AN ISLAND MURDER.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3314, 18 October 1919, Page 2

AN ISLAND MURDER.

[ OOLD«BLOO‘~DEJ) ACT. ‘SUVA (Fiji), October 6. The ways of the Indian cooliés are l hard to understand. Their ‘moral code l, is inexplicable. An Indian farmer inamed M.allomed'lived in a Fijian l made 11u‘t of one room on his: land. His 1 wife, Saresa, lived with him. He had a ledger, a fellow Indian, 'wll='o= worked on a caneestate half a mile away; There were two Beds in the room, and in open View of each other, without hangings. The moral relations can be imagined. Yet this state of «things lasted for two montlls‘. One day reeently Mahomed told his ledger he must find other quarters. 2 There was no quarrel, no threats., The. ledger said he would go if Mohamed‘ would pay him back a fewrupees he owed him. The ledger left for work shortly after 5 a.m. Saresa then was cooking, -and Mahomed preparing for work. At one pm. the ledger found the house locked up. The next day Mahomcd told the police his wife i?'a’s missing, and ‘had gone oil? with the ledger. The latter was found at work, and denied any knowledge of the lady. Constables searched, and found Saresa in a saek,: hacked To death with a cane knife,‘ under a foot of soil, ~ovef‘a hill 200, yards from the house, but quite» clean. There were only a few small spots like Blood on :2. piece‘ of wood, and the, woman’s head l‘.-ad‘ been cast oif. Tlie. rrecused, who might have got elf for‘ lack of evideifce, calmly confessed, and was sentenced to death. In nearly; every murder case here there isl the eternal woman, and she generally‘ pays. M, !