Rough Justice

Native Killed While in Police Custody

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, Jan. 2.

THE amazing story of how three natives stabbed another native to death while he was in police custody was told in the Court of Petty Sessions at Kerema, Papua, recently.

Later, in the Supreme Court at Moresby the murderers were sentenced to three years’ hard labour by Judge Gore. They killed Laho Hareho, of Vailala village, in revenge for the murder of a woman who was the daughter of one of them and niece of the other two. On December 5, 1949, a native policeman was taking Laho to Kerema for trial on a charge of killing the woman when her three relatives sprang out on to the track, armed with knives. According to evidence at Kerema Court, Laho fled down a hill with the men after him. The policeman, Dumaimba, reached Laho first and tried to fight off

the attackers, but they got behind him and mortally wounded Laho.

A Co-operative officer, Mr. Geoffrey Hill, who was with the policeman and his prisoner, said he shouted to the constable to shoot but no shot was fired (native police are seldom supplied with cart ridges). Hill said that after the attack the murderers passed him, still carrying their knives. He didn’t try to stop them as he was unarmed.

Major D. G. Kennedy, who has been farming in New Zealand since he retired from the Western Pacific High Commis sion Service three years ago, visited Sydney and Melbourne in January. He earned fame, and several decorations as a Coast Watcher in the Solomons in 1942- 43.

Mr. and Mrs. K. Elvy, have a son, born in Sydney on December 20. Mrs. Elvy was Miss Sheila Page, daughter of Mrs.

Page, now of Sydney, and the late H. H.

Page, Government Secretary of New Guinea who, as a prisoner of the Japanese, lost his life in the sinking of the Montevideo Maru.