THE SAMOAN TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1930, Page 5

THE SAMOAN TRAGEDY

ANOTHER VERSION,

L By Telegraph, Per Press Association.j

WESTPORT, Jan. 17

From Suva, Mr H. Holland has received a cablegram in which the sender Frederick Policy, formerly of New Zealand, declares lie was in Apia when the shooting affray took place on Dec. 28th. and saw the incident at close

range. His statement is to the effect that the police fired on a mass of people, almost simultaneously with the attempted arrests, and that stones were not thrown until a number of Samoans had been shot down. Three riflemen \ieie then sniping from the couruiouse verandah. He saw police run down an alley way with emptied revolvers. Abraham loaded and ‘started hiring again, when he was struck with a rook. A machine gun was firing down Hi Iti road wounding and killing the bearers of Tamasese. This gun was then turned on a native village where there were women and children, who were not in any way interfering. Two boys and two young men were killed and seven wounded. Tamasese had run from the rear procession with upraised hands and was appealing to the Samoans to keep the peace, and to the police to stop firing, when lie was shot down, lie also declaring that the two men would be handed over. He seemed to he deliberately sniped by a rifleman.

The two wanted men had been walking the streets of Apia daily, and the Man lenders say absolutely no notice was given of the intended arrests. The whole white population are terrorised into silence, lint both white residents and visitors from overseas, unanimously desire the punishment of those responsible tor the tragedy. Accounts of the incident which had boon published in New Zealand are almost’ wholly untrue, and the sender of the cablegram snvs lie is prepared to swear on oath the' facts which ho has stated.