An Impudent Fraud

How “Lord” Hill Governed Pitcairn Is.

AN entertaining incident —though not to those who experienced it —seems to be entirely overlooked by those who write upon the theme of the Bounty mutineers.

Pitcairn’s Island had seen riotous times when Christian and his band first occupied the lonely spot. Now, all was peace and order.

Adams, the last of the wild crew, had reformed himself and had brought up his own kin and those of the others in strictest fashion. Above all, he had instilled into the little community of 87 souls the su preme duty of obedience to authority, which he himself had so outrageously flouted in his younger days. His ardent love of the Old Country he also transmit ted to the half-caste descendants of British sailors and Tahitian women. To them, England was Home, its King theirs, its men-o’-war their joy to see and welcome, even as he had learned no longer to fear their coming.

Adams died in 1829. Before he passed away, three outsiders had been added to the population. First, Buffett and Evans, sailormen each. A ship’s captain allowed Buffett to land whilst Evans hid himself till the coast was clear. Buffett became the school teacher —for Adams, the son of a Thames lighterman, had had but the scantiest of education.

Then there came Nobbs, an Irishman, of far superior attainments, who had served in the Royal Navy, fought under Lord Cochrane for the Chilean patriots, and roamed the Seven Seas; drawn to Pit cairn by its isolation, and his big heart to lend a helping hand if such was needed.

It was—and for five and fifty years he lived and served amongst them.

THHEIR bounden duty to obey Authority twice cost these islanders dear.

Captain Beechey, of H.M.S. Blossom in 1825 had represented Home that the island was overcrowded and in 1831 an order was brought to the community by the captain of H.M.S. Comet , that he had come to transport them, goods and all, to Tahiti by the Lucy Ann, which followed hard upon the. warship. They had no wish to go; they were content; the island was their home. But an order was an order; they could not refuse to obey. Therefore, with out any heart in the matter, they went.

In one month, they had had enough.

The morals of the Tahitians were not theirs, though they had come from that stock. Their young men got out of hand by the wild license of the place, and their , young women were sore tempted to rebel.

Death struck down a dozen by a fever un known to them, and others were dying.

Buffett and others fled, hiring a small schooner. The rest found sympathy in the British Consul, who saw his Government’s mistake and chartered a brig, returning them. That readiness to obey cost 17 lives.

But there was still another test awaiting them, nor did they fail once again to carry out the teaching of their one time sole guide, guardian and friend.

THERE was one man upon Tahiti who had watched the above proceedings and saw his opportunity. Joshua Hill was a man close on 70 years, when he followed up the return of the exiled by himself landing on Pitcairn. Then things hap pened.

He gave himself out to a nobleman from

Home, sent out by the Government to take over the' “Governorship” of the island and that the British Fleet on the Pacific Sta tion had been placed at his command.

The simple islanders were overawed by these high claims. But Nobbs, Buffett and Evans who knew the outside world, made light of his pretensions.

Then “Lord” Hill declared war to the death against the three “foreigners,” as he called them. Despite warnings by the three of the imposture being practised, the fear that in opposing “Lord” Hill they might be defying the Motherland forced them to submit, and they obeyed, though most reluctantly, his various orders.

In one matter, and one only, did the elders have cause for gratitude to the grey haired “nobleman.” Some of the younger men, through the looseness of life they had seen on Tahiti, had determined to make a concoction of fierce spiritous liquor from the root of the Ti, as they had seen done there. This action was stoutly op posed by Nobbs, but he was told to mind his own business.

The noble “Lord,” upon his arrival, quickly settled the matter. He smashed their stills, and everything connected with the business, and threatened heavy pen alties if the craze for strong drink did not at once abate. He formed the whole com munity into a Temperance Society and coconut milk and mountain water were once again the drink of all the Pitcairners.

Nobbs was dismissed as schoolmaster and Hill took his place. In the heyday of his power, he sought to win the people from the Church of England to Methodism, but on this they stood firm.

But in all else, for five years, they blindly followed him, since to them he represented Authority. No vessel that could contradict his claims called to re lieve the situation. He gave out that he had written to the British Consul at Val

paraiso to get the Admiral on the Pacific Station to call and remove “the three for eigners.” If he did, along with it went other letters.

Nobbs wrote that the man had ordered “the three foreigners” and their families to be turned out of their houses. Their muskets were taken from them by order of the “Governor of the Commonwealth” and, fully loaded, were kept in Hill’s own bedroom for the use of the “Magistracy”

of the Island, Every Sunday he had a loaded musket placed near him in church, to awe the congregation. When protests were humbly raised on any matter he threatened to have a Military Assistant Governor send him with a squad of sol diers to put them in subjection. ¥N every possible way he made the place too hot for the “three foreigners,” and they were glad to escape to Tahiti on a passing vessel. From thence, Buffet wrote to the Admiral giving further information.

But help w T as long in coming. Mean while, “My Lord” had appointed two “Privy Councillors,” made laws, built a prison and had a Riot Act in readiness.

Buffet, before his escape, had a taste ef the real thing. He had decided to take his wife and children with him. This reached Hill’s ears. Buffet was brought to trial, the “Lord” being Judge, Jury, and execu tioner. He was flogged, beaten over the head, a finger broken, and was suspended from a rafter in the meeting house by his unbroken hand and when the assembled women cried “Shame!” the “Lord” read his Riot Act and declared that he would be fully justified in shooting them.

Buffet’s sentence, as taken from the Island Register , kept since Adams’ day, reads as follows: Pitcairn Island, sth August, 1833.

“It only remains with Us to declare the sentence of the Law, which is, and the Court doth accordingly adjudge: that you receive forthwith three dozen lashes with a cat upon the bare back and breech, together with a fine of three barrels of yam or potatoes to be paid within one month: or in default an extra barrel will be required for this reiterated contempt of Court.”

Hill had also enacted a law of high trea son, and when Evans humbly requested a copy as a guide to his future conduct, he was haled to Court where His Lordship tried the case and administered the lash.

Those were high days for Hill, the island ers submissive as sheep. Had noi Eng land sent him?

"OUT the end was now not far off. Nobtas and Evans went to the Gambier Islands, but Buffet kept close at Papeete.

He also kept after the Admiral.

In 1836, H.M.B. Actaeon called at Pit cairn, Lord Edward Russell in command.

Hill had unfortunately given out that he was a near relative of the Duke of Bed ford, the father of the Commander. The impostor was unmasked, Russell reported to his Admiral, who promptly sent H.M.S. Imogen, which se cured the fraudulent rascal and carried him off to Valparaiso. Neither his past nor his fate were ever known.

The “three foreigners” returned by the schooners Olive Branch and Olivia. Peace ruled once more. Obedience to Authority had cost them dear.

In a letter written a while later by the community to friends outside, Hill is let gently down. Those patient souls describe him as “a partially deranged impostor.”

W.W.B.

Pastor A. Saaga, a well-known Samoan who has been working as a missionary in the Group for 43 years, has announced his retirement from active service with the London Missionary Society. His long connection with the Samoan Church has earned him high praise as a devoted worker and the withdrawal of his mis sionary activities will be a great loss to the Samoan peonle. Henceforth Saaga will live on his own piece of land where a house will be erected from the funds which the L.M.S. have granted in recog nition of his veteran service.