was given
them or the traders plans would have been
defeated On one of these expeditions to
the Gilbert islands the ship was represented
to be Bishop Pattersons mission vessel,
called the DaySpring, and the supercargo
picious natives were told that they would
be taken to Norfolk island, where mission
station was established. taught to read and
write, and then returned to their own
homes so that they could teach their people
what had been taught to them. About sixty
were obained under these false pretences,
carried to Fill and sold. Later when
Bishop Patterson visited that place, he
was cruelty murdered in revenge for the de-
ceit practiced on their brethren, ror did the
sad payment end here. Commodore Good
"A, representative
his name, went down to inquire into the
murder of the bishop, and was also killed.
This struck horror and sorrow through the
length and breadth of the South seas, for
there were never two men more beloved and
mourned for.
sailing under Spanish colors. took $50 of
these savages from the New Hebrides
islands to bring them to work in the mines
in South America. Instead of beating up in
a direct course eastward to avoid strong
currents and easterly winds, they took a
course to catch the southeast trade winds.
Cholera had broken out among the human
cargo, and to get rid of them they were
landed on Raoul or Sunday island. latitude
twenty-nine degrees and fifteen minutes
south, longitude III degrees and forty-five
minutes west. This was only volcanic
rock with perhaps half a dozen acres Of
land fit for cultivation, and here they were
left to die of disease and starvation. Doubt
less none would have lived to tell the tale
had not South Sea island trader, not a
slave trader. with heart in him. seeing
l.
hove to- and, hearing their pitiful tale of
abandonment took the thirty that were left
of the $50 and carried them back to their
own islands How long before this date
slave trading had been carried on / cannot
say but from 1856 to 1874 these islands were
the principal shaving grounds of the Pacific.
REVENGE ON WHITE MEN.
''Since then the British government has
instituted a system of inspection and super
vision, and super cargoes are placed aboard
all labor trading vessels sailing under the
British flag, or more properly speaking,
labor agents. If any readers are doubtful
of what 1 say let them read the work by
Hugh Hastings Romily, c. M. G., her
Majestys deputy commissioner for the
western Pacific, late acting commissioner
for New Guinea, with whom 1 was person.
ally acquainted, entitled From my Veran-
da' in which he gives an account from the
report Of the royal commission appointed by
the Queensland government to inquire into
the manner of conducting the labor traffic.
In all these massacres and feasts of hu-
man flesh so frequently read OF comes
the payment for the white mans cunning,
deceit and brutality, and the saddest part
of ii is that the individually innocent usu-
ally suffer for the guilty. Forty years ago
such a thing as hunting the skulls of the
papalagi, white man, was never heard
Of 1t is not as many think, that they pre-
been told by cannibals the reverse. 1t is
Simply TO avenge their wrongs.
Their religion is that Tor every one of
their people who has been murdered or
carried off and never returned, they must
have the skull of a white man IN his place.
They are taught that all their ailments,
accidents, griefs and woes are but remind
ers that their wrongs are still unaYenged,