AN EXCITING CHASE

Hokitika Guardian, 3 January 1929, Page 7

AN EXCITING CHASE

CAPTURE OK TA.M.ASKSK. A POLICEMAN'S STORY. | liy Telegraph, Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, ,7;imiarv I. A H noilin iiicm it (if the mil I ary :>'>li'•<_• I'ori'i 1 in ‘•'jimhh \v m eimeeriied in Hie capture cl' l ;ini;is«'s<‘, l!ic milni* leader id l!n> Ainu, who is ill pivsenl undergoing sentence in Auckland gam. R 'count in<j; lln* circumstances under which Tamasese was arrested, !u writes:— “ I lii- il (lie only slml fired in the Samnan war su far af -I o'clock yes torday morning. I had just eomalelcd two hours on guard when the whn'e ■rnwd were arii;is"d to liave an dlier go at arresting Tamasese. Ten •'I us were loaded into a new Chev. van and mil, 20 others into two lorries. We ten were to he the arresting paity. ami i hi* remainder were to hack us up. We had two Lewis guns with us and were ’ armed with rifles and bayonets and about live rounds each, has ih's which a few of us had three ‘ blanks/

“Our van, well in the’ lead ol the others, pulled up at the fale and I walked round to the other side, while flu' others went through tlie I’ale. A constable attached to the police lone here, yelled out. 1 There he ones.’ I looked round and saw a native 73 yards away facoinpc for his Life into the hush. Wo tore after him, branchiae in different directions. It was still iairly dull, and after running about 100 yards I friened over a barbed wire about I I inches off the ground and tore my puttee. “After running 200 yards more lamasese bailed Up and Ji and I came up 1.0 him together. II tried to grab bim, but bo is as big as a bouse and must weigh It' stone. lie was yelling. ‘ I don’t come. .Shoot me. Kill me.’ and so just to please him I tired a ‘blank’ at Ids stomach at three yards range. Me doubled up, saving ‘ I’m shot. I’m k’llcd.’ A .Man cam" running- up at the same time and rushed me, but I dropped him with a butt stroke.

“ 15y ibis time the crowd were beginning to arrive and tbev promptly downed Tamasese. Mis wi'le gave some trouble, and a number of our tellows were hit by stones, one behind the ('aland another bad bis face badly damaged, but the sun helmets stopped, a lot. The van had been interfered with and refused to start and so it was abandoned.”