Samoan Crime Wave

Death Sentence for Murderer

From Our Own Correspondent

Apia, Oct. 7.

C CRIMES of violence continue to be re j ported from various parts of Wes tern Samoa. Demands are growing for severe measures to be taken to combat this menace to public safety.

The latest killing has occurred in Savaii where, at the village of Iva, the highest chief of the village, Tofilau Galu, was killed by blows with a knife in the course of a dispute over land boundaries by a villager named Miki Esekisa. Ese kisa has been taken into custody.

Several other cases of assault and stab bing occurred in Apia during the last few days. The recent crimes have caused a panic amongst women and children in Apia.

BEFORE the High Court of Samoa, pre sided over by Chief Judge C. C. Mar sack sitting with a jury of two European and two Samoan assessors, the case was heard, on October 4, of the 25year-old Samoan, Fetui’ai, a native of Paleasiu village on the west coast of Upolu, who was charged with the murder of his 19-year-old wife, Fa’atele, whom he killed on September 17.

According to statements made by the accused, he had been suspicious of his wife, with whom he lived in a “fa’a Samoa’’ marriage (de facto), for some time. He stated that he discovered her carrying on a love affair with another man. On the morning of the crime, when he was alone with his wife in the house where she was sitting on the floor, feed ing the baby, he complained that Fa’atele was neglecting the baby. She then bluntly told him that this was none of his business as the child was not his child.

He then threatened to kill her and she dared him to do so. He grabbed a large knife lying nearby and with a vicious blow hit her at the side of the neck nearly severing her head.

In his statements to the Police and to the Court the accused freely admitted his crime and showed no repentance. He petitioned the Chief Judge for a death sentence. He knew he had broken the law, he said, and wanted to be hanged as he desired that the authority of the new Samoan Government be upheld.

The jury unanimously found him guilty of murder and the Chief Judge then pro nounced the death sentence. Whether or not this death sentence is to be carried out rests with the Governor-General of New Zealand. Though the death penalty is re introduced in New Zealand, it has not be come law yet and the murder was com mitted before the new legislation came into force.

It is expected that radio telephone stations will be in operation by November 15 at Canton Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Sydney. Stations now in operation are Honolulu and San Francisco. These stations will make it possible for air craft commanders to have continuous voice communication with ground stations throughout an entire flight from Aus tralia to the United States, present long range messages being in Morse.

A group of Sydney women will hold the first public meeting of the newly-formed Pan-Pacific Women’s Association at the St. John Ambulance Association Building, 21 Macquarie Place, on October 18, at 8 p.m.