Local and General News.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 7, 10 November 1888, Page 2

Local and General News.

In ber Britannic Majesty's High Commissioner's Court for the Western Pacific at Samoa, the case of Sinclair v. Fletcher and others, for assault, which had been udjouraed from th» 6th September last, canto on for hearing on Tuesday the Gth instant, before Colonel de Coetlogan, Deputy Commissioner, at British Consulate. Mr. P. Hethoriiigtnn Canuthers appeared for the prosecution and Mr. J. P. Campbell for the defence. Upon t i'e info • motion being read Mr. Campbell applied that the case bo dealt with summarily, and Mr. Carruthers offering no objection the Court decided to hour and determine the matter summarily. Mr. Carruthers proceeded to opeu the ruse, and in doing so entered largely into the question of tha title to the lands whiob has been the subject of litigation for some years past. lie was however stopped by the Court and informed that ho must confine himself to the question of the alleged assault, tho Depoty Commissioner remarking that that if the question of title to the lamlx were involved he must refer the whole matter to Fiji. It transpired in the course of the proceedings that Captain

Sim-lair had allied t.. the Court for a writ of possession which had been refuted, ttiul that finding tlu> Court would not assist him ho had made an outry upon tho lands and was removed therefrom, which constituted tho alleged assault. As Mr. Carruthors declined to proceed with the case without entering into th© question of tkle Colonel de Coetlogan decided to refer tho wholo matter to Fiji for the opinion of tho Judicial Commissioner. After sonio strong remarks from Mr. Campbell as to tho lawless and unjustif&Me conduct of Captain Sinclair and the absurdity of tho information, the hearing of the case was adjourned tint <ht. A terrible tragedy occurred at Apia on Sunday evening last. A Saraoan named Woka was shot dead while asleep in his bed by bis brother named Suli. Ou our making enquiries into the particulars wo learned from persons in the vicinity of where the tragedy took place that the dccensed Woka was drunk on Sunday morning, and threatened f he life of one of his stepbrothers, and also fired a shot at or near him. The step-brothers and sisters of the deceased took refuge in Mr. Grovsmuhl's house. This was about 9 o'clock in tho morning. The docoased came in front of Mr. Grevsmuhl s residence aud askod Mr. Grovsmuhl to send his step-brothor out us he, the deceased, intended to shoot him. This of course Mr. Grovsmuhl declined to do. Moka then threatened to fire through the house, but Mr. Grevsmuhl told him that if he attempted to do so ho would have hiui arrested. Moka shortly afterwards wont away, bis step-brothers aud filters remaining in Mr. Grovsmuhl's place until 0 o'clock at night, wnon Mr. Grovsmubl toll them they would havo to find some other place to sloep in, ns the house they wero in was required by his boys. They th' u wenaway. A little after midnight Mrs. Grevsmuht heard a shot fired. It appears that deceased met his brother &ali some time during the night and they both went to sleep together. Salt had evidently come prepared to shoot him, for he had hidden two guns about tho house. When they"*laid down thoy were in darkness, and when Sali found Moka asleep at his side ho got up and struck a match, wont for his gun aud deliberately shot Moka. Tho t-ullet entered his breast and ha must havo died instantly. Neither of the two men were good members of the community- Tho deceased was continually getting driuk, am' threatened to siiodt his father und other members of his family. The murderer was no better. He has been imprisoned on several occasions. The last time he got sis months we believe for threatening to kill Tamasese. No doubt the country has been relieved of a bad momber, but it is no justification for the cowardly conduct of his equally disreputable brother to accept a bed beside his victim and wait until tho poor wretch fell asleep to murder biro, for to all intents it is murder. We hope that when law and order are again set in motion this scoundrel will be culled to answer for his crime.

Tito TJ.S.S. Nipsio arrived i« harbor on Thursday evening. She left Oalao on the 23rd Sept., and railed nt the Marquoses and Tahiti. The following is a list of D. W. Mull™ ; Lieutenants ; J. M. Iluwlov, I?. 0. Davi nivort, .1. A. Shearmtin ; Ensigns : \V. P. White, J. L. Pureoll, U. A. Field, H. P. Jones; Chief Engineer: G. W. Hull; Surgoon: E.J. Derr; Paymaster: John Corwine; P. A. Engineer; H. E. Friok; Lieutenant Marinos: T. G Fiilette ; Pay Clerk : S. T. Browne. Another Taalolo \ta' hold on Saturday at Matautu ; 5000 or 8000 people attendol. The soldiers acquitted thooiselvea well in their various war manoeuvre*, and the ludicrous antic* of some of thoir " Funny men " (generoly ono to eaoh town) were highly amusing, one old man especially keoping the great assembly in roars of laughter at his witty remarks and gestures. Evuu thu King himself hud M join iu th« laugh the old clown inspired. •

Messrs. E. W. Gurr & Co. sold by Public Auction on the 22nd October, the lease for 20 years of the property adjoining Mr. 11. J. Moors. The laud has a frontage to the main road of 50 feet, aud with it went tho two cottages erected thereon. Tho price realised was £2lO English currency, and Mr. 11. J. Moors was the lucky purchaser. On Monday, tho 29th instant, the Chinese iron stor- an! leasehold property pnsscd into tho hands of Mr. H. P. Krauso. The lease runs for 8 years and aflor some spirited bidding it was knocked down to the purchaser by Messrs. E. Gurr & Co., the auctioneers, for the sum of S7OO.

Amongst tho many other false reports which are industriously spread abroad in Apia, wo are charged with only inserting letters from the English or American side of Satunan puliti- s. This is as false as many other stories. When we issued our first paper wo distinctly invited communications from all sides, and wo promised to insert th tii. Wo now cliallengo any correspondent to assert that we ov»r refused any letters or other communications sent to us for publication. Certainly none advocating German interests. The only communication wo refus d was ono of too personal a character, and that was decidedly anti-Gorman.