CHARGES AGAINST A MISSIONARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2594, 31 August 1909, Page 7

CHARGES AGAINST A MISSIONARY.

ALLEGED FLOGGING OF A HALFCASTE GIRL.

GOVERNMENT INQUIRY AT MAPOON.- .

THURSDAY ISLAND, Aug. 17. The Government ketoh Melbidir, which left here for the Mapoon Mi&sion Station, Batavia River, on the afternoon of the 10th inst., reached her destination late on the following day, having .on board Mr. R. B. Howard (chief protector of aboriginals), Mr. Hugh Milman (Government Resident), and Mr. Frank' Jarine, J.P., returned last evening. The mission of the party was to inquire into some 32 charges formulated at the instance of Michael Baltzer, a former employee at Mapoon Mission, involving cruelty to the natives and mismanagement of the mission by the superintendent, the Rev. Nicholas Hey. Mapoon is not under State control, but is a mission conducted by the Presbyterians, and subsidised by the * Government. Mr. Milman and Mr. Jardine constituted the Bench, while Mr. Howard watched the proceedings on behalf of his Department. Baltzer deposed that he was a laborer, at present residing at Thursday Island. He arrived at Mapoon in May 1906, as an assistant missionary from Alsaco Lorraine, to be paid £5 a month for two years. His duties were of a general nature. After two years he was sent home. After 18 months he became sick. He went to Thursday Island and returned after a month. Hey came to him one day early in 1907, and told him to come to him at 12 o’clock to hold Ellon, as he wanted to give her a hiding. At that hour Hey came out of his house, bringing two stingaree tails, each three or four feet long, and a single-barrel breach-loader shot-gun. He went with Hey into the dormitory, where he saw Ellen and one of the school-girls. Hey opened the door and called Ellen out, took her by the back

of the neck and put her up against a post, which was then in the yard., but is not there now. Hey put her hands round the post, and told him to tie her hands up with the rope, which Hey had in his hands. He (Baltzer) tied her up by the hands, passed the rope round her neck and round through her legs, low down, by Hey’s direction. Then Hey gave him one of the stingaree tails, retaining the other himself. Hey said:. “Baltzer, you hit her after me, and strike her hard.” She had on only a thin loose dress. Hey started to beat her, and he followed him. She cried very hard. He (Baltzer) did not say one word against the whirling. While it was going on he saw the girl’s head fall back. He-believed they gave her be-

tween them 100 cuts. • He did not- protest against the severity of the whipping, as he presumed Hey knew what he was doing. He was only acting under instructions. When, lie saw the girl’s head fall back he threw his v whip away and went to loosen the rope, without Hey instructing him. Ellen slipped down the post to the ground. He thought she had fainted. He then left and went home. After this the boys told him something, and he went back and saw that an anchor chain had been fastened round her neck. That was the same evening, about 5 o’clock, she had on the same dress, and was lying on the sand alongside the whipping-post. Ho did not look to see whether there were anv marks on the bodyf She looked as though she was asleep. The girl was kept tied to the pest for some days. Hey told him that the girl had struck Mrs Hey in school. That was all he knew about why she had been whipped. He was told by Jessie, one of the school inmates, that Hev told her she was only to give Nellie a bit of food, and that she would be punished if she disobeyed. . . Correspondence was put m m German, with a translation, which appeared to be written to Hey, and extracts were admitted as evidence which showed that Baltzer had written to. Hev that lie would take everything upon “himself, and that the time would come when Hev would stand clear and Baltzer have all the burden on his own back. Further cross-examined by Mr. Hey, witness said: I remember having flogged Harry Brown. Ido not remember .saying on one occasion that I told you I flogged him 'until the blood came. I also flogged Ruth, the wife of Phill, arid Martha, the. wife of Peter also Leonard, a boy of 18. I flogged them by your orders. I did not strike Georgina ; I only pushed her away. In reply to Mr. Hey, again Baltzer admitted having written a letter to Germany withdrawing certain charges against him (Hey). Ellen, the victim of the flogging, said she was a Christian, and understood the oath. (She remembered being at Mapoon. Before she went to service to Mrs Costin, at Thursday Island, in 1907, she had been at Mapoon about five years. She remembered being beaten before leaving for disobeying Mrs. Hey. who told her to teach the class. She was beaten more than once. It was with a stingaree tail, like that produced. She went to the class after being beaten, but would not teach. “Mrs. Hey,” witness continued, “struck me with the tail and I gave her a push. A girl came 1 between us, and I didn’t touch her. Mrs. Hey sent me out. I went into the dormitory and stayed till school was over. Mr., Hey came after the girls were out of school, and Baltzer with him. They "took me

