Murderers Is Dead

Albert Schaafhausen

Man Who Trapped

When Albert Schaafhausen died in Apia in December, full of years (85) and honours, the old-hands of Western Samoa told again the story of how, when he was Police Chief, 50 years ago, he captured a team of murderers by some clever detective work.

One morning in 1912 a German trader named Lehners, running a small store at Lotopa, was found battered to death. A large sum of gold, silver and notes, which he kept in his store, had disappeared.

At that time, the Germans had between 3,000 and 4,000 Chinese labourers in Samoa, many of them the unsavoury products of Eastern gaols. Police Chief Schaafhausen, despite a thorough investigation, could get no clue to the murder; but he strongly suspected the Chinese.

It was known that Lehners had carried on an illicit liquor traffic, and had dealt freely with the Chinese. There were hundreds of Chinese on the plantations around Lotopa.

He Talked

Weeks later a German planter from the Tuaefu bridge over the Fuluasou River, saw a body of a Chinese lying among the rocks be low. He informed the police; and, when the police recovered the body, the man was still alive, although badly injured.

Schaafhausen was sure that the Chinese had been brutally assaulted,

and somehow he smelt out a co: nection with the Lehners murdj So he arranged that the man j kept in strict isolation in the he pital.

Some days later Schaafhaua went to the hospital with a clev Chinese interpreter. The man talk!

He confessed he had been 01 of a gang of four who killed Lehm and stole his money. They hi quarrelled over the loot; and t) other three fell upon the fourth an thinking they had killed him, hi thrown his body into the river. T 1 survivor agreed to tell his story! court, if promised immunity.

The police chief hid his witnq away, and went after the murderei The report was carefully sprei that the body of the dead China had been buried on the river bai by the police.

The three men named by tl Chinese were identified and arresta They loudly proclaimed their ii nocence. A search disclosed no sig of the stolen money.

They were still protesting the innocence when they were brougl before the Apia District Court, j As soon as the preliminaries wei over, Schaafhausen gave an orde and two policemen went to a bac door. It was opened, and anothjj policeman pushed in a wheel chai in which sat the supposedly dea man. The accused men took or look, and collapsed, and present! confessed to the crime.

All three were executed in Vaime Gaol.

M. Jean Nano, restaurant pro prietor of Noumea, was one of th contestants at the third New Zea land Hotel and Catering Exhibitio: in Auckland in November. M. Nano’ specialties were chicken dishes. 1

In this photograph, the late Mr. Alb[?] Schaafhausen (on the right) is standing bes[?] the German Sailors Monument, at Mulin[?] Apia. On the left is the German Minister New Zealand, Dr. Noehring. (Photo by court[?] of Mr. F. M. Jahnke).