CRIMINALS FROM SAMOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17861, 16 August 1921, Page 4

CRIMINALS FROM SAMOA.

SIX CHINESE ARRIV€.

ASSAULT ON INTERPRETER,

BIPJirSOXMEXT AT AUCKLAND.

In consequence of a murderous assault made upon a Chinese interpreter, Wong Sui Kan, at Samoa, six Chinese coolies. sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from life to seven years. have been sent to Auckland to be kept at the Mount Eden gaoL The prisoners arrived by the Tofua yesterday, under the charge of Constable W. Morritt, of the Sarr.i-an police, and two native constables. The victim of the assault has been maimed for life, and has lost the sight of an eve. both being the direct result of the assault The names of the men brought to Aurk land are:—Wong Mou (imprison mett f • hfe), Wong Chi (life), Chu Chi ■ lif.- . Wong Lung (hfe), Ip Yai .even ;. <;■*-* , Chi Hwi (seven years). The trial in connection w:?h the as'ar.l*. which aroused widespread ir.terrs' in .Samoa, was rendered the hkto stnk.nr; b\ the fact that Dr. Ahlo, until recently Chinese Consul at Apia, was charged c p jointly with some of the c'johe-s concerned, with having attempted to murder Wong Sui Kan, and alternatively wi'h havin.r conspired with others to commit m-irder Afier an extended trial he was acq r.tv-d on the grounds that while the consul acted somewhat unwisely in not being more open as to what was going on, the Court ri:i no-, feel that the case was carried any further than that; therefore the accused was found not guilty. The mam evidence against him was that of a coobe, Ho Ip. The Judge and assessors, while accepting the statements of Ho Ip as truthful, found that the persons who made statements to Ho Ip possibly made use of the name cf the consul as an additional inducement to certain coolies to commit a crime. The evidence showed that an uproar : arose at a meeting held at the consulate for the purpose of forming a benevoien*. society. Wong, the man afterwards as saulted, declared at the meeting that he was a representative of Dr. Sun Tat Sen. and the Southern (Government. He did not therefore recognise Dr. Ahlo. wbo ■was appointed by the N-orthem Government. , The consul told him it was not a political meeting. Others present took up the cry, and Wong was in danger of being roughly used. The consul interposed when coolies were calling " strike, ' telling them not to strike. It was alleged by the witnesses for the prosecution that what the bonsai said was " Do not strike here," the inference,.being that Wong might be attacked elsewhere. There was also an allegation that the consul connived at the collection of money to be paid as a reward to the prisoners who had actually committed the assault, thereby associating himself with the conspiracy. Dr. Ahlo's own evidence on this point was that he was toid that money was being collected for the prisoners, and that he forbade it to continue, but did not inform the authorities. I After an exhaustive examination ; cross-examination of the accused with rej gard to various statements he was alleged j to have made inferring that Wong should i be attacked, of his relations toward Wong j and the witnesses who gave the principal j testimony, and of the circumstances in | which he was being transferred from Apia : to Borneo, the acquittal was returned as stated.