The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-20

tive converts The former were placed
in a small compound, guarded by a hum
dred men, and the others were taken to
hut where, with hands and feet tied,
they were left until the butchers were
ready for them on the following day.
While a council of the captors was be-
ing held outside, the imprisoned mission
aries knelt in prayer, led by the veneer
able Chalmers. The aged clergyman dis
played a courage at this time that in
spired his companions to meet unfiinch-
ingly the end they knew would come in
a few hours. They were not kept long
in suspense. One by one they were led
out of the enclosure and placed in row
surrounded by hundreds of bowling, muir
derous savages. Those nearest the pris-
oners leered in their faces and .taunted
them.
In this plight, and knowing that death
was about to claim him, Chalmers ut
tered his last words to the cannibals.
He made no appeal for mercy, but talked
to the savages of the future and implored
them to seek for deliverance from their
error through the Word of God.
DEATH OF CHALMERS.
While the gray-haired missionary was
still speaking eloquently in the native
tongue several of the warriors rushed
upon him and with clubs beat him to
the ground Then the murderers cut off
the head of the victim and raised 1t aloft
on spear.
Dr. Tompkins was forced to look on at
the butchery of his friends. The eleven
native students threw themselves on the
ground and refused to see the horrible
spectacle. The cannibals pounced upon
Chalmers bloody remains and with their
knives cut the flesh into strips, eating 1t
raw with expressions of intense relish
The fiends actually fought among them
selves over the division of the human
flesh.
Tompkins, who had witnessed this
horrible end of his companion, was seiz-
ed and bound and taken to a hut where
he was kept all night with the other
whites. The native converts were kept
closely guarded in another part of the
village. When the sun rose Tompkins
with Walker and Rathbone were taken
out of the house and killed. The bodies
Of all three were treated in the same
manner as that of Chalmers. The flesh
was devoured by the assassins.
Toward evening of that day massacre
of all the native converts took place. The
eleven young men were placed in group
and then from all sides the cannibals at
tackled them with clubs and spears until
were cut UP and the flesh was placed in
baskets and sent to other villages where
it was eaten.
While the hideous deed of blood was
being perpetrated, Captain Sadenaker
was alone on the schooner Niue. The
day following the departure of his COM
panions a swarm Of canoes came out
| from shore and surrounded the mission
airy boat. The captain gave the natives
all the tobacco he had, but they were
not satisfied with this and pillaged the
vessel. When their canoes were loaded
| they set out for the shore, and, a good
breeze coming up the captain set sail.
| He was pursued for some distance by a
number of war canoes, but managed to
escape. He returned to Daru and report
ed the disappearance and probable fate
of Chalmers and his friends.
NATIVES PUNISHED
| AS soon as possible after the news of
the murders reached the authorities an
| expedition was organized % avenge the
massacre. The steamer Parua left
Thursday Island with a detachment of
the Royal Australian Artillery, under
Lieutenant Brown. About the same time
the Merrie England, with another party
of Government troops, departed for the
scene of the massacre from Port Mores-
! by. In addition to the white soldiers, a
number of native police were taken along.
When the party arrived at the island
where Chalmers and his companions met
| their end great difficulty was experience
! ed In landing. The natives attacked the
| boats, but a hot fire from the maxim dis
persed them. On the shore they muster
ed in large bands and fiercely assaulted
the invaders, fighting with great brav-
! or 1lrt 6nir -, h1i-
hcrude, native weapons. The punitive force
marched into the interior, fighting al
most at every step, and capturing a
number of villages. Every house was
| RACED. Great piles of human skulls that
were found in some of the war huts were
destroyed. 1t Is not known how many
natives were killed, but the execution
must have been considerable Three of
the native police We're injured by arrows.
The punitive expedition found portions
of a jaw and thigh bones, which they
were told by prisoners were relics Of Mr..
Chalmers. A pair OF trousers were found
in one of the huts and identified as part
of the clothing worn by the veteran mis-
sionary. The prisoners also gave the in
formation that Chalmers skull was TAX
en- as a special prize to the village of
Upua, whose chief was the instigator of
the massacre. This place was searched,
but the skull was not found. 1t is be-
lieved though, that the CHASTITY memen-
to will yet be discovered, as the canni-
balls preserve all skulls, of friends and
foes alike, for generations and the iden-
tity of the various skulls is known to
the inmates of the houses where they
are carefully boarded.
In order to reinforce the punitive expe-
dition the warship Phoebe was sent to
the scene from Sydney. There is some
fear of a general uprising Of the natives
of Coaribatta and the adjacent islands
and strong military force has been
sent there under the command of Hon.
James Douglass. Government Resident at
New Guinea.
Tidings of the massacre of the mis-
sionary party were received with great
est sorrow in Australia and New Zea-
land, where Chalmers was we'll known
and exceedingly popular.
CHARACTER OF CHALMERS.
The life and character of the I.ev. Jas.
Chalmers, the best-known of the MUIR
dered missionaries, was thus epitomized
by the Sydney Morning Herald:
''James Chalmers was to Western New
Guinea what David Livingstone was to
the tribes of Central frioa what Pisbon