EXTRAODINARY PROCEEDINGS AT SAMOA.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 7, 17 November 1877, Page 3

EXTRAODINARY PROCEEDINGS AT SAMOA.

VV. .1. lit NT AXU THE SCIIOOXER • l-ANTKiBUHY. Tuk f-i!!-'win' is extra-'tcd from the i i p...vt of Mr. (I. A. Woods, (which;' ■ >" .' : »• ' :' f'l PCS I (-'■ SCI! :. . ; t i the credit irs in the estate of Stewart, ] i Cooper, ..iv.l Co., ."• i! meeting held at the ! I B.mk of New Zealand, on Tuesday, the 1 listh September, at Luvuka. Mr. Woods . had bee:; sent to Samoa, to look after the .< interest of the creditors in the above i estate, anil arrived there on the 30th August, anl placed himself in communication with the American gentlemen in charge of a stor.' and merchandize of ihe above insolvent firm. The gentlemen referred to above declined to give up possession quietly, and expressed their i determination to fight the matter " square out." Mr. Woods presented his j credentials to the British Consul, who|i required time to examine the power-of-1 attorney. As an unaccountable delay occurred, and he feared that the goods in the store would be made away with, he asked the American Consul to demand the debt of a thousand dollars due to American citizens. This the American Consul promptly did, and on payment being refused he attacked the property in the name of the United States, placing the seals of his Consulate upon the building, and appointing Messrs. Martin, and Harding, the marshals in charge. On Mr. Coubrougb, the storeman, resist-

ing, he was pushed on one side. Mr. Wooils statement continues : The marshals received instructions to make an inventory of the property, and while doing so they found certain documents proving the correctness of my suspicion TIOO ni cash, and goods being shown to have gone that morning through Messrs. Hunt, and Coubrough ! " At about S p.m., we received notice from the matshaJ that he had heard an I attempt was going to be made by Hunt and others to obtain possession of the store. This was communicated to the | ■U. S. Consul, who proceeded to the spot at once to ascertain if there wore any grounds for .such a report. Mr. Hctbcrington, the solicitor, and I, accompanied him, but finding all quiet, after stopping for some three-quarters of an hour, we returned to our residence. We hud hardly boon back more than an hour * when we were Informed that tlie place was surrounded and being attacked by a body of armed men (whites and halfcastes). I went oft' at once to the assistance of Messrs. Martin and Harding ; hut, being met half-way by one of my own men, who reported that the place had been broken open and taken possession of by the orders of the British Oousul, I returned, feeling that this was now a matter to be settled by the Consulates, and reported what had come to my knowledge to tho Ameri in Consul, who derided that ha w, u nothing till the morning, when he wo lid

be i-i p i les i m of full partieoUra from his officers, the in inh&ls. 11 aring n - thing "f these gentlemen, whom we were expecting ev< ry in iment, after an hour's dewy Mr. Hetheriugtou went off to obtain information, and in the coui i half-an-hour a native came rum down, rep irttng th it Messrs. 'i.: in in Harding hid been ir me I ind t ten on | board of a s-hooner; that when Mr. Hetherington hi rej bed the store, the i mob h-. I tre ited hi n in the stme ' an 1 th it t'i iy were tluti cumin ; : ■ ■ i to himself. ' I at once se tire 1 the front | door, ami while en le ivi uri ' ' Mrs. Hetheringt «, who had left the 1 house, to return inside, the mob of some dozen whites and half-castes i ade their appearance, armed, and going up to the hj iusc kn kkei on i ortwice. Receiving no reply, they broke the front d i r op 'li and entered, calling loudly for me. Finding no one. an 1 being informed by j a half-caste that 1 was by the -I le of the house, thev rushed round, and I stepped back with Mrs. Ilethcrington into the native house adjoining. This they unrounded and called upon me to give myself up. Pr-sently this demand was rei lated in the " name of the Queen," v. ' -. u] n 1 iepp I . r.v tr I and aske I Who alls me in the Queen'.- name '" The.' made a rush up m me at once, vi'ng, " We ilo tiiis by order of the British Cons';! I" They seized upon my i person, and ono of the ringleaders — \V. J. Hunt—called out " constables, cover him," and then "put the handcuffs on him." One Mail- a person employed by Mr. Liardet) ar.d the other armed men then prcscutc i their firearm: at my head, anl Hunt—levelling his pistol within a foot of my forehead —swore by his God I to shoot me if 1 did not allow "the] constables" to iron rue. I refused,: demanding their authority for the i outrage, when with frightful oaths and! • ' cries of " British Consul,'" and threats to | i ' dioot, they closed in upon me. I seized ] ft Hunt by the throat, knocking his pistol ' up, and called upon the others to desist; from this outrage upon an unarmed man. i 1 demanded that if they had authority I . for this they should produce it, and if ; not, to accompany me to the Consulate i for the verbal authority which their ■ leaders pretented to have. Two of the i j men (Williams ai.d Dunlcp) then said s 1 that 1 should not be touched anv more, :;p A 1 in Isted •,:;.-. ;, -,g to the' British ; Consulate; whereupon a (plane! took l'| place among themselves. 1 went off i towards Mr. Liardcts house with f | Williams and Dtmlop, the remainder i j following with a large crowd of natives. . (V. arrival there, the Consul denh d giv-

