"Black Gang" In
p. 25 · Read in the full issue
W. Samoa
Prom Our Own Correspondent • APIA, July 7.
PETTY thefts and burglaries have been a common occurrence lately and have kept the Apia High Court busy.
The beach “wireless” reports that a mysterious “black gang” of young Samoans is responsible for many of these offences. They are said to paint their faces black and to roam the Apia suburbs, particularly the Motootua district, where a number of burglaries have occurred.
Several prisoners have escaped from Apia gaol recently; some of whom have been recaptured.
One of these prisoners, Vainu’u, escaped to his home in Savaii, crossing from Upolu in a canoe. His father surrendered him to the police, but>—probably as a result of his adventurous trip—he devel
oped typhoid fever and died before he could be transported back to Apia.
On June 14 a Samoan native, Ovaleni, of Vailu’utai, who, in the course of an argument, had stabbed to death another Samoan, Sio, was sentenced by the Chief Judge and a jury of four, to 12 years’ imprisonment for manslaughter.