A HORRIBLE CRIME.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1187, 28 November 1884, Page 3

A HORRIBLE CRIME.

On Tuesday last a Tong,in named Waisea was brought before the Resident Magistrate charged with the murder of a Chinaman named Ah Pow .whom it has hitherto been believed was lost when his cutter, the Ahergeldie, foundered about the middle of ISB<>- It will he remembered that the Chinaman left Vanua Leva', with a considerable sura of mqney on Hoard his vessel, a portion of which te" had? Jpst received in notes from the stipendiary magistrate, who bad made a memo, of their numbers. The cutter never turned up, bat the crew did, a»d reported that she capsized- at sea, and that they had remained by * the Chinaman until he sank, when they swam ashore at the lowe- end of Ovalau, Which they reached perfectly exhausted,. •• Their tale was not doubted, and on the Curator of Estates applying to the bank. for the equivalent of the notes lost, the numbers of which were known, it was paid under arrangement to indemnify in the apparent impossible event of the notes which lay at the bottom of the sea ever being presented for payment Strange to aay, one of these notes was presented for payment some short time back, and this circumstance at auce aroused doubts as to howthe Chinaman had indeed met with his death. ..The crew of the cutter consisted of two Fijians and one Tongan, and as the Fijians lived fci the Savusavu district, Mr rleffernan, S.M., turned his special attention to them. After much patient investigation he elicited information justifying the arrest and one was arrested and brought over to Levuka about three weeks ago. This man, ibis reported, has confessed the truth of the matter, and states that they had u fair run' over, and that in the evening when they were near* ing Ovalau. and when the Chinaman lay apparently asleep on the companion hatch, the Tongan Waisea, went forward and got the axe, and then creeping np to the sleeping man, dealt him a murderous blow on the neck. The Chinaman rolled on to the deck, when the Tongan despatched him by cleaving his skull, an 1 then threw the bsdy overboard He then took charge of ths cutter, overawing the Fijians with his axe. and when within a reasonable distance of the land ordered them to put the dingy out, told them to get into it, and having scoured the bags of money, some L2OO, scuttled the cutter, and made them pull ashore. The cutter sank, and after reaching the shore the Tongan half filled the boat whh stones, swam with her into deep water, and then, sunk her. Ho then returned to shore, and thpy went to a lonely spot, where he buried the money, and bound them to seciecy by threatening to servo them as he had served the Chinaman if they spoke of what had taken place, or departed from the tale he then concocted ; and so great was their dread of him that they had obeyed him. Upon this confession Mr Heffernan issued his warrant for Waisea’s arrest and forwarded it to Suva. The man, had, however, left, and the warrant followed him to Lau, where he was arrested. The Fijians aay that they knew nothing of the Tongan’s intention and were horrified at his deed ; but to accept the’ whole story as it now stands as the simple truth would be to suppose the Tongan utterly callous to the chances of discovery and pndifferent to the consequences of his act. Two are now under arrest for the murder, and it is expected that tho third will bo accepted as Queen's evidence.— Fiji Times, October 4.