SEDITION IN SAMOA

Wairarapa Age, 9 March 1934, Page 5

SEDITION IN SAMOA

0. F. NELSON EXILED FOR TEN YEARS. IMPRISONMENT FOR EIGHT MONTHS. SHADOW INVENTED FOR MAU TO FOLLOW. APIA, March 7. Olaf F. Nelson, whose trial on charges of sedition concluded last week, was convicted on three charges and sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on each charge, sentences to be concurrent. He was also sentenced to ten years’ exile from to-day. Leave to appeal was granted ,and an application was made for release on bail pending the hearing of the appeal.

The Judge read a written judgment. Comprehensive and overwhelming evidence, supported by extracts from letters of the Mau and documents found at Nelson’s residence proved that the true intention of his activities was to give Samoans control of the country. Mr. Luxford stated that Nelson was cfcviously obsessed by a sense of grievances. He also attributed much responsibility for the present unfortunate situation of Nelson to the influence of Andrew, editor of the “Samoan Guardian,” whose letters indicated, in the opinion of the Judge, that Andrew was a human scavenger.

Documentary evidence clearly showed that Nelson found himself in a dilemma. He had either to confess to the Mau that his mission had failed and that money had been wasted, or to invent a further shadow for the Mau to follow. Following the breakdown of negotiations between the Mau and the Administrator Nelson obviously cast restraint aside and began a secret movement to organise quietly to gain control. Nelson himself had written: “This course is bound to result in a clash of some kind sooner or later,” thus indicating that a condition of rebellion was bound to follow, if the course was pursued.

In view of the fact that the evidence had disclosed that the Mau chiefs recently sentenced for participating in November malagas had been deceived by Nelson, the Judge said that he would recommend the Administrator to remit the remainder of the sentences.