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THE MALAY BAY MASSACRE.
Further particulars respecting this terrible
tragedy have come to hand. It appears from
enquiries prosecuted in the locality that about last
April, whilst Mr. E. O. Robinson was away in tbe
south, a small proa was coming up the coast. She
was short of water and provisions, and anchored
somewhere off Toa Rock. Whilst she was at anchor
the wind came up strong from the north-east, with
the result that the boat dragged ashore and bad a
| large hole smashed in her. Wishing to go to Mr.
I Robinson's camp, the Malays enquired the way of
j the blackB, who had shown up in the meantime,
| and the natives engaged to guide tbem there.
Whilst going through the bush the natives killed all
bands, afterwards returning to the proa, which
they first looted and then burnt. They then
seem to have gone back to tiTe place of the mas
sacre, and buried the bodies of their victims. The
story told as to the method of killing is extremely
singular. The party, it is said, were in camp
spelling, the captain being in a squatting posture
with his rifle held perpendicularly in front of him
and bis sabre lying on the ground. Wandy Wandy
(the leader of the blacks) was at his side well in tbe
rear. At a given signal Wandy Wandy put his
arm quickly round the captain, knocked his rifle
away from him, and at the same time kicked his
sabre outof reach; then seizing the Malay round the
waist he prevented him doing any harm while
the other blacks killed him and also his companions.
Tbe Malays appear to have made a desperate
struggle for life, but the force of numbers and the
cunning surprise sprung on them gave them no
hope. The whole five were killed. The massacre
took place about thirty miles from Mr. Robinson's j
station. Part of the plunder stolen from the proa
was rescued by a well-known Malay named Tingha,
who gave them up to Mr. Robinson, and the
latter has banded them over to Mr. A. Searcy, Sub
Collector cf Customs. Mr. Robinson, It should
be stated, holds tbe position of Customs officer
for Bowen Straits, and hence he made his report
to tbe Sub-Collector instead of to the police.
We learn also that for some time past scrapB of
newB concerning this massacre had come to the
knowledge of Mr. Robinson, but it was difficult to
get hold of anything definite or reliable. He is now,
however, perfectly satisfier1. that there can be no
possible doubt the killing has happened as repre
sented. On making enquiries as to what the police
were doing in tbe matter we were informed by Mr.
Foelsche that he bad not up to then seen the report
made by Mr. SeaTcy, which was then in the Resi
dent's bands. The Times subsequently states that
" Mr. Inspector Foelsche has decided to enquire per*
sonally into the recent massacre of tbe Malays on
our coast, and with that object in view be has
arranged to leave to-day (November 4) for Malay
Bay. The Inspector will be accompanied by
Mounted-coDBtable Holdaway and Mr. t. Benison
and two native trackers."
Police Protection in the Territory.—It
ia almoat vain to mention it (Bays the Northern
Territory Times and Gazette), but still we
cannot help thinking that the Government is
not free from Btain in the matter of W. S.
Scott's unhappy death. Host of us remember
only to well how, when Mr. Flayford was in
Palmerston in the character of a travelling
Premier, a deputation laid before him the
claims of the Victoria River district for police
protection and mail convenience. Mr. Playford
so far favoured the suggestions as to give a
promise that the Government would institute
a system of police patrol between a given point j
in the Victoria River territory and the Kathe- !
rine, the same to act also as a temporary mail
service. Apparently, the great man never
sincerely believed in the scheme, and the local
heads of the departments concerned would
seem to have quietly allowed the matter to
slip out of sight. Anyhow, whatever be the
reason, oertain it is that nothing has been
done, and, as we have said, it is not unreason
able to assume that had Mr. Playford's promise
been fulfilled the murder of Scott would never
have occurred. All that we can now hope for
is that after the events of the last month or
two the Government will have the common
decency to grant the Victoria River settlers
that protection for which tbey have been
begging for many years past. Economy is all
very well in its place, but when it is carried to
the limit whioh endangers men's lives it
becomes a positive abuse.
The Northern Territory Mining Bill.—
It will not surprise many to learn that Mr.
Solomon's Mining Bill has been defeated (says
the N.T. Times of November 4). We felt
satisfied from the Btart that the Bill would not
go through, for the simple reason that it did
not point out clearly enough how we were to
prevent the undesirable class holding interests
in leases. We know quite well that there
are at least a few Europeans here who
would only be too delighted to act as
dummies for Chinese for a considera
tion, and we don't wish to infer that
it would be anything more than human nature I
to do so, since it seems that the height of com- j
mercial and speculative ambition is to become
rich. There is really no point in taking away |
from Asiatics the privilege to hold mining j
leases if there is no certainty that the provision j
gets to the very root of the evil which it is '
hoped to eradicate. We might just as well i
proceed as we are going, giving Chinese full ;
personal freedom, as institute the system of ;
" coalition" whioh would most assuredly have 1
followed as a consequence of Mr. Solomon's '
Bill. We entirely agree with the principle of
the salient clause referred to, but there must ;
be no half-measures about it, no esoape-pipe by i
which the Chinese may overcome the penalties :
and enjoy in perfect security just the very :
privileges we are attempting to take from
them. It was the anti-Chinese olause that
stuck in the gizzard of Parliament, not ;
because it was anti-ChineBe, but because it was j
nob sufficiently binding enough to warrant the '
belief that its objeot would not be defeated.
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