Sorcery

Murder Mixed With

Remarkable Case In Papua

Prom Our Own Correspondent.

Port Moresby, June 25.

ON June 8, we were startled by the news that Head Warder Ume, to gether with his wdfe and 11-years old daughter, had been found murdered on the premises of the Port Moresby gaol.

An unusual feature of the crime was that the victims had been killed by hav ing their throats cut. Not only is this a method that has hitherto been quite unknown among natives in Papua, but the wounds were such as to suggest some knowledge of the process, by their width and depth, and by the fact that the jugular veins were severed in each case.

Very early in the police investigations a prisoner, Karo, came forward volun tarily and made a statement.

Karo was deeply implicated in the murder of a native constable many years ago, and was given a long term of im prisonment. After completing his term he was released and, although his home is in the Gulf Division, he took up his residence near Hula, fifty miles to the east of Port Moresby. While there he carried out. towards the end of 1935, a burglary of the Government office at Rigo, removing the safe from the of fice, and abstracting from it £l5O in notes and silver. He was convicted and sentenced to ten years’ hard labour. He pretended blindness, and wore dark glasses; and on this account he was exempt from outside work and confined always to the gaol.

In his statement to the police, Karo S°“ fes !! d ?° m f m i tt€d the mur ders, but pleaded that he was forced into the crime by Koabo, a fellow orisoner, who has a reputation as a ircerer. Koabo was at one time a Court interpreter, but gave position He was in 1931 convicted of the P murder of four natives from toe ‘ mountains who had come down to his village in the

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prisonment bv the Austral nor-General on the advice of his then Labour Cabinet.

Karo in his statpment

had monevTrom theVadLn

Ume , whTonmf L rlLf S’

threatened’ to reiort S tn tbP P Lqh gaokr Karo reweinted to Ume that £ e cou id set snlritJ• nH on several & UII several occasions, ne induced Ume to permit himself to be tied hand and foot, as part of the ne cessary ceremony. It is hardly necessary to state that the experiments did not succeed.

Karo then consulted Koaba- and Kna bn enlisted the akl of hifSativif to the larlv 'rife him with nokon.Koabotrted anotto prisoner, but it failed. <<TW . f . „ „ , , . , , <<T ’ Koabo explained to Karo, J. thmk this muru-muru strong. I try him Mother prisoner S’pose he die, I J* y 111111 Ume. Spose Ume die, I try him Governor. But no good. More better we try nother way .

By this time, Koabo had gained strong influence over Karo, and induced him to steal Ume’s knife, which Kaobo sharpened with a file stolen from the gaol store. Karo states that he was unwilling to kill, but that Koabo urged

him with threats and ridicule until h‘ head “went round” 1111111 hls a* -v u > , -4? J ast ’ Koabos people came on a tro “ Yule Island - They were ere dl.ted w* tb sorcerous skill, and Koabo elzed the opportunity. Karo yielded to ? T 1S P ersuasi 9 l js,. and that night induced Ul ? e t 0 asBlst m yet another effort to from spirits. At midnight, own 6

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pean gaol.

The European gaol which is very sel dom used or visited is on a small island connected to the .mainland by a built ,up causeway a couple of hundred yards on g’ • Half " way up tb e hill, on the is land > 18 the observation ward. When this T s ;f ached > Karo told the wife and daughter to wait there while he and Ume went on to the summit, , .

On reaching the European gaol Ume, accustomed by previous trials, was in duced to he on his back beneath the verandah steps. He closed his eyes, and ? ar ° l ied bis le^s together, and his h - a ?- ds to steps. Then having his - quite helpless, he cut his throat, held . h i m was * uite dead and Went down to the wife and d aughter.

The woman and girl were together, inside the observation ward. Karo called the woman into the kitchen on the pre text of telling her somethSg of imoOTt anCe. For a minute a? two hetalkl^to her in the darkness, then seized her bv the hair, and cut her throat y * He seems to have Lsffated for she was a general ders and prisoners But as he stated the voice of Koabo came to him andhe dared not fail. He swiftly cut toe Sfroat of the sleeping girl" lato? himself to

with the key that Ume had left, and throwing the key out through an aper ture in the wall.

The two men were brought before the Magistrate on June 20 and charged with murder; Karo as having actually done the deed, and Koabo as an accessory before the fact.

The hearing is still proceeding. A warder named laba is also implicated, as an accessory, and has turned King’s evidence. At the present stage of the proceedings there seems little doubt that both the accused will be committed for trial in the Central Court.

Koabo is conducting his case in a remarkably able manner, showing astute ness and sagacity, especially in cross examining the head gaoler Mr. G. A.

Gough. He speaks perfect English, was a Court interpreter at Kairuku Govern ment station for many years and also was an able Government clerk. His ob ject, of course, is to get the case thrown out, arid not tried before the Central Court, and he is putting up a strong battle. He has a good knowledge of Court procedure.

LATER: The two accused were com mitted for trial.

There has been much comment on the fact that one of the accused was originally condemned to death for mur der; that he was sent for life imprison ment instead by a Cabinet in Canberra that knows nothing about Islands con ditions; and that it was freely predicted at the time that this was a dangerous man, who might commit another crime.