Murders

The Mount Hagen

"Story Behind the Story”

From a Special Correspondent.

SALAMAUA, February 18.

NONE of the newspapers appear to have told “the story behind the story” of the murder of the Roman Catholic mis sionary at Mount Hagen, in New Guinea.

As I understand it, the Roman Catholic missionary fathers pushed out into this unknown and uncontrolled area quite a long time ago—I think that Father van Braan was actually the first man in. The missionary was not welcomed by the natives and they resisted the building of his church. These missionaries, however, do not lack courage and they went on with their enterprise. Then the hostile people burned down the mission buildings. The exasperated missionaries are said to have then committed an error of judgment they promptly retaliated by shooting a number of the natives’ pigs. This was tantamount to fining a white man in his worldly goods.

Father Morschheuser, the murdered mis sionary, was unlucky enough to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers, and he

merely collected the punishment intended by the natives for white people generally.

One cannot blame the primitive savages— they acted simply in accordance with age old customs. Neither can one blame the missionaries —they were fearlessly carry ing out their duty as they saw it. But, the basic conception of the whole thing is wrong, and lives —both European and native —have been uselessly wasted.

It has been suggested that the influence of another mission organisation is at the back of the natives’ refusal to have the Roman Catholic church established in their midst. I do not believe this for a moment —although there are others who do. It is a fact, however, that there is very keen competition between the missionaries re presenting different churches who have pushed out into the new country.