Recruiter

Murder Of A

Difficult Case In New Guinea

From Our Own Correspondent RABAUL, November 20.

ON November 9, in the Supreme Court, before Chief Judge Wanliss, there appeared three natives of the Sepik dis trict charged with the wilful murder of Charles Albert Gough, a recruiter.

Mr. I. Shoobridge, of the Crown Law Office, outlining the case for the Crown, stated that the murder occurred on August 31, 1936, at the village of Leihinga, which is about three days’ walk in from Matapau, on the Aitape coast. The vil lage was situated in officially controlled area, although no Government official had visited it.

On August 30, Mr. Gough met A.D.O.

McCarthy in the village of Ilauhup and, while there, the A.D.O. warned him not to venture further south, as the natives were hostile. The official also noticed a medical tultul with Gough’s party, and told Gough to get rid of him, as it is against the law for recruiters to be accompanied by native It appeared that this tultul brought to Gough a young recruit, a youth from the village of Leihinga, and who was desirous of recruiting, according to the tultuVs statement. During the night, the youth departed and returned to his vil lage. Next morning, Gough decided to go to Leihinga, despite the warning from McCarthy; and during the trip to the village the beatings of qaramuts could be heard.

On arriving at the village, Gough put out his trade goods in the middle of the square. The village was deserted, except for a native, Ambod, who offered the party food. But this was refused, as it is customary in these parts for attacks to be made while enemies are eating and unprepared. Gough called for the runaway youth .who came, accompanied by his father, who objected to the youth being recruited.

The attack commenced, then. Gough fired two shots but they were ineffective.

The members of the party became panic stricken, and fled, although ten of them were armed. One boy, however, remained and endeavoured to assist Gough; but, after Gough was speared three times, and was killed, the boy ran away.

In summing up His Honour said the tragedy never should have occurred, and pointed out that Gough disregarded the warning given to him by A.D.O. McCarthy and also persisted in following up the young recruit whom the medical tultul had brought to him. -The accused had done the only thing they knew of in order to keep the youth, and to show the white man they wanted nothing to do with him; they had resisted him by force. The three accused had, however, broken the law and were guilty. There was only one sentence to be given for wilful murder and he recorded the death sentence; but he made a strong recommendation that the sen tence should be commuted to one of imprisonment—not so much as a punish ment to these men, but to let the natives know they cannot commit such crimes.

Miss E. L. Cheesman, who recently completed 10 months’ entomological field work in Dutch New Guinea, returned to England by the Orontes from Sydney on November 21. She has made several natural history expeditions to the South Seas and has written many books on entomology.