Treated as Sedition

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 869, 13 January 1930, Page 9

Treated as Sedition

ACTIVITIES OF THE MAU Powers for Administration INQUEST ON VICTIMS OF CLASH POWER to suppress the activities of the Mau as a seditious organisation has been given the Samoan Administration by an Order-in-Council issued by the Government. A proclamation lias been made forbidding the carrying of arms and banning the wearing of any Mau badge or uniform. Some details of the affray in which a policeman and eight Samoans lost their lives were disclosed at the inquest, when the police evidence was taken. Samoans, for whom warrants for arrest have been issued, desired a safe conduct in order to give evidence, but the Administrator replied that lie could not suspend the operation of the law. Their evidence, therefore, will pu’obably not be available.

United l*.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright APIA, Saturday. A N Order-in-Council, dated Welling- ' ton, January 11. gazetted at Apia today, gives the Samoan Administration power to proclaim the Mau a seditious organisation and to declare it to be seditious conduct tor persons to uttend meetings of the organisation or otherwise to identify themselves with it. A further proclamation has been issued restricting the operations of the Mau and prohibiting the carrying of any weapon over practically all the north coast of Upolu. There is no sign of the Samoans wanted by the court who were required to surrender today. The censor is not restricting messages. There have been no further developmeuts and the Mau villages at Apia remain deserted. Adherents of the Mau are reported to be going away. It is believed they are going in the direction of the distant village of Safata, for the purpose of holding fonos, avoiding pursuit and discussing the recent proclamations. There is a total absence of Mau uniforms in Apia and the surrounding area. No police action is being taken and. the position is in doubt. STORY OF THE MELEE WHO FIRED FIRST SHOT? DEAD CONSTABLE STONED APIA, Saturday. An inquest into the circumstances attending the deaths of Constable Abraham, High Chief Tamasese and seven other Samoans, who died on or about December 28, was opened at Apia on January 2. After considerable evidence had been taken it was adjourned until January 8 at the request of Mr. Slipper, solicitor for the relatives of the deceased Samoans, in order to secure evidence from natives. Subsequently a further adjournment of one week was agreed upon. Mr. Slipper in writing applied to the Administrator requesting that safe conduct be granted to all Samoans necessary as witnesses for the Samoan side of the inquest. The Administrator replied in writing that he could not suspend the operation of the law. The Chief Judge of Samoa, Mr. Luxford, was coroner and Police Inspector Braisley and Mr. Andrews, solicitor, represented the Crown. Dr. Hutson gave evidence as to the nature of the wounds sustained by Constable Abraham. He said his scalp and face were slightly injured and there was a fracture of the base of the skull. That wound would have been caused by a blunt instrument, such as a club. There were no other obvious injuries, and witness considered that the fractured base of the skull was the cause of death. CLUBS AND KNIVES USED

Constable Cahill, who was a member of the supporting party of 19, including Constable Abraham, stated that when the signal whistle was blown at 6.15 a.m. they rushed to the assistance of the arresting party. They saw that the arresting party had been attacked by the Mau. Blows were being exchanged, and there was great excitement.. The Samoans were throwing stones at the police and some had batons. He did not see Constable Abraham at the beginning, only when he was pressed back through Fabricius’s store. Witness did not know if Constable Abraham was actually shooting or attempting to reload his revolver, nor what caused him to be knocked down. Assistance was impossible because the Samoans were too strong. That was the last he saw of Constable Abraham. Lance-Corporal Downes, who was in charge of the supporting party, said the arresting party was at Kellesoe's corner when the procession leached that point. The arresting party walked along on the inland side. Witness waited at the corner. An arrest appeared to have been made, and he saw a number of natives with clubs and ceremonial knives rushing to the scene. Seeing that the arresting party was in danger he blew a prearranged signal whistle. The supporting party thereupon ™ she <* to the scene of the fighting. He saw Sergeant Fell on the ground He appeared to be down and the Samoans To be belabouring him with clubs. Stones were flying everywhere, and revolvers were fired. CONSTABLE CHASED Witness did not remember hearing the first’ shot. He saw Constable Abraham running from the shore side and being hit by a native with what he thought was a hatchet, hammer or Abraham and Sergeant Fell got up again. There was great excitement and Constable Abraham was firing his revolver. That was the last he saw of him. Witness afterward w-as told that there was a policeman lying in Fabrkitts’s Lane. He went with others and found Constable Abraham dead in the lane. His revolver was miss--111 The court adjourned to view the spot where Constable Abraham fell "'when the inquest was resumed, Peter Fabricius, aged 13, gave evidence. He said he saw from an upstairs window two Samoans returning by the lane toward the beach. They

