AN ISLAND MYSTERY.

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 24

AN ISLAND MYSTERY.

Towards the end of last year a motorlaunch ' named 'the Anna, the property of Messrs. jO. F: 'Nelson |and' Co.', •Ltd., oi Samoa, valued at £900, 'mysteriously disappeared from -Apia Harbour. The matter was report.cd to the Commissioner ot Police. Investigation showed that four men were, missing "from Apia, and the conclusion arrived at was thai they had put to sea in' the launch. In due pourse warrants were issued for the arrest of. the missing men, and island shipping was asked to keep, a look-out and report to Samoa any trace of the Anna and her crew. „ .

Weeks passed without bringing any Mings of. either the launch, or' the men,-when suddenly a dinghy, 11 feet long, reached the -Ellice Group, distant D&5 miles north-west from- Apia, with two of the missing men. They landed on the^ island of Funuafala (Fanafutr Lagoon), in good health.' and told the following story to; the Commissioner :— ' "We left Apia in the motor-boat Anna on 17th. November. s After being' on the launch for, Aver three weeks we were^getting short of food, so agreed with the other two Vboys ' that we should leave in the. effngny and try to fmd'fand. ;We: had a':one-pound tin of meat, and a four-pbund tin of biscuits left. ' We were afraid that if we all stayed on the Anna we, might quarrel when;the food was^nnished. We made a'mast for the dinghy and. fitted a piece of tarpaulin for a saiir 'All. four of us ate the tin of ,meaj,. We divided the tin of. biscuits, taking half and leavin"tiie other half with the other two boys° We left the Anna at 5 p.m. on Wednes-' day, 12th December. • In 'addition to the biscuits we took a ckick, a lantern, a compass, and half a kerosene tin of fresh water. i , •' . • ".We'were in the dinghy, from tiie time we left the Anna"uritil we landed' at Fanuafala on 18th December.' All the food we had was -the1 two -pounds of biscuits. We had plenty of water; it rained, and we caught some in ' thetarpaulin." .: ' ' . •

The Commissioner, sent' the two men to gaol, and theiib* they told some other, prisoners that: they, had a fight on the launch • with the-other two liefore leaving. What happened to the .launch and, the other two men" was not stated, and as all efforts to trace' the 4n»<i at the other islands had failed when the mail left, fears for the worst were entertained. . :

_The Resident Commissioner of the Eilice Group, according to news brought to' Sydney recently, intended sending the two men back to Samoa by the first available vessel for trial. The men under arrest at the Eilice Group are half-caste Sainoans; the two missing with the Anna are Snmoaiu.