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Bloody Hart & the Falcon Incident (1836)
Most of the white characters in Pohnpei's history were not as congenial as James O'Connell. The exploits of
the notorious "Bloody Hart" are a perfect example. C. H. Hart was a trader, based in Australia, who sought turtle shells and pearls in Micronesia. In 1836, he came to Pohnpei on his ship,
Lambton, and entered Madolenihmw harbor. There he found two whale ships at anchor—Unity, captained by William Hart, and
Avon, piloted by a French captain named Dudoit—and a third ship,
Falcon, stranded on the reef. Aided by Hart, the Falcon's crew moved their supplies and whale oil onto a small
nearby island. What happened next is not exactly clear. The Falcon crew claimed that Pohnpeians tried to steal some of the supplies, though there is some evidence that they were hired by Dudoit and that he received the stolen goods. A quarrel resulted between the Falcon crew and the paramount chief of Madolenihmw, entitled
Nahnawa. Captain Hingston of the Falcon and four crewmembers were killed. In retaliation, C. H. Hart gathered seventy sailors from
Lambton and Unity and pursued
Nahnawa. |
