In The Bad Old Days (When

Villains Were Villains),

[?]Evuka Had Its Stocks...

Even in the lawless sixties of last century, it is diffi cult to imagine that Levuka —or any other place in Fiji for that matter—should have had stocks for dealing with wrongdoers.

BUT Levuka certainly did have stocks in those days, for ecently, while looking through Id files of The Fiji Times, I came cross a reference to them.

In the issue for October 2, 869, it was stated that a certain Captain Morgan, who had long jrrorised “the Beach”, had spent night in them.

It could not have been a leasant experience for Levuka is oth hot and subject to tropical ownpours, and there are plenty f mosquitoes which a miscreant, r ith his arms and legs pinioned, ould not brush away.

A Fiery Gentleman It appears that Captain Morgan, fiery gentleman, had come to evuka to take charge of the olunteers who were to have been nrolled to pacify the fierce lountain tribes of the interior.

But when that movement fell irough for want of people nthusiastic enough and fit enough ) take part in it (the main Kerc’ise on “the Beach” in those ays was walking from one rum ouse to another), the gallant aptain was at a loose end.

So, according to The Fiji Times, •aptain Morgan’s “propensity )r fighting took the milder form f breaking glasses and furniture i the hotels, and challenging to duel anybody who objected to ich innocent amusement”.

Following some wild behaviour i Perkins’ Hotel, Morgan was sized by a body of men and laced in the stocks for the night ) cool off.

When released next morning, lorgan remembered that a Mr. linton had been the first to lay ands on him, and he sent word tat unless he was prepared to ght a duel, he (Morgan) would hoot him on sight.

Minton agreed to the duel, but apparently he had little know ledge of firearms and decided to learn how a pistol worked.

He was thus engaged in a room of the Criterion Hotel, when a civil engineer called Hoyle (one of Levuka’s “most respectable settlers”) ran through the door of the room just as Minton fired out of it.

The pistol ball went through Hoyle’s leg—without breaking any bones—and this stirred the people of Levuka into action.

At a meeting next morning, they decided that both Captain Morgan and Mr, Minton should be put under restraint to prevent them holding their duel.

Minton was therefore seized and put on board a ship called the Norman-, and Captain Morgan, who ran true to form by violently resisting arrest, was eventually handcuffed and otherwise made safe to await a decision on his fate by the whole town of Levuka.

Put in Irons At another meeting, presided over by Ratu Meli, sitting with Mr. I. B. Thurston, British Consul, it was decided that Morgan should be kept in irons until he could be sent to Sydney for trial.

Eventually he was shipped to that port, but he was not tried as there was nobody from Fiji to lay a complaint or give evidence.

In any case, there were strong doubts on whether anyone in Levuka had authority to order his arrest and detention.

The gallant Captain, moreover, threatened to take action against those who arrested him. But nothing ever came of it.—

Frank Ryan.