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frefuiri.. NO. 3,131.
PERTH, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1964.
SEVENTY-SIRS? YEAR.
PED011 THREEPENCE.
Rescued Missionaries Visited by Apostolic Delegate
True Story of Captivity and Suffering Revealed shafen, and Brother Sylvester (over 70 year's of age) was kept in prison in Alexishafen for seven days without any apparent reason. Protest by Bishop Wolf. On January 26, 1944, came the fatal order for the removal of these missionaries from Manam Island to an unknown destination. Bishop Wolf, foreseeing the impending danger of being bombed at sea, made a protest to the
Bishop Wolf's Protest Ignored By Japanese Ship Carrying Missionaries Strafed By Allied Bombers . .
Japanese authorities against such a course. Fortunately a copy of the now deceaed Bishop's letter of protest has It is dated Manam been preserved. Island, January 26, 1944, and reads as
.
With commendable promptness and sympathy, His Excellency the Apostolic Delegate (the Most Rev. John Panico), when apprised of the arrival in Australia of the missionaries rescued from the Japanese at the taking of Hollandia on the coast of Dutch New Guinea ,hastened from Sydney to visit them, On Sunday, hear their story, and offer them consolation and assistance. May 21, His Excellency, accompanied by his secretary, the Rev. Dr. Young, to which the Society Divine Word, the of the Barr, of Van Rev. Father the missionaries belong, and the Rev.Father A. G. Tynan (Diocesan ,Director of the Propagation of the Faith), were kindly received at the camp hospital by the United States officers in charge. and soon they were among the missionaries-Priests, Nuns and Brothers-listening to the thrilling story of their experiences, which, fortunately, we are able to give the public, who up to the present have had but garbled reports from more or less unreliable sources. His Excellency found 23 priests, 22 Brothers, and 18 Sisters, together with a number of young girls and children who had been rescued .with them, all being kindly cared for by the doctor in charge and the ward.,men and nurses in the hospital atached to the camp. The priests. Brothers and Sisters all belong to the Society of the Divine Word and were attached to the Alexishafen, Kariru and Wewak Missions. The first experience of the Japanese was in March of last year at Kariru which, as you know, is an island about Wewak, and 14 miles distant from which was the headquarters of the S.V.D. Mission on that part of the The coast of Central New Guinea. Japanese at first assumed a friendly attitude, but very soon they became suspicious of the missionaries, and on March 15, 1943, not long after their arrival, the Japanese transported to an unknown destination the whole personnel of the mission (39 persons in all), including the Bishop (Most Rev. Joseph Lorks, S.V D.), six priests, 14 Brothers and 18 Sisters. The only news about the Bishop and the missionaries that has since been obtained was got from a Japanese officer by Father John Gehberger, who, on June 14, 1943, was taken from his mission at Turubu, near Wewak, and brought by the Japanese to the native village of Kaip. On the evening of his arrival at Kaip Father Gehberger had a conversation with the officer referrid to (who spoke English fluently) and. obtained from him the in-
follows: The High Commander of the N ppon ;Military Force in New Guir.ea Dear Sir,
i
HIS LORDSHIP MOST REV. DR. WOLF, who died as a result of wounds received when giving general absolution to a number of Religious in Japanese hands.
'Phone : B5393
well.
Therefore, a removal from Manam formation that the Bishop and the under the present danger of bombing Kariru missionaries had been taken to the ships, and other great difficulties, Meanwhile, under the super- is hardly possible. Rabaul. Father Gehberger was sub- months. For many, if not vision of the Japanese, they procured Kaip to sequently removed from for all. it may mean death. A further Boram, then to Wewak and finally to food from the natives in exchange for ship transport per under the present other small articles of trade. 11 Kariru, where he found danger of being bombed, is for the They were not allowed to go among Sisters and many other people an Fathers and Brothers who had been brought there after the removal of the the natives or to have any conversa- agony. 'Father Konen, who Bishop and the personnel of the mis- tion with them. Even many of us could not walk to sion. Native camels were used on the had been a missionary at Manam Is- the embarking place 111-2 hours' jourjourney to Wewak, and the final stage land and had been taken to Bogia, was ney), but have to be carried. slapped and kicked by the Japanese beby boat. For these reasons I request you very The above information was given cause he had spoken to his own natives, urgently to let us all stay here at personally by Father Gehberger, who although an officer had given him per- Manam Island. All of us declare volis among those rescued from Hollandia. mission to do so. Another example of untarily that we will stay here at oar How the Alexishafen Missions Suffered. ill-treatment of the Fathers and Bro- own risk, which we believe the safest When the Japanese came to Alexis- thers was the case of Father John position for us, as we can go further Father Tschauder was in the mountains. hafen there were there Bishop Wolf, 17 Tschauder. priests, 35 Brothers, and 28 Sisters. All handcuffed and imprisoned for three We have laid out large gardens for of being an American suspicion on days these with 32 half-caste children were our sustenance. So we would ask ynu placed on board a Japanese fishing spy. This happened when he was in- for quinine and atebrin only. If you barque and taken to Manam Island, terned at his Mission Station on Kar- find you are in a position to let vs t3 miles from Alexishafen and 91 miles kar Island, in July, 1943. Father Fran- have at any times some rice, we would from Madang. They were taken on cis Hempelmann was tied up, beaten be very thankful. board the two small ships on Saturday, and threatened to be shot, because he I request you, therefore, again, in my October 30, 1943, and arrived at Manam was believed to be an American. own and all the minion people's name, Island on the following Monday morn- Father William Kemmerling, of Mugil to let us stay here at Manam, and I ing. There was no accommodation for Mission Station, was also ill-treated. hope, confidently, that you will agree sleeping, so they slept lying on the But worst of all was the treatment to our request. cargo. They had to bring their own meted out to Bishop Francis Wolf and Thanking you in advance. his Procurator, Father Joseph Hoersh. food. The first ship arrived at Nanam Yours faithfully, Nand on Monday, November 1, and Bishop Wolf was beaten at Hansa Bay FRANCIS WOLF. the second on Friday, November 5. On and roughly treated. Although he proBombed and Strafed. November 10 further groups of mission- tested to the military police. he got no This protest was completely ignored, Father Hoersch, a man of 65 ary Brothers and Sisters arrived from redress. the Japanese merely asserting that the Bogia, Ulingan, Banara and Kajan years, was kicked and threatened with transport ship would be well protected to a misunderstanding due a revolver, (outposts of the Alexishafen mission). The Fathers and Brothers were forc- and without any previous inquiry. In by aeroplanes. So, about January 29, the same way Father Wiesenthal, also 1944, the misisonaries were taken awa!, ed to grow vegetables and to provide (Continued on Back Cover.) four 65 years of age, was ill-treated at Alexithemselves with food within
MERCERS AND DRAPERS
THE SHOP FOR BETTER SERVICE
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have received your Order of Removal from Manam. While thanking you for your readiness to care for our safety, it is my duty to draw your attention to the fact that according to the doctor's opinion a medical statement) 75 per cent. of our people are sick of malaria or under -nourishment, and the remaining 25 per cent. are not 1
E. LUISINI Registered at the G.P.O., Perth, for transmission by post as a newspaper.
215-219 William Street,
Perth