Attempted Assassination of the Premier of Tonga. CONFESSIONS OF THE PRISONERS. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT )

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 130, 26 February 1887, Page 5

Attempted Assassination of the Premier of Tonga. CONFESSIONS OF THE PRISONERS. (FROM A CORRESPONDENT )

Nukualofa, February 1. • Sijsc*. I "wrote per mail, the trial ot the prieoiiere had boon held, They were tried by the Chief Juetice and a jury of twelve. The two pancipal prisoners pleaded guilty without auy reservation, and the three oUiera pleaded guilty with a reservation, — that io to say, "they did it az tab command of others." Several of them htive made a lull conieesion of the vvtiole of the plan of the attempted marie;, aud ot their principal accomplices, six oi a horn have also been tried and found guilty oi aiding aud aoettiLg ; and several oi these have again confessed and incriminated many others. .Nothing has ever created puch a sensation in Tonga, but in order to try and prevent the excitemont which such revelations were likely to produce, and go as to preserve peace and probably to save hie, Hia Alajecty determined that no whitem an should be pre&unt at the trial except the Briiitm Fro Con-ul and the German Consul, with me Key. J. iJ. Watkin as interpreter. The King also limited the attendance of Lht> native chiufd to those who were officially connected with the Court, and to a certain number t-f representatives from oach group of islands, The witdum of Bi">ch a course was obvious ; lor, if the soldiory only knew the actual Tacta of the case, it is doubtful whether a Weeleyan building would bo now existing, All along tho Tuagan Government have aßeertei that the so called Wesleyan movement was not one ot religion ac all, but a political movement ; and certainly the revelations made luliy corroborate Jruch statement From tho evidence before the Court, it appears that the runaway cimiinals were eimpiy the tools ia the hands of the rebellious tactiDn of 18hO to carry out their infamous projects. Your readers will remember tho dibtuibances of ISSO, when come dozen or more lebels v. ere eeut under surveillance by the Kiug to certain islands foi sedition, the same persons? being the moving spirit ot the petition which Mr jiioulton translated, requesting Mr Buker'd lemoval. The leading spirits of lhat petition were Tobui, Leka, and Lavuso — ono being the Speaker of the mock Parliament and tho other tne Secretary. Io consequence of the injudicious interference ot the British Vice-Coneul and the Britith Govern, mo ut, all these rebels were allowed to return to their homes, and ever since then there has been nothing but unrest in Tonga, and whatever blood may be shed is to be imputed to such interference. Two ot these men, Tobui and Leka, and another named Kamolo (all Webleyans, in fact ToDvi was chairman ot the Vv e&leyan Mie&iouary meeting held at Mua a few weeks ago), have, it was alleged at the trial, for come months past been a kind of managing committee, and have been urging on the runaway criminals to murder the Premier, the Minister of the Police, and the Police Magistrate But Tubui, from the evidence at the trial, seema to have been in league with other parties for getting rid of several of the otner chiefs, if not the whole of the King's family, and securing the throne to a young chief, one of the King's nephewe, and subservient to white influence. Tobui, therefore, ituppears, tried to postpone the attempted murdertill tno meeting of the chiefs thouid be held, but the criminals, knowing that stringent measures would be adopted before long for their capture, determined to wait no longer, but carry out the murderous attack. From evidence also before the Court it was shown that several different times had been arranged for the murder. That it was first ot all to be done by two of the criminals, but this fell through ; then it waa arranged that it should be done by Weslayan College students, or rather by thoseiuleaguewiththecdminale. After thfa it was decided to carry it out on tho tecond Sabbath ot the new year, but for some cuuse thid also fell through ; then again on Wednesday, the 12th, when the prisoners actually came down to Nukualofa to do it, and lay in wait for Mr Baker ; but, as the moon rose before ho left his house, it had to b© postponed till the next night, when the tivo criminals were secreted by the head tutor of Mr Moulton's institution, uamed L-xvu-o, in hia house in the college grounds, and fed by him and his wife for twenty-four hours, many of the collegians being accomplices with him in hiding the murderers, knowing the whole of their infamous plans. One of the students named Tuitavake arranged to meet the murderers after they had done their work with a band of et udente, to prevent their being arrested. This he acknowledge^ but says he called | them hie College soldiers, not a band. The watchword they were to distinguish eace other by was Paul, and whenever the murderers heard tho name Paul they might trust to them as their friends, and that would secure their o?c»pe to the bush

A naf/W Wealeyan chained minififcdr named Dariti JTinan, or as Mr Moulton callff him the " PrcrtWgy," and who- went to England witb Mr Moulton, watj in J/avueois houeo, and knew of the prisoners being*, secreted there, and that they intended to murder Mr Baker on the following night. He admitted at his trial that ho knew of the ar.siasinatian, but wad afraid to inform the Government lenc the prisoner* might kill him, and contented himself with praylog to the Lord to divert Ihe scheme. This ia the man who was screened and acquitted by the minii-tera of the Ifcw South Walep Wesley an Conference when Mr Baker preferred a charge againßt him. Another Weeleyfan College student led one of the criminals to meet Mr Baker farther down the beach, test ho might by some mean? epcape the first lot of murderer?, bufc Mr B.iker, leaving his home earlier than ufnal, disconcerted their plan. Several of tho College studeutH when they heanl tho report of the gun, thinking the deed was accomplished, before any news could reach the College, were loud in their praises of the man who they thought was the murderer, taying, " Well done ! That man has the mind of a man. ' During the trial the most startling disclosures have been id ado \ but, as all tho parties concerned have not. been tried, I am. ni.t at liberty to reler to them. Ib seems that Mr Baker's, life wae saved by the fact that he was on the driver's seat. Tho plan of attack to which all tho prisoners have confested was as follows :_~ One was told off to seize the horee, two to Beize the driver, and if he were not quiet to shoot him, but if he were willing to be quiet to run away with him it>to the bu9h ; and two to ehoot the Premier (the principal actore in fche affair telling the mu.derers that Ylx Baker always eat in the back seat of a night), but not seeing the Premier in his eeat, the firatman lot, the horse pass, and the others thinking something was wror>£, w*ro not going to act, and the man who fired would not have done co if Fome one had not called on him. to fire, but wbo this was remains to be Heen. It is reported that scores of the Haapat and Vavau soldiers have averred that had Mr Baker been ehot, thtro would have been a general slaughter of Mr Moulton and theWesleyans, and ver> likely not a Wesleyaa building would have boon standing today. No one can cay that thi-j affair aioee from any religious persecution or anything done by tho Premier or the King in the present! religious movement to any pardon connected with the infamous affair, for in no> politary instance, saving with regard toDavid Finan, La- either the Premier oc King come into colli&iou with any one of the pereons? implicated Both Mr BakerY children are progressing favourably tho-iirh slowly, no dangerous symptoms having "-efc in in either case.