The Samoan Tragedy.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1505, 13 November 1885, Page 2

The Samoan Tragedy.

FULLER DETAILS.

The Auckland (Star's correspondent^ Apia, Samoa, sends the following sensational account of the murder of a trader well-known to the commercial delegates who lately visited the Islands :— On Monday, 12tli, October, this small coininnnity was startled by the news tliat an old resident, a Frenchman named E. St. Foy, and his Samoan wife had been most brutally murdered, and that the house had been rifled, an iron chest containing money having been broken open andjbe cojit,entß stolen. The^report occasioned great excitement, and the scene of the tragedy was visited by numbers durinsr the day. For some time previous to his death St." Foy had ' been ill, and is ; said to have shown symptoms of insanity ; therefore two natives, a man and woman, had been attending to him. On the day before the murder the man was told ..that his services were no longer wanted, and he left. The woman, who was living with a blacksmith named Cholewa, also returned to her own house. She was washing on Monday morning, and twice urged Cholewa to go and see St. Foy. He refused, saying the Frenchman was asleep. At last, as suspicions was aroused, Cholewa consented to accompany Mrs Hood, the wife of a local baker, to the house, and as soon as they entered they saw blood dropping down from the coHng from the upstairs room, and both le: m haste. A native policeman was then requested to go and see what was the matter, and after he had refused because, as he said, hd had no authority to enter the house, an American wont lip and found St. Foy and the woman lying dead on the floor, with evidences around that a fearful crime, had hesn riomrnitted. A terrible struggle? must have taken place, for St. Foy's law had been fractured by a heavy blow and m addition to being stabbed m the back and m the eye, his throat had been cut severing • the jugular .'vein. The woman also lay dead, her body, showing many wounds. A strong box was broken open and. was rifled of its contents. Bloody footsteps were all over the floor, clearly made by the perpetrator of the foul crime after the deed had been accomplished. The American Consul took the. matter m hand. A jury, .was enypanelled, »nd a verdict of Wilful Murder against some person unknown was returned. On Tuesday there leaked out certain suspicious circumstances about the blacksmith, who, after being ont late * on' Sunday night, had come home wet and with an overshirt on. He had sent for th« woman to wash his clothes early m the morning, and it was said ht had twice threatened to shoot the woman if she did not keep her tongue quiet. On these grounds he Was arrested, and on examination gave so unsatisfactory account of himself as to increase suspicion. While under arrest he was charged by another Frenchman with stealing £15 English money from him. Nevertheless for some days nothing was elicited which could fix the crime on the accused, and he was on the point of being discharged when the object of the murder was discovered through his own instrumentality, On the Monday following the discovery of. the crime he asked and was permitted to go to his house m charge' of a 'policeman. The policeman's brother Scanlon, went too, as he had asked and obtained permission to take the case m hand. When at the house Scanlon, unseen himself, closely patched Cholewa. The prisoner made an excuse to leave the constable's side for a minute, when, supoosing himself unseen, Scanlon watched him intently regarding one spot, as if to satisfy himself it had not been disturbed. As soon as the prisoner had left, Scanlon started to turn up this spot, and m less than five minutes had unearthed 4000 dollars m silver, packed nicely into a kerosene tin and an old soap box. Still he continued the search, and from among the bricks by the forge > he drew forth another bag o\ silver. The smith then endeavoured to "incriminate the Frenchmen who accused him of theft oy confessing to where another bag of gold coin was hidden m the bellows, and exDlaining that they came into his possession m the following manner. On the Tuesday night of Ihe murder, he saw the Frenchman come out of St. Foy's house, carrying the bags of money. He accosted him, and asked what he had done, when he said, " Don't you say anything, and you will find three bags of money before your door to-morrow morning." So he did, this being the money which he had hidden, and which Scanlon hud uncovered, Hereupon the Frenchman was also arrested, and both were held m close custodj' ; but bags of money kept turning up from the smith's house till eight had been discovered. In a ■ soap box was found a pair of blood stained shoes, and thase certainly dd not belong to tha Frenchman. Cholewa has been m New Caledonia four years and says he was fourteen months m Fiji. St. Foy has left property to the value of 15,000d015. behind him, m stuff mostly bought from., wrecks and auctions. Cholewa, the murderous blacksmith, saved a lot of trouble by hanging him/self m gaol with the ropes of the hammock he was given to sleep m. Tne Frenchman is still m custody, but there seems no evidence against him. He will most likely be liberated shortly.