Title

The murder of a missionary by the Maoris in New Zealand: scene of the murder of Rev. Volkner, 1865. Creator: Unknown.

Caption

The murder of a missionary by the Maoris in New Zealand: scene of the murder of Rev. Volkner, 1865. 'The war of races which has been going on for two or three years past...does not seem likely to arrive at a speedy termination... The hideous superstition now prevailing, which takes the name of the "Pai Marire" from the Virgin Mary, of whom they [ie the Maori] have heard from a French Catholic missionary...is held to sanctify the commission of any crime or offence...the Maoris had all taken an oath the day before to kill every minister or soldier who came there...They then told [Mr Volkner the German missionary] that they were going to kill him. He stopped near the church and asked them to allow him five minutes for prayer, which they did...Whilst he was praying they sent and took a block and strop from the vessel, which they made fast to the topmost branches of a large willow-tree, about 200 yards from the church. There were now about 800 natives on the ground, who at once marched him under the tree...The poor fellow commenced shaking hands with many of them while they were tying his neckerchief over his eyes; and he even had hold of some of their hands whilst they were hauling him to the fatal branch'. From "Illustrated London News", 1865.

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector

Reference

HRM24A26_243

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

25,7Mb (1,9Mb) / 13,1in x 7,6in / 3935 x 2281 (300dpi)

Keywords

transport transportation countryside building buildings job house houses religious arts religion fence law art crime occupation British color New Zealand colony conversion Christianity rustic war location canoe century Colonial empire canoes Britain profession newspapers press invasion murder print concept North Island controversy B&W slaughter controversial engraved engraving missionary Colour 19th century water transport black & white black and white B W white and black nineteenth century rural The Print Collector British Empire colonialism Illustrated London News imperialism murdering rural life slaughtering TGN ILN Bay of Plenty newspaper missionaries Unknown Morris Regionalism New Zealand wars Captain 19th-century Levy Opotiki Volkner incident Völkner incident Samuel Abraham Levy Levy Samuel Abraham Morris Levy Captain Levy Carl Sylvius Volkner Volkner Carl Sylvius Carl Sylvius V?lkner V?lkner