Editing Batavia (1628 ship) (section)

===Murders===
[[File:Batavia Pl.3 State Library of New South Wales M DSM C530.jpg|thumb|left|Massacre of the survivors]]
Cornelisz was one of the few men who stayed on ''Batavia'' to pillage and steal. He was one of the few who survived the final break-up of the ship and made it to Beacon Island after floating for two days. Though neither sailor nor soldier, Cornelisz was elected to be in charge of the survivors due to his senior rank in the Dutch East India Company. He made plans to [[piracy|hijack]] any rescue ship that might return and use the vessel to seek another safe haven. Cornelisz made far-fetched plans to start a new kingdom, using the gold and silver from the wreck. However, to carry out this plan, he first needed to eliminate possible opponents.<ref name="VOC">{{cite web|url=http://www.voc.iinet.net.au/batavia.html|title=Batavia's Graveyard|year=2008|website=Houtman Albrolhos|publisher=VOC Historical Society|access-date=31 December 2009|location=Perth|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410180412/http://www.voc.iinet.net.au/batavia.html|archive-date=10 April 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref>

[[File:The Fort - West Wallabi Island - Colour.JPG|thumb|[[Wiebbe Hayes Stone Fort]] on [[West Wallabi Island]]]]
Cornelisz's first deliberate act was to have all weapons and food supplies commandeered and placed under his control. He then moved a group of soldiers, led by [[Wiebbe Hayes]], to nearby [[West Wallabi Island]] (located roughly {{convert|8.7|km|mi|disp=or}} to the northwest), under the pretense of having them search for water. They were told to send [[smoke signal]]s when they found water and they would then be rescued.<ref name="VOC" /> Convinced that they would be unsuccessful, he then left them there to die, taking complete control of the remaining survivors.

Cornelisz never committed any of the murders himself, although he tried and failed to poison a baby (who was eventually [[strangled]]).{{sfn|Dash|2002|p=140}} Instead, he coerced others into doing it for him, usually under the pretense that the victim had committed a crime such as theft. Cornelisz and his henchmen had originally murdered to save themselves, but eventually they began to kill for pleasure or out of habit.{{sfn|Dash|2002|p=138}} Cornelisz planned to reduce the island's population to around 45 so that their supplies would last as long as possible. He also feared that many of the survivors remained loyal to the company.{{sfn|Dash|2002|p=122}} In total, Cornelisz's followers murdered at least 110 men, women, and children.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-01-01|title=The Batavia Mutiny|url=https://leben.us/the-batavia-mutiny/|access-date=2021-04-22|website=Leben|language=en-US}}</ref> A small number of women were kept as [[sexual slavery|sex slaves]]; among them was Jans, who Cornelisz reserved for himself.<ref name="uwa17">{{cite book |type=booklet |title=Batavia (1629): giving voice to the voiceless – Symposium |date=2017-10-07 |location=Nedlands |publisher=[[University of Western Australia]] |url=http://www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/3052375/Batavia-Symposium-Program.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2020-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320024741/http://www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/3052375/Batavia-Symposium-Program.pdf |archive-date=2018-03-20 }}</ref>