RUCTIONS IN SAMOA

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 59, 7 September 1926, Page 14

RUCTIONS IN SAMOA

CONSUL MURDEROUSLY ATTACKED

COOLIE SENT TO PRISON.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, 6th September. . The "Herald's" Samoan correspondent says:— A stir in the Samoan community, particularly among the Chinese, has been caused by a coolie attacking the Consul for China. Eecently the Consul had been appointed administrator of the estate of a deceased Chinese, a free settler. While administering the affairs. of the estate, friction occurred between the Consul and one or two coolies. Matters came to a head on Bth August, when three coolies entered the store of the deceased settler, and one of the three stabbed the Consul, inflicting two wounds on his chest in the region of the heart. The assailant and his two friends then bolted, and the Consul was picked up outside the store and taken to a hospital, where his wounds ' were attended to. Police inquiries followed, and two coolies were arrested in a few hours, but the third man, who used the knife, could not be found for some days. Eventually he gave himself up, admitting that he had made an assault on the Consul, and saying that he was employed by one .Ng Fu, a wellknown coolie and formerly a Chinese policeman, to do the job for a reward of £.100. Kg Fii was then arrested and charged with conspiring with Le Sei, the Consul's assailant, to murder the Consul. AH the accused were brought before the Court, Le Sei being charged with an attempt to murder and conspiring with Ng Fu to murder the Consul. Tak Yui and Fung Lok, friends of Le Sei, were charged with being illegally on premises with intent to commit a crime, i and Ng Fu was charged with conspiring to murder. Counsel for Ng Fu asked for a separate trial, which was granted. The cases against Le Sei, Fung Lok, and Tak Yui were heard together before the Chief Judge and four asses- : sors. Le Sei was convicted of attempt- | ing to murder the Consul, and was sentenced to ■ seven years' imprisonment, while the other two were acquitted, the assessors being of opinion that there was some doubt about their guilt. Le Sei said the other two .knew nothing about the matter, although they were with him at the time he made the assault, and there was no evidence that they actually made" any attack on the Consul. Le Sei pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder, although he admitted using a knife, a murderous looking weapon, on the Consul, his excuse being that he did so merely to warn the Consul that he was in danger of his life, and that the other two coolies were there as witnesses so that other persons would not be implicated, although the two did not know they were there for that purpose. Ho said that he did not think if advisable to speak to the Consul and warn him in that way, because he would not have been believed, and the only sure way of warning him was by a demonstration with a knife as carried out. Chinese gossip on the subject was plentiful, but the police found it impossible to get evidence save from the Consul and the coolies mentioned. The trial against Ng Fu followed, but the only evidence against him was that of Le Sei and the Consul, who stated that he and Ng Fu had had angry words over the accounts of the deceased coolie's estate. Le Sei adhered to the last to his assertion that

Ng Fa offered him £100 to kill the Consul, and the bald statement was about all that could bo got out of him. Le Sei had applied to the Consul to be taken offl the repatriation list, and when asked why, said that he wanted to watch the movements of Ng Fu for twelve months, so that ho could save the Consul. The Court refused to convict Ng Fu on the testimony of Le Sei, an accomplice, which was practically uncorroborated. The assessors agreed that the police- had no other course than to bring Ng Fu before the Court.