THE RIOT AT APIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20931, 22 January 1930, Page 7

THE RIOT AT APIA

INQUEST ON VICTIMS. FURTHER EVIDENCE HEARD. (Special to Pbess Association.) By Radio. ' APIA, January 18. The inquest was resumed on January 15. Air Kruse, a director employed by Air O. F. Nelson, stated that on the morning of December 27 he asked the inspector of police for permission for Air Smyth and Air Hall Skelton to land at Apia wharf, explaining that it was more convenient. He told the inspector that a Alan procession was coming to Apia on December 28, He remembered' the inspector saying that if the “ wanted ” men were in the procession they would be arrested, and if the arrests were effected and the Alan resisted a lot of fighting might result. The police were determined to get the wanted men. The inspector told witness to inform the Mau not to bring the “ wanted ” men in the procession. Witness replied that he was not the legal representative of the Alan, but he promised to tell the Alau if ho saw its members. Permission was granted by telephone on the afternoon of December 27 for the landing at Apia. Later witness saw Tamasese to arrange a reception, ami passed on the inspector’s message. Tamasese said: “ Very well, I will talk it over with the others this evening.” On the following morning (December 28) witness saw a procession of 300 members of the Alan. He saw the so-called Alan police carrying batons. Sua,- one of the wounded Samoans in hospital, stated that lie was in the pro-, cession. He saw a policeman attempt to arrest Alatau. A general mix-up occurred, and blows were struck on both sides. He saw a policeman fall, but did not know the cause. He did not see who was first struck. The police then fired revolvers, and the Man used stones. The shooting ceased, and the police retreated to the station. He did not see the constable who was killed. Witness returned to the courthouse corner and saw Tamasese, umbrella in hand, calling on the Alau to keep the peace. He saw Tamasese hit by one single distinct shot before the burst from the machine gnn occurred. He rushed to assist Tamasese, when he (witness) was hit by what he thought was the first niachiiie-gim burst. Ho thought Faualo and Tuia were also hit by burst. He did not see anybody killed outright. Faualo, another wounded Samoan in hospital, stated that he was in the procession opposite the market, when the first shots were fired. He continued towards the courthouse, when he saw Tamasese, waving, an umbrella, calling to the Alau to keep the peace. He saw Tamasese fall, and with others went to his assistance. When he was lifting Tamasese his leg was hit by a bullet from a machine-gun burst. He was wounded before Sua and Tuia were hit. He said the purpose of the 40 Alau police in the procession was to keep the peace. Chief Tuimaleali’ifano stated that when the procession passed the courthouse tlie police rushed in an attempt to break through it to arrest Alatau, but were prevented by the Mau police by pushing. They (the heads of the Alau) had instructed their police to keep the other police back quietly without force. Shots were fired immediately after the breaking through. Witness was calling on the procession to keep the peace, when he was hit. Stones were thrown in the general mix-up. To Air Slipper (solicitor for the relatives of the deceased Samoans): Before leaving Vairaoso ho instructed the committee not to bring the “wanted” men to town. When he joined the procession at the Customs he was surprised to see the “ wanted ” men present. To the Coroner: It was correct to say that when the police tried to arrest anyone they were generally resisted by the people of the village. Under instructions from the Alau Committee if the police went to Vaimoso to arrest any one they were to be resisted forcibly and if the police got the “ wanted” men they could have them. IMPORTANT DESPATCH RELEASED. CONaiCT BETWEEN POLICE AND 'MAU. CONSTABLE ABRAHAAIS CLUBBED TO DEATH. (Per United Press Association.) * j WELLINGTON, January 21, A despatch extracts from which here follow, from the Administrator of Samoa (Mr b jL n ep 'J 1 '« r d d) b f-- tho Prin “ M 1"“" Apia, Western Samoa, ~ December 31, 1929. Memorandum for the Minister for External Affairs, Wellington. Riot of December 28, 1929. The following ia an account of the riot 1929 occulred in A P ia December 28, f.Pvr Mau preparing a reception for Messrs Skelton (of Auckland, solicitor) and Smyth (ex-deportee). It was to consist of a parade of the Alau along the Beach road, marching thence to Vaimoso and following with feasting and speeches. It seemed to me impossible to allow persons wanted by the police to be paraded in this manner, and I there ore gave consideration to the arrest ot at least one such person if similar action should be taken by the Mau on this oecasion. I accordingly instructed InspceB /Vi sby to b f 1D readiness to arrest tvt i ? va ? ted >n«i, and selected one. aU ’ t « , b , e arrested if brought into 4- T hls . man . was chosen for the reason that he is easily recognised, an* he is one of those for whom a warrant as issued for an assault u. June. last. I Un the morning of December 27 oneV 5-. ruse ; of Messrs Nelson’s firm, ap-t Rr»L°v f behal£ 0f - t - he Mau to Braieby for permission for Alessrs Skel-I ton and Smyth to land a tv’the Tivoli' wharf instead of the usual Jfnding at the! to Wharf ' The ob i*& of this was* W 3 , rn , ore . spectacular procession ] f on f the whole of the Beach road. In-; spector Braisby, alter reference to me, 5 tfml” 8 * 10 ” “ccordingly. and at the f know ‘luA W -r n^ d I > n,se t° let the Mau I know that if the wanted men were’ G f d , arrests w . 0,,!d be made. Subsc-j quont telegrams already published in the* riiat ee ti^ RS ° f the inq,lest n,akc it plain'l- - this warning was dulv given to Tamasese, Tiiimaleali’ifano, and the Mam generally. The Alau procession started' to come along the beach from both directions, the main body under Tnm.v ; sesc. lunnalcnli ifano. and others coming' irom Vaimoso and the Faasaleleach natives from Matautu. intending to com I?X a V he T . ivoli "■ |,arf - and after Tim lauding to return to Vaimoso. The' number in the procession is estimated at from IaOO to 2000, ail carrying stick, clubs, or knives. The ‘ wanted ’ men paraded with the Mau. including K -Matau, who was near Tamasese at the head of the procession, ' At 6.27 a.m. the ‘ arresting party,' consisting of Sergeant Fell, six European, constables and one native constableJl moved out to arrest Alatau. Sergeant Fell was unarmed and the remainder d^ 0, ' s ,Sergeant Fell ar- , . ted . jatau, hut was unable to secure him, and the latter finally escaped, because immediately Alatau was seized Sergeant Fell was set upon with clubs and ImocUed senseless, while the other constables were also attacked by all the Mau on the spot.

