The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-01-16
DESPERATE FIGHT WITH cANnIBALs
Details of Murder of Baron FOuIIOn
i'm the Solomon Islands.

/ SOAOAAAOAA
Later details regarding the death of
Baron Foullon at the hands of cannlbaIs
in the Solomon islands have been given in
| Vienna by servants of the baron, who
reached there recently. They were eye
witnesses of the tragedy. The Albatross,
an old Austrian gunboat, had anchored off
/ the island, and a party went ashore for
| supplies The natives along the shore had
been friendly, and no trouble was expected
at Titeri, SO that after the return of the
first party Baron Foullon with force Of
80 men, started out to explore the Lions
head, high mountain near the sea coast
| on which, it was stated, the savage tribes
men INDUCED in cannibalism whenever op-
pcrtunity served.
The mountain side was covered with
thick sbush, and the explorers had got
half way up the mountain mmolested, and
without any evidence of hostile move
ments Suddenly, from out of the ground
itself apparently, they were surrounded by
dense hordes of savages. The explorers
were totally unprepared for such an on
slaught, but quickly opened fire, the ma
tives being so close in many cases that the
powder burned deep holes in them where
the bullet struck. The whites sought to
fall back, but the savages were right
among them, welding their weapons with
deadly effect.
Midshipman Armand De Beaufort was
one of the first to fall He succumrbed in
the surprise, being struck down before he
had time to draw his revolver. The huge
savage sprang directly dn his path with
tomahawk uplifted, and almost before the
unfortunate midshipman could realize the
ing him on the shoulder and burying itself
deep in his chest. The savage at once
sprang upon him and commenced drink
ing the blood from the wound.
Baron Foullon himself was hard press
ed. He made gallant fight, but sud
denly dropped. 1t was first stated that
he had been dubbed by the savages, but
it is now believed that he was accidentally
shot in the scrimmage by one of his own
men. Indeed, one of those fighting near
est him AYERS that was so, the bullet |
traversing the lung Seaman Jacob Do
kovie and Seaman Gustav Challupa were |
also overpowered, and the native guide, |
who had fought with great bravery was
at length dubbed to death. By this time |
the whites had concentrated their forces ]
and, pouring bullets rapidly into the bush, |
drove the savages off. But the explorers |
had all their work to convey their wound |
ed out of action. They retired, firing all |
the time, and finally reached Aoti Ser
geant Anton Lovrie of the marines has |
sent graphic letters to his friends, de-
scribing the scene. He says:
Zone of the bushmen sprang out and |
held an ak over my head. 1t would the /
next instant have been embedded in my
brain, but the native guide struck the
fellow swinging blow with his club, |
SO that his head was battered out of all /
shape. A bushman ran past me, seeking
to escape. 1 struck him with the butt /
end of my rife, and caught him on the
chin. He never moved afterward. |
never expected to get back alive. The
grass and thick brush swarmed with ma
tives. We could not carry back the bod
les Of our comrades who were killed, nor
care for the wounded, and we were COM
PEELED to let them lie where they fell"
That night, when the survivors reached
the warships, they heard the tam-tams of
the savages, and there on the mountain
saw clearly the roaring fire. They knew
well that their unfortunate comrades
were being roasted and eaten, the flesh
OF the white men being regarded as the
greatest delicacy. Next day an exploring
party well armed proceeded cautiously
to the scene of the tragedy. There they
found ample evidence of the overnight
orgte. A black block was smeared with
blood, and on this the cannibals had evil
IDENTIFY carved the bodies of the unhappy
victims. The skulls had been taken away.
but human bones were scattered round
the spot. Some pieces of the baron's
were also found, but there were
no other traces discovered. The savages
had all disappeared.