CHINESE IN SAMOA.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17227, 18 August 1921, Page 5

CHINESE IN SAMOA.

MURDEROUS ASSAULT ON INTERPRETER.

OB3NESE CONSUL IN DOCK.

(SFEOIAL "TO "THE PBESS.") * WELLINGTON, August 17. By tnis week's mail there arrived Samoan papers which give the conclud- [ ing proceedings in the case against Con- . sul Ah-Lo,. arising out of the'murderous ! assault on the. interpreter Wong by Chinese coolies. Wong was unpopular j with the coolies, and was suspected of 1 giving information to' the police. | Chinamen who, have since been sen-; tenoed to imprisonment for life, assaulted Wong. They were evidently endeavouring to put him to death through lingering tortures. They had, with needles stuck in a cork, destroyed, one of his eyes, and had cut the tendons in his ankles, so that he could not get away. While engaged in, this cruel torture, a native policeman came upon them, and they made off. The.Consul, under cross-examination, denied any knowledge of the intention of the coolies in regard to Wong." Mr y Klimkmuller, the Consul's counsel, addressed the Court at length on the concluding day of the trial. In the course of his remarks, he said Dr. Ah-Lo and Wong were political enemies to a certain extent, but there was not, any blood fued between them, and he submitted that, there was no evidence that the Consul should have conspired with the labourers. His attitude afterwards showed that he detested the crime.

The Crown counsel, in a lengthy address, sought to show that the evidence proved that the Consul knew quite well what was intended,- and actually had money for the payment of the criminals.

His Honour Chief Judge Wilson, in the course of his address to asses- I sors, indicated that the evidencie' against the Consul was in the nature , of hearsay .evidence. The Consul, how- ■ ever, knew that there was a Very hos-' tile feeling against Wong, yet he took no steps for Wong's protection. All the Consul said in that connexion was that there was a Chinese policeman, • and that therefore he did not think it necessary to warn the police. In con- : elusion, his Honour told the assessors that, however suspicious the circumstances might appear to be, if they did not carry with them a reasonable proof that the accused had been concerned in the crime, they should treat them only as suspicions, and give the accused the benefit of the doubt. His Honour and the assessors then re-1 fired, and on their return his Honour said: "The Court considers that the evidence is not of such a nature as to ■ warrant the conviction of the accused, j and the Court is of opinion that al- I though the evidence of the witness; Ho-Ip may be accepted as heing a truthful statement as to what has Deen said, yet it is quite possible that the persons who made statements to that witness made use for their own purposes of the name of the Consul as an additional inducement to these men to commit a crime. At the same time, the Court does consider that the Consul acted somewhat unwisely in not being more open as-to what was going on, and that he has nerhaps misconceived,

what might possibly have been done by him in giving information to the authorities as to the feeling against this unfortunate man, but we do not feel that the case is carried any further than that, and the verdict is that accused is not guilty."