He Made A Bolt

For It!

Memories of Jock London and Other Polynesian Authors

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, Dec. 8.

THE recent publication in the United States of a biography of Jack London recalls to old residents of Tahiti his voyage to the islands on board the “Snark” in 1907, These memories are not very pleasant. The personality revealed in the biography accords with the ap praisal made by residents during Mr.

London’s sojourn at Papeete and Moorea.

He, and another American writer who came six years later, established the precedent of satisfying their anger over real or fancied grievances, by directing, from the safe haven of a distant country, libellous attacks against residents of the islands. Mr.

London’s publishers were forced to make a very abject apology to avoid an action against them for libel. The litigant, after receiving this apology, was satisfied with holding the attack in the same measure of contempt that he felt for its authors; and so the matter passed.

The second writer was not so for tunate. He had been imprudent enough to return to Papeete after the publication of his book.

Soon after his landing, some wag informed him that the man he had libelled had engaged a company of burly longshoremen to waylay and give him a thorough beating up.

The author was terrified. He fled for refuge to the house of a fellow countryman, whence he sent frantic appeals to the U.S. Consul for protec tion.

The Consul—who privately wished the threats were real, and could be carried out with thoroughness and despatch—assured the author he would be safe so long as he did not venture out-of-doors. The author obeyed, to the letter, the injunction of the Consul; neither the sun by day nor the moon by night beheld him until the sailing of the next steamer for San Francisco.

The day of departure was filled with alarms. The wag sent word that spies, having seen his luggage carried aboard, the burly longshoremen had assembled to seize the author on his way to the wharf.

The author’s host had his Ford car ready, its top raised and storm cur tains fastened down. At the second whistle, he bundled in his quaking guest, made a record run to the wharf, and deposited him at the foot of the gang-plank; up which he fled like an antelope pursued by lions.

He escaped the mythical may hem; but he was overtaken in his own country by an action for libel—in stituted at Papeete and transferred to

the U.S. Courts. The verdict was 2,000 dollars and costs.

Later, we heard, this author went to Samoa. According to an eye wit ness, he left there in agitated haste, after a whole district of Samoans had threatened to “stop his mouth with stones”. He never visited the South Sea Islands again.