stopped near the gate and each threw a stone at some object on the ground. He was not in a position to see the object. A third Samoan stopped at the same spot, looked down and said; “Poor white man.” Dropping a stone he had in his hand, he walked away. Afterward witness saw that the object was Constable Abraham’s body, and he saw the police remove it. The Samoans in the lane had only stones. This completed the evidence in regard to Constable Abraham. CONFLICTING EVIDENCE Inspector Braisby indicated that he had no evidence to offer about the deaths of two Samoans reported from the hospital. The coroner said he would require such evidence before he could give a finding. When the inquest was resumed at a later date, Mr. Slipper informed the court that he could not proceed with the calling of evidence because his witnesses were still in hospital or elsewhere suffering from wounds. However, he called upon Mr. Hall Skelton to give evidence. Witness said he met Tamasese, who was conveyed to hospital. Tamasese told him where he was shot. He was present the following morning when Tamasese died, and he saw seven others dead. Bach had from one to seven wounds. One man had a hole in his thigh. It would have been possible to put one’s fist in it. Nineteen others had slight wounds. He had not previously seen bullet wounds. Dr. Hutson, recalled, stated that Leota and Migio died shortly after their admission to hospital. The former had a shot wound in the chest and the latter one in the thigh. He saw no one who had been wounded by more than one bullet. Witness examined and operated on Tamasese, who had one bullet hole from a shot in the upper right thigh. He extracted the bullet, the fragments of which appeared to be nickel. Tamasese was not fit for an X-ray. He did not attend any Samoan with seven wounds in his body and chest. ARRESTING POLICE ARMED Police-Sergeant Waterson deposed that he received information on December 27 that a Mau procession' would be held on the following day. He received instructions to arrest any man for whom a warrant for arrest had been issued. The same evening arrangements were made to effect the arrests of the wanted men.

On December 28 at 6.15 a.m. he received a telephone message from the Customs House post that the wanted men were parading. Eighty per cent, of the procession carried something that could have been turned into or used as weapons.

Witness recognised Matau as a wanted man and called on Sergeant Fell. He saw Fell among the mob attempting to arrest Matau. He next saw the sergeant on the ground and a native striking him.

Witness was caught by the throat by two Samoans. He drew his revolver, which mis-fired. However, he struck one assailant with the butt and got clear from the other. The supporting party then arrived and there was fighting ail round. Continuing, witness said he assisted Sergeant Fell, who was dazed but able to walk. He then heard the first shot fired; he did not know by whom. STONES FLYING “There was a thick mass of natives, and stones were flying every, where. 1 Realising that the police were likely to be hurt and that there was no time for them to reload their revolvers, witness told the men to go back to the police station for rifles and bayonets. On reaching the station he hurried upsairs, and, mounting a Lewis gun, he fired a burst 20ft. above the heads of the crowd in Ififi street. Witness then turned the gun and fired over the heads of the crowd between the market and Hellesoe’s. He was a Lewis gunner in the Great War for two years. He heard stones 011 the roof and windows being smashed. He saw Samoans advancing and throwing stones on the eastern side. He fired another burst over their heads and they ran away, then stopped and turned round. Witness thereupon fired a short burst into the ground 30 yards in front of the natives. He did not seo a man fall in consequence of any bursts of fire. On returning to the northern verandah he saw several police in an attitude of firing from rifles. He gave the order to cease fire. He saw about six Samoans lying at the corner of Government Buildings. The cartridges used were R .303. mark 7. and R .455 revolver cartridges—both British service type. ™his closed the police evidence.