A MURDER PLOT

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 December 1924, Page 5

A MURDER PLOT

ADVENTUROUS SAMOANS. DARING ESCAPE. i ; ENDS IN IMPRISONMENT. UJY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, Dec. 29. The arrival of tnree 4iair-easi.e Samoans at Auckland uy the lOiUu today brought to a ’ciose one of tue mu&i, daring and adventurous escapaues o. Samoan history. About six months ago four Somoans boarded trie launch. Anna-in Apia harbour and made a complete escape, ahe sequel to this was the appearance on a' neighbouring island of two natives, who had come asnore from somewnere to ge t provisions. They were apprehendeu, and it was discovered that they were two of the false crew of the Anna, but /rom that day to this the Anna and the remaining two natives have neither been, seen nor heard of. Mystery enshrouds the whole matter, and apart from admitting that they helped to take away the launch, the survivors have thrown practically no light on the affair. About three weeks later the snug little fifteen-ton ketch Fetu Ao, meaning /Morning Star,” was stolen out of Apia harbour in the dead of niglit, and with it went three half-caste Samoans. The ketch was laden with provisions ready for an extended trip to the outlying islands. In addition to this there was a sum of about £IOO locked in .the safe of the ketch.

The ringleader, of the party painted glowing pictures to his "comrades of the charm and wealth of China, and the South American countries, of which they had become cognisant, either through pictures or by chance words dropped here and there by visitors-to Samoa. When they left Apia one of these countries was fixed as the ultimate destination; of the Fetu Ao. One day, however, a wireless communication was received from Tonga to’ the effect that three half-castes and their boat had arrived at Tonga, and that the matter was in the hands of the police. The natives had travelled some four hundred miles, but they had overlooked the fact that the world is a small place and that a wireless message can travel once round the earth in about two minutes. The ketch and the Somoans were brought back to Apia. Except for, the fact that £.IOO had been spent at Tonga and; that most of the provisions had been consumed, the ketch was in reasonably good order. The . natives were tried, and each of them received a sen. fence of, five years’' imprisonment in a Samoan gaol, along with their colleagues of the Anna.

At this stage one may safely have concluded the disillusionment and the long and severe hand of the law would have broken the spirit of these Samoans; but no. Three of them were bent on revenge and escaped in pursuance of their plan. These three natives, two of them who took part in the Fetu Ao escapade, and one of the survivors of the Anna, manufactured a key in the gaol armoury in their spare time to fit the lock of the-'armoury. As they subsequently admitted in their evidence at a further trial, thev intended to escape arid murder tlie,gaolers, the judge who had passed sentence them, and the Governor of Samoa (Major-General G. S. Richardson).' Again, however, fate went against them. Their plan was all carefully worked out and the murders were, to' be done with rifles from the armourv, but one. of the schemers took fright and informed the gaolers of the plan. 1 heir sentence was then increased to °*^ e ii y. ears > be served in the Auckland prison. The remaining two natives are serving their sentences in the Samoan gaoh.