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Pacific Islands Monthly

Pentecost Natives Still Sing Of White Trader’s Murder In 1887

By a Staff Writer

When Mrs. Helen L. Williams, of Subiaco, Western Australia, was in the New Hebrides in 1962, she learned that the natives of Pentecost still have a song and dance about an uncle of hers who was murdered there in 1887.

HER uncle was a trader, Vernon Lee Walker—usually known as Lee Walker—who spent several years in New Caledonia and the New Hebrides in the 1880’s. He worked in a business established by his brother Howard.

Mrs. Williams still has several letters which her Uncle Lee wrote to his mother from those territories; and also one from her Uncle Howard describing Lee Walker’s death.

These letters (which Mrs. Williams recently lent us) throw interesting light on conditions in the Western Pacific, particularly the New Hebrides, in the days when the labour trade still flourished there and Britain and France had not yet established a Joint Naval Commission to protect the lives and properties af their citizens.

The Walker brothers, among other things, had a schooner which went an “blackbirding” expeditions from Noumea to the New Hebrides; and one of Lee’s letters, written in Noumea on February 3, 1885, gives some idea of the commercial side of that business.

“They” (the natives), he wrote

“have to come of their own free will (the Government have their agent on board to see that everything is done lawfully), and you have to pay their friends for them either in muskets, money, powder, etc.

“When the ship is full, she re turns to Noumea, and there you sell them to whoever likes to buy them for domestics, etc. £3O A Head “Some of them are engaged for 3, 4 and 5 years. The longer they are engaged for, the more money you can get for them. Some of them we got as much as £3O a head for.

“The buyer has to give them wages at the rate of, from 9 to 12 francs per month, but does not pay them until their engagement is finished.

“Everything is done through the Government, who see that the canaques are not cheated. At the end of their engagement, they have to be returned to their island.

“There is any amount of danger for the ship in going amongst the Islands, as every time a ship comes back we hear of ships being fired

at and white men killed by the canaques, and often eaten. . .

In a later letter, written from Noumea on January 3, 1886, Lee Walker described how he had just returned from his first trading trip to the New Hebrides as supercargo on “our schooner”.

“Our last supercargo,” he said, “was killed by the natives, and when the schooner returned, we could not find a man to fill his place, as it is rather a difficult position to fill, “I told Howard that I was sure that I could do better than anyone else, and that I would go for him.

He seemed to think that I was not capable, but at the last moment when he could get nobody else to go, he told me to go.

“I rather surprised him when I returned two weeks earlier than he thought I could do the trip in. I made a better trip than anyone who had gone down before me.

“I can get along with natives better than most people and have no fear of them.

“You would hardly know me now.

I am more than brown—almost

slack from the sun. Clothes do not rouble one much in the Islands.

Pajama trousers and singlet are full Iress. (I am) always bare-footed, is I am in the water nearly all day umping from the boat ashore.

“In going ashore, one has always o be armed to the teeth. I am the mly white man that goes ashore Tom the ship. The others, captain md mate (only three white men on >oard), stay on board to look out or the ship.

“I always have four boys (all flack fellows are called ‘boys’ down iere) to pull me ashore, each armed vith a rifle, and I with a revolver.

“We back the boat ashore so as to >e able to pull away quickly in ase of trouble with the natives. I amp ashore and the boat pulls away . short distance, the boys all ready yith their rifles to cover me.

“The first thing on landing, I am urrounded with from 100 to 300 according to the place) natives, all rmed with muskets, rifles or bows nd poisoned arrows.

“They are too frightened of a flute man to attack him when they ee he is armed. It is only when bey see that they can kill you with in any danger to themselves that bey attempt it.

Rough Life

“I find from experience that the ues that are the worst are those bat have been to the white man’s ountry and can speak English. They re the biggest rogues, and the ones 3 be most carefully watched.

“The one that speaks to you the airest is the one that will be the rst to lift his hand to kill you, or 3 start the others to do it. . . .”

