Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-20
] COURT DAH IN THE FIJI ISLANDS.
Scenes That are Dangerous to the Gravity
of the Spectators.

The gala dresses are not startling.
Here is dignified old gentleman ar
rayed in a secondhand tunic of
! marine, in much the same plight as to
buttons as its owner is TO teeth; near
him stands fine young village police
man, whose official gravity is not en-
HANGED by the swallow-tailed coat of
niger minstrel, while the back
ground is taken up by a bevy of village
maidens clad in gorgeous velvet pima
fores, who are giggling after the man
ner of their white sisters until they are
fixed by the stern gray eye of the chief
policeman, which turns their express
sion into one Of that preternatural
solemnity they wear in church.
The courthouse, a native building
carpeted with mats, is now packed with
natives. sitting cross-legged, Only a
small place being reserved in front of
the table for the accused and witnesses.
The magistrate takes his seat. and his
scribe, sitting on the floor at his side,
prepares his writing materials to record
the sentences. The dignity with which
the old man adjusts his shirt collar and
clears his throat is little marred when
he produces from his bosom what
should have been a pair of pince-nez,
seeing that it was secured by a string
round his neck. but is, in fact, a jews
harp. With the soft notes of this in
strument the man of law is wont to be-
guile the tedium of a dull case. But,
although the spectacle of Lord Cole
ridge gravely performing on the jews
harp in court would at least excite sur
prise in England, it provokes no smile
here.
The first case is called on. Re-
iterated calls for Samuela and Timothe
produced two meek-faced youths of Is
and 10, who, sitting tailor fashion be-
fore the table are charged with fowl
stealing. They plead mot guilty, :"
and the owner of the fowls being
sworn, deposes that, having been
awakened at night by the voice of a
favorite hen in angry remonstrance, he
ran out of his house, and after hot
chase, captured the accused red-hand-
ed in two senses, for they were pluck
ing his hen while still alive. Quite I'M
moved by this tragic tale, Vatureba
seems to listen only to the melancholy
notes of his jews-harp; but the witness is
| a chief and man of influence withal,
and a period of awed silence follows his
accusation, broken only by subdued
twanging from the bench.
But Vatureba's eyes are bright and
piercing, and they have been fixed for
some minutes on the wretched prison
ers. He has not yet opened his lips
during the case. and as the jewsharp is
not capable of much expression, it is
! with some interest we await the sem
| tence. Suddenly the music ceases, the
instrument is withdrawn from the
mouth, the oracle is about to speak.
| Alas! he utters but two words, ''Vula
tolu'' (three months), and there peals
out Indignantly triumphant strain
from the jewsharp. But the prose-
cutor starts up with protest. One of
the accused is his nephew, he explains,
and he only wished light sentence to
be imposed. Three months for one
| fowl is two too severe; besides, if he has
| three months he must go to the CEN
! tral Jail and not work out his sentence
in his own district. Again there is
silence. and the jewsharp has changed
! from triumph into thoughtful melan-
choly. At length it is Withdrawn, and
the oracle speaks again: "Bogi tolu'
/ (three days. y Cor7ahiU Magazine.