Further News From Tonga.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2530, 21 February 1887, Page 2

Further News From Tonga.

DETAILS OP THE PLOT. Uxitkd Pkess Association Auckland, February 18. A correspondent, writing from Nukualofa respecting Tongan troubles, says the prisoners were tried by the Chief Justice and a jury of twelve. Two of thp principal prisoners pleaded guilty without any reservation, and three others pleaded guilty without a reser-vat-ion-, that is to say, they did it at the command of otheiu Several of them have made full confession of the whole plan of the attempted murder and of their attempted accomplices, six of whom have been tried and found guilty of aiding and abetting, and several of these have again confessed, and incriminated many others, Prom the evidence before the Court it appears that the runaway criminals were simply tools, in the hands of the rebellious faction of 1880 to ckrry out their infamous projects. The public will remember the disturbances of 1880 wlion some dozen or more robels wcra sent under surveillance by the King to certain islands for sedition, the samo persons being the moving spirits of the petition which Mr Moulton translated, requesting Mr Baker's removal. The, leading spirits of that petition wore' Tobin, Leka, and Lavuso, one being Speaker of the mock Parliament, and the other Secretary, In consequence of the intolerance of the British ViceConsul and British Government, all 1 ( these robels wero allowed to return to, their homos, and ever since' then there has been nothing but unrest in Tonga. Two of these men, John and Leka, and another named Katnolo (all Wesleyans —in fact, Tobin was Chairman of the Wesleyan missionary meeting held at Muva a few weeks ago) have, il was alleged at the trial, for some months past been a kind of managing commits tee, and fcavo boen urging on runaway criminals to murder the Premier, the Minister of Police, and, the Polico Magistrate; but Tobin, from Hie evidence given at the trial, seems to have been in league with other parties forgetting rid of several of the other

chiefs', if not tho whole of tlie King's family, and securing the throne to ,a<. young chief, one of the King's nephews and subservient to white influence. - _ After the plan had been Several times postponed through various causes the signal wag given aud the murderous work was commenced, The watchword they were to distinguish each other by was Paul, and whenever the murderers heard the name of Paul they might trust to them as their friends, and that -Would secure, them .safely to- the bush; •A- native Wesleyan, an ordained miniater, named David Finau (or as Mr ;|loultou'calls him, tye "prodigy," and who went to England with Mr Moulton), was in Lavuso's house and knew of thoprisoners being secreted ..there, and that they intended to murder Mr Baker on tho following night, Ho admitted at his his trial that he knew, of the assassination, but was afraid to "inform the Uovernmontlest tho prisoners might kill hiuo, and contented hiinsolf with praying to the Lord to divert the soheme. l Another Wesleyan College student led one of the criminals to meet Mr Bakor further down the beach lest he might bv some means escape the first lot'of murderers', but Mr Baker leaving his .home earlier than usual disconcerted their plans, Several of the College students,' when they heard tho report of a gun, thinking the deed was accomplished before news could reach the college, were loud in their praises of the man they thought wasthe murderer, saying "Well done. That man has the mind of a man,"