"A ‘ covering party/ consisting of the rest of the available police, 20 in number.

rushed in to extricate the arresting party, and in their turn were attacked by some 200 of the Alau. The ‘ covering party ’ was armed with revolvers as well as batons, and all the police being now in great danger of their lives revolvers were freely used, and most of the police were able to withdraw to the police station, fighting their way back, and followed by the Mau. Several police were separated from the rest and withdrew through a passage between Andrews and Fabricius’s shops, and round the back of the central office to the police station. Among these was Constable Abraham. Abraham was knocked down on the Beach road, apparently struck with a club, and then with an axe. He struggled into the passage mentioned, and was last seen alive there, firing with his revolver. Apparently he was too much disabled to follow the other police up the passage, and was caught by the Man returning through the passage from following the others, when they clubbed him to death after his revolver was empty.” “ When the police retreated to tire police station they were followed up by some 300 06 the Man, who began a vigorous attack on the 'building with stones, but were driven off by a few rifle and revolver shots and a Lewin gun fired over their heads into the sea. ’ The Paasaleleaga men were stopped by their leaders at the Vaisigano bridge, and took no part in the riot. When the riot started., as far as I can.,learn, Tainesese and Tuimaleali’ifauo did nothing to prevent the attack on the police, and the former, at any rate, may have taken some active part in it. After the attack on" the police station had begun the latter ''as seen trying to hold back the rest of the Alan from entering the road to the police station, and during this stage, he received a bullet wound through the arm from a shot fired over the heads of the crowd. His injury is of a minor nature. The exact stage at which Tamasese was shot is doubtful. His case was hopeless from the first, and he died yesterday morning.

The whole of the fighting must have been over in less than a-quarter of an hour. I arrived at the Central Office at 6.40, I think, and it was just finished. The police were at the police station and the Alau were removing two bodies from the street at the Central OfficS. The crowd soon dispersed and by 7 a.m. had gone. The small number of casualties in comparison with the large number in the crowd, and the weapons used against them, indicated the restraint with which firearms were used by the police, who behaved with the utmost moderation in a critical position. Sergeant Waterson. who directed the police throughout, deserves the greatest credit for the coolness and judgment displayed in handling his force and for dispersing tlie crowd with so few persons killed. It would have' been easy and quite justifiable to have inflicted much greater casualties if shooting had been indiscriminately resorted to. (Signed) S. S. ALLEN, Administrator, P.S.

The following postscript is added, in order to amend the above in the evidence at the inquest: “ Tamasese was pfobahly not at the head of the procession. No evidence yet shows where he was, or what action ho took. The arresting party proper consisted of four men {including Sergeant Fiell), unarmed with batons or revolvers. The other three European police of Sergeant Fell’s party formed the first covering party, and carried revolvers. The rest of the European police (the main covering party) were in the police station, 100 yards away, and they carried revolvers. Constable Abraham was apparently killed with stones, not with clubs.”

STATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON. January 21. All the official despatches received by the Government from Western Samoa were made available for publication by the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) prior to his departure for Rotorua tonight. These include a verbatim report of the inquest on the victims of the riot as far as it has proceeded, a more detailed description of the disturbance itself, copies of the notices calling on " wanted ” men to surrender, the offences with which they were to bo charged, the notices of dispersal, and information concerning parades of the Mau. Also made available was a detailed large_ scale plan of the scene of the riot, showing particulars of the direction aud the elevation of all firing by the authorities. This indicated, said the Prime Minister, that no damage was done to any individual by the firing of the Lewis gun. Four bursts were fired without exhausting the drum, which contained 47 rounds only. The Prime Minister announced that he had been advised that the inquest into the deaths of the victims is still in progress.