Western Papuan Tragedy

Recalled

(Contributed) VT'OUR article “Chasing a Rumour” ( P.1.M. , April, page 54) was very interesting; but no mention was made of the fact that the P.O.D. Co.’s radio station at Daru was working overtime, making contact with all the field parties in the Western Division.

Also, that Mr. Arnold, the P.O.D. wire less operator, was chiefly responsible for making contact with all these parties except Jack Hides.

The last paragraph, “The rumour may have been connected with some happen ings of long ago and become exaggerated with age, 1 ’ is very probably true, as it brings to mind the massacre of Dreschler and Bell and party on the Middle Fly in 1920.

Dreschler and Bell were the only two white men who may have been murdered along the Fly, though it has never yet been made clear whether the actual mur ders took place in Dutch territory or on the British side of the Fly. Dreschler’s head was found in a native village, on the British bank of the Middle Fly—by some Chinese bird-hunters, in 1920, and Lyons and Austen were sent up to inves tigate. The report of the patrol appears in the Annual Report for 1920-21.

Later on, in 1922 (see A.R. 1921-22), Austen found Bell’s pocket-book, with photos and a 300-guilder note, in some shelters on Bamboo Creek. The natives in this area sometimes; live on the Dutch side and sometimes on the British side of the river, and are closely con nected with the Lake Murray natives. At present, these Fly River natives are liv ing on the Dutch side.