ing any authority fur this, or for the arrest of Messrs. Harding and Hither- ! iicton. Ho said thiit ho had oiilv given ■ivlfrs for the arrest of Mr. Martin, and i told Hunt that ho would hold him to account for this on Monday. I then returned home, escorting Mi's. Hetherilfi'ton, who, poor woman, had followed bs down the street in anxiety as to her husband's fate, and believing some act of violence would he done me (as was threatened) before 1 arrived at the Consulate. I then learnt from her that the man [lun! had pointed a pistol at her after I had left, and said—' Oh, Mi's. Hetheringtou, we've got your husband safe.' Thus ended this first act of abominable outrage at 2 a.m. on Sunday. | The reports of Messrs. Martin and [larding are attached your information. On Sunday morning I wrote to the British Consul, notifying him of the forcible detention in irons of Messrs. Harding, Martin, and Hethcrington, on board of the schooner Canterbury, and demanded their immediate release. I | ra.'.\ your pari* ular attention, gentlemen, Ito the character of the reply. I endeavoured to communicate with my unfortunate friends, but iny letters were returned with a message from the master (or so-called special constable) " that the British Consul had given orders for no communication." I learnt during the day that the seals of the British Consul had been placed upon the store. This, I presume, bad been considered necessary, on account of the outrages committed upon those of the United States, which had been violated in the Queen's name on the previous night. This, in one

sense, was a satisfaction to me, as it prevented the men Hunt, Foster, and Coubrough, and their friends taking away any more of the money or property belonging to the creditors. A sort of mock fa-inl wo« bold at tho British Consulate, on the Monday and Tuesday, the 3rd and 4th instant, upon Messrs. Harding, ami Hctherington, resulting in their release from custody, Mr. Martin being yet kept in irons on I boaid the British schooner Canterbury. Early cm Monday (3) I made a report to the British Consul of thej-issuilt under arms made upon my residence and pei-son by one W. J. Hunt aud other whites, and requested that tho said W. J, Hunt should be forthwith arrested by the local authorities, on application by the British Consul, to be sent to Sydney for trial, in accordance with the. statue for sueli cases made and provided. The reply to this report and request show how impossible it was for us to procure a share of justice from the British Consul. My further correspondence on this subject with that officer 1 append. On Tuesday (4) evening, by advertisement, an indignation meoting was calloil in support of the British, ami eondemnaI tion of the American Consul. On my i arrival, which took them somewhat by surprise, I found tho conveners to bo Hunt, and Oo and in tl ■• w&i I .

his tress stable lott in (which e mu hj ivnl-'li" I were dis »voi : the native Qoverninent demanded i British Consul that he should lie hj [ punUhe 1 that offi *r replie I. that he aaw i |no reason for his punishment. He had i - >n \- ry active in hia ojin eition to- i . i la inys If personally, an I had taken i 1 lading part in the' mock trial on I tfon lay. My entry into their midst I disturbed an address from the said ihair- j man, i'i which he was trying to exeite H ' i s if ■', io ; resent, an 1 1 had j. the pleasure of he i i; i» ■ ' aud - i- die ! • lawless desp r.idoi ?.' I '•.. in res •.'■■■■ embodying • 'i lie honor of the British Hag,' 'The deportation of Messrs. Woods, Harding, LUtherington, Martin, and Co.' 'The appointment of a committee of public safety,' had apparently been prepared beforehand, and, no" doubt, would have been 'earned unanimously,' ice, tee. Unfortunately, however, for Messrs. Hunt, and Co., ['had something to say in the matter, and eonse piently when a show of j hands was called for, the resolution was lost, although the chairman was not energetic in holding up both of his in j favor of them ; and the meeting dis- I I solved without doing anything more. 1 : 'had given them a history oi J. B. M ' Stewart, and Co., which they felt ashamed of, and one by one many went out, regretting that they had lent their j presence of such a proceeding. j The American Consul, had, in the ; meantime, demanded from the British a full and complete apology for the insult offered to the United 'States, by the j breaking of the seals of his office, and the j arrest of the marshals. He also placed 1 himself in communication with the local j authorities (the Coverninent) asking for 1 assistance; to which they immediately ! responded, placing a hundred men at his ! disposal. Of this force, however, he did I not avail himself, but on the receipt of | Mr. Liardet's letter declining to apologise for the outrage upon the United States 'seals, and officers, lie notilied him the cessation of all further correspondence, ' and holding the British Consul fully j responsible, not only for his acts, but for all property at the store. And now he I has referred the whole matter to the : Department of State, at Washington, by special messenger, Mr. Colmesnil, per ; Is ibella, schooner, sailing on the 15th. | On the 7th instant, 1 addressed Mr. . Liardct on the subject of the authority j by which he had placed the seals of Ins i Consulate upon my property, and that of !my employers. His answer is herewith. ' | I also enclose copy of my reply thereto, j

I have only further to add that, although the store lias remained closed, it is apparently in charge of Messrs. Hunt, i Coubrough, and Foster."