13 days on the buses

for Faaitua Logo

The San Francisco Chronicle of August 21, 1985, reported: An elderly Samoan became lost and rode buses for 13 days before being rescued in San Francisco, police said yesterday.

Faaitua Logo, 72, unable to speak English, took bus after bus to the end of the line, only to climb on board the next one that came by, said his grand daughter, Levenia Lese.

He ended up 50 miles from the San Jose flea market where he was separated from his family on August 3, police said.

Speaking through an in terpreter, he said he had been riding buses during the day and sleeping under trees or bushes at night.

Logo, who worked on bana na plantations in American Samoa before moving to Cali fornia two years ago, said he also “prayed morning, noon and night.”

When he got lost in the flea market crowd, he started wal king in the hope that he would happen by his family’s home in Palo Alto, about 12 miles away.

Logo was found Friday when a passer-by, Jorge Michael, noticed him sitting on a comer saying, “Samoa.” A Samoan group was called and came to

his aid.

“He was so happy seeing the first Samoan that he was crying,” said Julia Moliga, Sec retary of the group Samoans for Samoa.