SAMOAN TRIBAL FEUD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 20 February 1915, Page 7

SAMOAN TRIBAL FEUD

STOPPED ; BY THE GARHISOX. How an inter-tribal fight was prevented by the Samoan garrison is described by it member of the Auckland contingent in a letter/ to his parents. "The other day a disturbance between two tribes took place here." he writes:; '";ind as others became infected, it seemed at one time as if there was going to j be a vers - serious native war. and a re- j enrrence of the trouble of 1890. At about I a quarter to nine on Tuesday morning, I our two motor-cyclists were ordered to j report with all .speed at the Courthouse, j and about five minutes later the call was ordered to parade fully armed and , in marching order, and to proceej to the j Courthouse. We soon learnt what was , wrong. It appears that a boy of a vil- j lage down the coast (we will call it 'A') j had a. quarrel with a boy of another village (which we will call 'B') near Apia. The boy of the former village managed to give the hoy of the latter village a thrashing. Matters would have been quite right if tliev had stopped there. This incident happened on Saturday. Early on Tuesday morning four rather .eckless youths" of 'B' -village happened j to be in Apia, and there met a chief of ; A' village, and in a spirit of revenge one of them struck this chief across the back. At once the fat was in the fire. Matters would have been all right if they had struck anyone of their own rank, but to strike a chief was quite a different matter. "All this happened on Tuesday morning, and immediately the men of each village began to don their war-paint, sharpen their knives, etc. Now, 'A' village was one which had been been on Malietoa's side during the 1899 war, while the men of 'B' village had fought li'or Tamasese. So, naturally, .a few of | [ the other villages became infected on 1 their respective sides, and began to get j ready. We were unluckily out of it all, J and "had to stand outside the Courthouse the whole time. The two different bodies 'of natives started to march against each other, the 'B' party 500 strong, and 'A' a little over 400. There were practically no firearms among them, as when we came here they were all called in, ana those few that are out are all register ed. Tlieir arms Consisted of long cane knives, very finely sharpened, and clubs. jThey do not leave any wounded in a j fight. Everyone is killed, and the head of each man "is always chopped off. The, sth (Wellington) were ordered to hold up the men of 'B' village, disarm them, and let them go, .while the 3rd (Auckland) had to stop the 'A' men and treat them similarly. The plan worked as intended, and as the natives were sent away, Colonel Logan spoko to them briefly. 'B' tribe were stopped first, then 'A' about an hour'aftorwards, so he had plenty of time to be at each place. Everything is quiet,now, and the natives seem right again. To-day the responsible natives are being tried. Nothing is out yet, but the chse is creating ti-emendous interest, especially among the natives. The 3rd (Auckland)' were- about eight miles out, route-nwcliing, when they got the news, and had got into position in an hour and a half. Not bad going, is it?"