“JUST A WARNING”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17132, 7 September 1926, Page 7

“JUST A WARNING”

CHINESE CONSUL STABBED TROUBLE IN SAMOA AN ALLEGED CONSPIRACY * (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The Herald's Samoan correspondent nays that a stir in the Samoan community, particularly among the Chinese, has been caused by a coolie attacking the Consul for China. Recently the Consul had been appointed as administrator of the estate of a- deceased Chinese, a free settler. While administering the affairs of the estate, friction occurred between the Consul and one or two coolies. Matters came to a head on August 8 when three coolien entered the store of the deceased settler and one of the three stabbed the Consul. inflicting wounds on the chest m the.region of the heart. The assailant ajul his two friends then bolted, and the Consul was picked up outside the store and taken to the hospital, where his wounds were attended to.

Police inquiries followed, and the two coolies were arrested in a few hours, but the third man, who used the knife, could not be- found for some days. Eventually he gave himself up, admitting that lie had made the assault on the Consul and saying that he was employed by one, Nga Fu, a well-known coolie and formerly a Chinese ,-polieeman, to do the job for a reward of £IOO. Nga Fu was then arrested and charged with inciting Le Sei, the Consul’s assailant, to murder the-Consul. ACCUSED IN COURT.

All th© accused were brought before the Court, Le Sei being charged with the attempted murder and with conspiring with Nga Fu to murder the Consul, Tak Yui and Fung Lok, the friends of Le Sei, wer© charged with being illegally on the premises with intent to commit a crime, and Nga Fu was charged with conspiring to murder.

Counsel for Nga Fu asked for a separate trial, which was granted. Th© cases against Le Sei, Fung Lok and Tak Yui were heard together before the Chief Justice and four assessors. Le Sei was convicted of attempting to murder th© Consul, and was sentences to seven years’ imprisonment, while the other two wer© acquitted, the assessors being of the opinion that there was some doubt about their guilt. Le Sei said that the other two knew nothing about the matter, although they were with him at the time ho made the assault, and there was no evidence that they actually made any attack on the Consul USED THE KNIFE.

Le Sei pleaded “Not Guilty’’ to attempting to murder, although h© admitted using the knife, a murderous looking weapon, on the Consul, his excuse being that he did so merely- to warn the Consul that he was in danger. of. his life and that the other two coolies were there as witnesses, so that other persons would not be implicated, although the two did not know they were there for that purpose, he said. He ditf snot think it was advisable to speak to the Consul and warn him in that way, because he would not have been believed, and the only sure way of warning him was by demonstrating with the knife as carried out.

Chinese gossip on the subject was plentiful, but tha police found it impossible to get evidence save from the Consul and the coolies mentioned. The trial asrainst Nga Fu followed, but the only evidence against him was that of Le Sei and the Consul, who stated that he. and Nga Fu had had angry words over the accounts of. the deceased coolie’s estate. L© Sei adhered to the last in his assertion that Nga Fu had offered him £IOO to kill the Consul, and the hare statement was about all. that could he got out of him. Le Sei had applied to the Consul to bo taken off the repatriation list and, when asked why, had said he wanted to watch the movements of Nga Fuffor 12 months, so that he could save the Consul. The Court refused to convict Nga Fu on the testimony of Le Sei. an accomplice, which was practically. uncorroborated: The assessors agreed that the police had no other course than to bring Nga Fu before the Court.