THE SAMOAN NATIVE POLICE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 69, 15 February 1890, Page 3

THE SAMOAN NATIVE POLICE.

to thk nnnor. Rib.—Will you kindly inacrt the allowing tacts icferrinjr to our native loliee, which came to my knowledge oring tho paaf week : - A Satire woman, r> at Vaiineeo, owed a certain merchant in town £2.*o. who, it hmuw, had tnvon his old aativo debts to aoma Government nfflchrJs for collodion. On tho Ink of the month this bill (or S2JO waa duly presented by n nn'ivo poliosman (or payment. Tho woman paid nnaooooat S---'"'> being all the nionoy alio had on hani, ami premised to pay lha balance f2.*> cents) soon. On M(inlay, the lOth, this same policeman railed again at tho residen«s> oj tho lative woman, ami dnraaudid tho balance of •-'."> touts, with interim ftitUiJ, which, ho snid, had m* nniuIhuod in ten daja to $2.60, or. failing payment, imprisonment. The woman, not having ti.o needful, •- uiw 10 town, nnd borrowod tho amount $'2.75, and gave hj to him, saving herself from joing to trnol. On becoming acquainted with those particular-*. I auw Folau tho noxt day, and made inqnirios of him no pleaded ignoraium of the wholo affair, exnept tho collecting of the original ■dobt, s.' .iO, and pro"iu>ed to make investigation, and refund the monoy. Noxt day I learned chat the policeman had i»x>n nrrcbted. and put in gaol. lie had paid off an old fine of his own with tlie money ho had »>tained to Leapni, and on Ids boing oken out to work on Iho mod he ran 0 to tho bush, although he had handaffs on, and was list heard of at kdeimoa. No doubt thoro aro many nstanoes. Rtf the like dono by the* poltoemea.-if Uioy wis*o only kuown. I dn not holiuro that Felon or Usapai. the lt< at offiw'M of police, know mything of thu»u pioccodiußS, a dmj deairo is to mnke stwh conduct known to then, nn.i ir-TPiit their recurrence —I ai», etc,, QjJJEKVfcK [Our correspondent is a resfioeiAblc ititon. and baring a good knowledge ifthoßnm<>aii lauguage. jsin a nasikm to got reliable information on intivo matters. Wo ham frequently ionrd of this kind of blackmailing by wlioo officers and would be obliged >y aaeurtag authentic account* of all such disroputjido n< ta o| theae peoplo. who are intrusted with a littlo atifluriry, Wc havo heanl ately of another caac. in which a laniou boy was mulcted out. of £l '»> ihoso the- pear a by t hreat for fiirious'riding.—lli>. S.T.-j