A FIJI MURDER.

Shannon News, 21 October 1924, Page 3

A FIJI MURDER.

: - ii\DAAi\ OJNViCJJLi^J, £■ SEISXENGED IP DEATH. L . SUVA, Sept. 3Q, , Alter four days or Hearing, during a wiuqn some Uimy-sJ-x, witnesses were examined, me Indian Jantree, accuss eel oi mui deilhg his. boss, Mr phristox piier liyers seaAy, has beeii found 3 guilty and condemned to death. iitiere was not a tittle of evidence , to attach personal coAtact with the . deed oi Jaiitree, yet the weave oj; trie wen of circumstantial evidence "Was ' so perfect that no other decision.was possible than that found by the four assessors, an<l endorsed by ; th'e judge (Chief Justice sir Alfred 1 Young, K.C.) On August l Mr Sealy, Government surveyor, riding ibis inotor cycle an carrying [two canvas hags folding oyer £3OO, was shot dead sevien miles out as he slowly, negotiated a turn'. in the new main road, of, which he was the architect-fiuryeyor. The money was to pay a road igang. On the bunk above the spqt where the attack took place the shotgun was found. Here, agajiu, mystery was involved, as the gun turned out to? he one whiau had heen used &¥. * n ~ dian whose dead body bad neen lound in July some mile and a, ball from Janti'ee's home. A verdict of accidental death was brought in in this case, the dead man having a broken jaw. The murder was shown to have occured about to 12.2 ft. ft was alleged that After killing aid robbing Ma- Sealy Jantree crossed ibe road and entered a-bush track wjaere 'no one could see foim, all the -Way to the land round his house;, where the two - women lived. Ballfway along $Ms, on the side of a waterfall* the leather bag was found empty, while at the foot of a, tree nearby in a little hole were found the two canvas bags with the pay sheets. W.hen Jantree was seen coning oui of the. busto, his trousers were .very wet acid muddy, and to. negotiate the path he took the police had to. .wade through a creek and slide down muddy paths, and it had been raining all the week.! When seen he was carrying something in his felti hat, covered with, green leaves. Searches revealed all tlhe silver and copper coin stojlen, excepting -one penny (99> in all) and 10s: acoounted for by 10s. worth of ganjali, or Indian hemp, which it was proyed Jantree had bought after the murder. In a bush behind his house was found the £2OO odd. in notes of the exact denominations, as paid out by the bank to Mr Sealy.

Mr Sealy, as previously reported, v was a well-known Public Works Engineer, one of title first engaged on tine Mangatiao enterprise, and a man of very fine qualities and character.