The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-02-09
AMONG THE SAVAGES
4 MISSIONARY LIVES THIRTY
YEARS WITH cANNlRALS.

experience OF Rev. DR.. John 6. PatoH
In the New Hebrides lslands-Hs
Saved His Life by Ruse-MissioH.
aries Eaten by the Natives.
The career of Rev DIR. John G. Pa
ton, returned missionary from the
New Hebrides, from the time that he
left Scotland, thirty-one years ago, to
his return to America. is a serial story
of adventure and hardship, of escapes
from death almost Incredible And it
was not in the path OF conquest or lead.
ing the serried ranks of battle that
Dr. Patton met and surmounted dan
gers and difficulties and brought many
thousands of ignorant savages to an
understanding of the art of civiliza-
ton, but it was in preaching the Cos
pei that DR. Patton and his associates
wrought their work.
Educated in the parish school in
Dumfries, in southern Scotland, and
finishing course of study in the
classical and medical departments of
the college at Glasgow, DR.. Patton at
once began work as a city missionary
In Glasgow. His special field was
among the town police, and so appre-
ciative were the policemen of his
eleven years labor among them that
upon his departure they gave him a
handsome gold watch, which he now
carries DR.. Patton has established
clubs and reading circles among the
police, and it is remarked that both
Protestant and Catholic policemen
contributed to the gift The watch
bears the inscription: Presented to
DIR. John G. Patton, city missionary.
by the G Division of the Glasgow Pc.
lice as a token Of their appreciation
of his zeal in the promotion of their
temporal and eternal welfare, March
1857"
In 1858 DR.. Patton, accompanied by
his bride of a year, left for the mis-.
sionary field In the New Hebrides.
The New Hebrides are a group OF isl.
ands in the South Sea, an archipelago
of Polynesia, chain extending from
latitude 13 degrees south. longitude
166 degrees east, to latitude 20 de.
grees south, longitude 10 degrees
| east, about five hundred miles long,
and adjacent to the island of Borneo.
N0CAS tettNl III dLOn dIIlNCu at
the island of Tanna, one of the north.
ern islands of the group, and landing
began his labors. For a time the in.
trepid missionaries were unmolested.
but white trader visiting the islands
made an unwarranted personal attack
upon DR.. Patton, and following this
the savage natives plundered the
house and hardly day passed with
out some attempt upon the lives of
the missionaries, compelling them to
leave the islands and seek a refuge
with a native chief in another island.
When the party landed at Tanna there
was fine harbor, capable of accomo-
dating a large number of vessels, but
an upheaval of the earth completely
destroyed it. After the escape of the
party from Tanna they were given
shelter for a time with a friendly
chief, but the natives were hostile.
and an attempt was made to escape
from the island in an open boat, but
a rough sea compelled the workers to
land again. On the following night
the missionaries were assailed and
the house in which they were stop
ping burned, and the life of DR.. Patton
was attempted. DR.. Patton, in speak
ing of the attack, said:
Il defied the natives, and, apparent.
ly in answer to my prayer, a tornado
came with incredible swiftness. and
so alarmed the natives that they ran
away and molested us no more"
"The mission passed through a hap.
tism of blood in beginning the work
in South Sea Islands, said DR.. Patton.
1.-The population of the group was then
estimated at 10000, all cannibals
without clothing and with no written
language. On Aneityum, where we did
our first work, every widow was
strangled to death the moment her
husband died. Child murder was COM
mon, and children destroyed their par
ents when long sick or aged. Neigh
boring tribes were often at war with
each other, and all they killed were
Toasted upon by their conquerors
which was also the fate of all ship
wrecked sailors and strangers who fell
into their hands, while crimes of the
most revolving character were delight
ed in. Five missionaries were muir.
dered and two of them eaten on Err
rumaga. A sixth fell by my side
and died in consequence of an attack
upon our lives at Tanna. Members OF
the mission families and many native
teachers with their wives and chill
dren either died or We're murdered
and eaten by the heather. Those as.
ISOLATED with me either died or were
killed, leaving me the only missionary
north of Aneityum living to tell the
story.
1T was thirty-six years ago that
barely escaping with my life, found
my way to Australia and by consid-
cradle effort secured our first mission
schooner, the Dayspring, and since
then the work has steadily progressed
and Christian influence has been ex-
tended to twenty-five islands. The
Bible has been translated and is now
read in twenty-five different Ian
guages, and about eighteen thousand
natives have been redeemed from saw
agery Out of the savage cannibals,
among whom we were first placed, we
have educated over three hundred ma.
tive teachers. The high chief in one
island cheerfully gave up eleven
wives in obedience to the creed we
taught"
DR.. Patton married second time
in 1862 and has now two sons engaged
in missionary work in the islands.
From one ne received letter recently
containing a wonderful story, illustrat-
ing the devotion of the converted ma
tives. 1t appears that the chief of
an inlagd town on one of the islands
invited DIR. Paton's son 10 visit him at
his home. The young minister, ac-
companied by one of the native teach
ers, started with the chief They had
not proceeded far when the chief, sud
danIv turning 1eVe1ed his rifle nj tho