out and tiect me up to a post near the dormitory, and left me there while they had dinner. They came to me after dinner, and brought two 3tingaree tails with them. They called the boys and girls around', and both flogged me. Who loosed them?—l don’t know. I remember, them putting a chain round my neck. (Chain produced, like an anchor chain for a dingey). There was the thicker part of the chain round my Mr. Hey explained that the chain produced was part of the chain used on the occasion. Ellen continued: I lay down under the shade. My dress was not torn, but there were marks on my legs which bled from the hits. The flogging was on Tuesday morning. I was treated kindly at Mapoon all the time, except for that one beating. Some letters from Ellen written at Thursday Island to Mapoon were handed in by Mr. Hey. In these Ellen expressed a dislike of Thursday Island and -a desire to return to Mapoon. ' This closed Baltzep’s list of available witnesses. % , . , - ' :• Mr. Hey called Ducky, an intelligent half-caste girl, who deposed that she was in the. school on the same day that Ellen was flogged. Mrs. Hey told Ellen to take the class of little ones, and Ellen did not like to do it. Mrs. Hey told her several times, and then gave her one smack with the stingaree tail on the back. Ellen got up and hit Mrs; Hey with her fist on the chest once. Mrs. Hey then- told Ellen to go into- the • dormitory," and she went when school

I . - : whipping of Ellon. This concluded the first day’s proceedings. The next day (Friday) Hilda Hall Ward deposed being a teacher at Mapoon School, and remembered when Ellen was punished. Ellen was quite obstinate and disobedient, and owing to her misbehavior that day Mr. and Mrs. Hey talked the matter over, and decided that Ellen should be given a public whipping. The trouble appeared to be that she was in love with an exschoolboy, to whom she had been sending presents of damper and letters. It was principally Ellen’s own.food that constituted the presents. The hoy was living in the village. “We had decided/’ continued the witness, “to get Baltzer to assist in whipping her if he were willing. That was because Hey said he himself could not do it. When Hev returned from seeing Baltzer, he said Baltzer had no scruples about carrying out the whipping.” Witness deposed that the black mark on Ellen’s forehead had been put there bv Hey as a sign of disgrace. She had never, during, her eighteen years at Mapoon, heard of any _otlier boy or girl receiving a whipping, nor of Hey lifting his hand to anyone. She had heard of Baltzer haying done so on more than one occasion. - Baltzer left the station -partly through impertinence to Mr. Hey, and partly through disobedience. “I consider,” she stated, ■‘Baltzer was not a fit person for the station, as he was trying to stir up the natives.” She was under the impression that Ellen sat down to save her legs from the blows of the whips. It was not true she sank down from faintness. She did not thing Ellen was insensible. The chain was kept on Ellen until she apologised. Nicholas Hey deposed that he was superintendent of Mapoon Presbyterian mission. He had been so for about 18 years, and assistant three years previously. One day in 1907, Mrs. Hey returned to the house from the school looking very pale, and stating that she had been assaulted by Ellen. He went to Baltzer, and asked Baltzer if he were willing to carry out the punishment on Ellen, telling him, “I am not able to do it myself. I do not like to inflicted, coropral punishment on anyone.” Baltzer replied: “Oh, I can do it,“ and then went to the house with him arranging for the flogging of Ellen. The ends of the rope securing Ellen were not tied, but simply turned in, the rope being wound round her. The school children were standing round. He explained to them why this punishment had to be given, telling them how painful a matter it was to him, but that it was a serious thing for a child to hit “mother” meaning Mrs. Hey, as they always called her. He was not certain who gave the first blow. The rope came loose after about 25 cuts had been given, and Ellen sat down, by ing-so protecting her legs. He stopped the beating, and said, in German, to Baltzer, “That will do.” Baltzer gave one or two" cuts more. Ellen was crying, but not very loud, and saying, Vi won’t stay in this place any more. H© talked to Ellen telling her not to use that language. Slie still continued and threatened what she would do. He got a chain lying not far away, the smallest on the station, and padlocked it round her neck*. He told Ellen that as soon as she apologised to “mother” and gave up her love affair with Mamoose she would be released. He then made a black mark on her forehead with stuff made up from tar, fat, vaseline,. and other ingredients, which was generally mixed to cover small sores in order to keep flies off. . He believed she was now over 17 years. To Baltzer: There was only about 25 cuts. It was after the whipping, while she was on the ground, that ‘.'Hon said sh® would not stay in this place any more. • To. Mr. Howard: I have an objection to corporal punishment. I took part in it because it was my duty. Do you not think it cowardly to bring in another to share the responsibility.—l explained it to Baltzer. I did not- consider it cowardly. Were Ellen’s hands tied so that -she could not use them when eihe was tied to the post?—Yes. How were the chains secured? —The chains were connected by a padlock. I do not remember how the chain was secured to the post. Do you consider Ellen’s punishment severe?—l consider it a severe whipping \ Do you consider the offence so heinous that it required a whip for the thrashing and a chain..to prevent her running away?—l would have administered .the same punishment to one of my own children under the same circumstances.

In the case of a person employing a child like Ellen, who was incorrigible, and administering similar punishment, what yould have been your opinion of it?—l don’t know. Assuming such circumstances, would vou report s'uch a matter as an onlooker?—I would take no notice if it wore reported, and as I should have no responsibility I would not be morrally bound to report it. Then you have no idea of moral obligation?—lndeed I have. The Bencli dismissed this charge against Mr. Hey. Several other charges against Mr. Hey. were taken, but struck out owing to the fact that Baltzer would only offer hearsay evidence. After reviewing other* charges, up to and including No. 22, which fell through, were struck out or not gone into.