The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-10-08
TALE OF MASSACRE AND
SAVAGERY IN SOUTH SEAS

The dry, dusty and yellowed docu-
ments so methodically filed away in
the Archives building and watched over
by Archivist Lydecker appear in their
face about as dull and uninteresting as
anything well could be. And so they
are, many of them. But hidden away
in their dry and cracking leaves is
more than one story that even now,
after the lapse of many years, still
breathes of love and romance, of fierce
strife and wild adventure.
A short time ago Archivist Lydecker
found among a stack of old papers he
was going through letter dated back
IN 81, in which the writer tells graph
Gally the story of a bloody massacre
in the Carolines which had just been
related to him by Captain Walkup. The
Captain Walkup referred to is he of
the missionary schooner Morning Star,
whose tragic death in the waters of
the South Seas was a matter of news
only few weeks ago.
Fear and Desperation.
It is the old story of native fear and
timidity raised to bloody desperation
by spanish cruelty and oppression. The
letter was written by Henri Crosse,
then Hawaiian Commercial Agent at
Jaluit, Marshall Islands, and is as fol-
lows
A Terrible Story.
Report of the massacre of forty
Spaniards by the natives at Ponape,
Caroline Islands July / and 4, 1887:
The mission steamer Morning Star
having called on her way through the
Caroline Islands at Port Metalamin,
Ponape, on August IA, hove to
off this port on August 81, and Captain
Garland with Rev. Waltup came on
shore to deliver mail and to bring us
the following terrible news:
The Spanish government at Ponape
having received relief troops and a
lot of prisoners as well as building
material, provisions and stores by the
Spanish bark Maria Molena from Ma
Mia dispatched the Spanish transport
S. S. Manila which had then been in
port some time on July IA to return
to the Philippines. The Manila took
with her even the sails of the Maria
Molena, which vessel had been un-
rugged and moored as n hulk in Port
Santiago formerly jamestown Harbor)
not far off the Spanish settlement.
Chiefs in Secret Meeting.
Towards the end of June, the chiefs
of different towns of the Island of
Ponape (of which there exist 49, had
held some meetings the purpose of
which appeared to have been suspi-
eious to the Governor Don Isidro Posa-
dillo Posadillo. In order to ascertain
the reasons as well as to communicate
with the same chiefs about some pub
lie work the Governor ordered the
chiefs of the two tribes, "Iakorts'
and "Nut" to appear before him.
Twice the order was not obeyed, from
fear of being punished, whereupon the
Governor, on July /, despatched a de-
tachment of twenty soldiers under
command of a lieutenant and together
with the interpreter, Manuel, an old
resident of the place to the village,
where the chief had assembled.
A third order of the officer to follow
him to the Governor was not obeyed,
none of the chiefs moving from the
place.
oOluerS ODen FIRE.
The interpreter, Manuel had advised
the officer to give the order to fire into
the assembly of natives; whatever
may have been the case the order was
given and three of the natives were
killed or wounded.
Massacre Begins.
The next moment, the natives. who
had guns and knives hidden in the
grass close to them, had surrounded
the Spanish soldiers and killed sixteen
of them, amongst whom the lieutenant
and the interpreter, four of the sol.
diers only being able to escape and
report the news to the Governor The
Interpreter Manuel is said to have been
torn and cut to pieces by the infuriat-
ed natives. On the following two days,
viz, the End and Sd of July a few