Nearly a year later, in a letter written at sea off Erromanga, New lebrides, Lee Walker told his lother that he had been living on schooner of 50 tons for the revious 18 months, going from •land to island in the New Hebrides selling trade, collecting copra, etc., nd when the ship is full, taking it to loumea, and then bringing fresh •ade down again”.

“It is a very rough life,” Walker lid, “but I do not dislike it. )ertainly, you have not got much omfort on board. For instance, 3metimes when short of water, we annot even get a wash for perhaps week. . . .

“There is a fascination about the fe. You never know one minute ut you might get knocked on the ead by a tomahawk , or shot at

with a rifle by the natives, as they all armed. ...

“However, all the time I have been in the Islands, I have never had any trouble with the natives and have always got on well with them. I more i of ? ever of being killed by the natives. . . .

Exactly a year after these words were written, Lee Walker’s brother Howard had the “painful duty” of writing to their mother of Lee’s death. He had been killed precisely m the manner that he had described.

Writing from Bellevue Station, Port Sandwich, Malekula, on Christmas Day, 1887, Howard Walker said that Lee had left there on December 16 to go to Pentecost Island where he (the writer) had a large property.

After calling at this property, Lee had gone up the coast to buy yams.

He was about to land at Steep Cliff Bay when about 100 natives fired on him.

Lee replied with a couple of shots from his Winchester before he was shot in the arm and tomahawked in the back of the head, “The whole affair did not take two minutes, and I think he died without pain,” Howard Walker went on. “The little vessel could render n o assistance as they had only one boat, but they fired about 100 shots.

Next day, they fell in with a Fiji vessel and went ashore in two boats, ‘The natives had all cleared, but they recovered Lee’s body. It had not a stitch of clothing on, and was simply hacked to pieces, two fingers gone (evidently to get his ring).

“The body was brought on here [Port Sandwich] and buried in the French soldiers’ quarters.

“I am sending a report to HBM Consul at Noumea, and also to the English men-of-war, but the English will do nothing, “I have got two vessels placed

at my disposal—one American flag, and the other Danish, and we intend to go to Pentecost and get our revenge. I have got 20 volunteers here, all white men, splendid shots, and accustomed to the islands.

“I expect another 20 from Noumea, and being under foreign flags, no one can interfere with us.

We will make it hot for the natives.

“Lee had a crew of four niggers.

I fancy all were killed, but only one body was found.

“The boat, of course, was plundered and all arms and trade taken worth about 500 frs. The boat, which belonged to me and worth 1,000 frs., was broken and burned, so that with the niggers (who belonged to me) etc., I make a smart loss.

“The previous trip Lee made, he lost a boat worth 1,000 frs. It is very hard lines for me, but I try to keep my pecker up. . .

The sequel to Lee Walker’s murder is told in a clipping from an English paper of February 16, 1889, which is also in Mrs. Williams’ possession.

Village Bombarded

The paper said that HMS Opal had returned to Auckland at the end of December, 1888, after visiting Pentecost “where Mr. Vernon Lee Walker and a boat’s crew had been treacherously murdered”.

“A friendly chief,” the paper went on, “afforded the required informa tion as to the guilty tribe, and the chief of the offending natives was forthwith summoned to come on board the Opal, and pay the penalty of his misdeeds, or war would be declared.

“In reply, the chief sent a refusal, but offered as a reparation a man and two pigs. He next offered to give up the ‘actual murderer’, but no notice was taken of this offer inasmuch as 40 or more were con cerned in the attack.

“The surf was heavy and the men could not well land, but the village was bombarded, the natives flying into the bush.

“At Port Sandwich, the Opal was joined by the French man-of-war Fabert, and each vessel, proceeding to Si, landed together 120 men.

These marched to the village, the natives flying at their approach, and having burned all the huts and destroyed all they possibly could of the plantations, returned on board.

The vessels parted company here.

Opal visited Paama, and burned the village there, and then left for New Zealand.”