THE FIRST TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 14

THE FIRST TRAGEDY.

WAIRAU MASSACRE. A STORY OF BLUNDER AND . TREACHERY. PANIC AMONG THE PIONEERS. Nalsou's greatest tribulation in all her seventy years of settlement has been'the Wairau massacre,, which took place at Tuamariua on Juno 17, 18)3, sixteen .months otter tlio founding of tho province.: Rending between the lines of. tho various accounts of the tragedy, and what led up to it, one is forced to tho conclusion that in their negotiations with tho Natives tho New Zealand Laud Company took too much for granted, and treated lTuiiparaha in much too indifferent a manner, when that worthy had fully informed thorn that ho expected further .pavment.'. than .tho _ESO of goods which had been given the Natives for 1,000,000 acres of land. Tho trouble itself might have been.wholly averted had Mr. Spain, the Land Commissioner at "Wellington, kept his nnpjintment with To J'a'iiparnha at Port ilndonvood to discuss tho title of the New Zealand Land Company's claim to tho "Wairoo." Ho did not do so, and after' waiting for tho expiration of the timo appointed for tho meeting, Te Itauparaha and his followers invaded the land, and showed their forceful occupa-

tioa and' ultpcnceful intentions by burning down' : some of the surveyors' wharea in tlio- vicinity. The proceedings which immediately preceded the tragedy were untactful to a degree, but were probably caused through the success of the same methods 'some time earlier at- Massacre Bay, 'tfHeW'Hhe' usual? Wiving ■ schemes of .high hand.' 1 ' ''"""' As for tho fight itself, tho Europeans had not more than' 49 men' against 90 picked warriors, under Rauparaha. They committed a blunder in dividing their forces when crossing the stream to arrest tho two chiefs, *nd finally it appears they never really anticipated any serious resistance. It is recorded that of those who crossed the stream with Captain Wakefield and the magistrate to make the arrest, only two men. Morgan and Tyfell, were armed. Tyrell was tlio first man shot dead, and Jlorgan might have shot Ranjrihaeta, but his "gun refused to go btl.'The' armed whites do not appear to have* pin ved-n very, heroic part in tho affrav, buVit must be'remembered that thev'irero separated from their military leaders on the other side of the stream, and also that they were civilians who had just come to a strange land. There is no doubt whatever that they made a bud showing. As for tho conduct of To Eauparaha ami Jiangihaeta, it was treacherous in tho extreme, when one remembers that Captain Wakefield had surrendered to him, and the pair had shaken hands. To allow nine men to be tomahawked in.cold blood by the Te Kangihaeta, after the two principals had shaken hands in token of peace was an infamous act, which no excuses can palliate; Some' Europeans and others prefer thb excuse that To Eangihaeta. was right in idchiahdihg""iitu for the killing"of ;his wife, who was Te Eauparoha's daughter. The death of the chicftainess was no doubt a regrettable occurrence, but both Te'Rauparaha and Te Eangihaeta roust havo been awaro that it was an accident, and accidents of that sort, may always bo expected in times of war. Tho slaughter of the nine men after the skirmish had eeased ; was therefore nothing less than a cold-blooded and cowardly massacre, and one' .can readily imagine the indignation and horror it caused at tho time throughout the settled portions of New' Zealand,

EXPEDITION DEPARTS, Tho following account cf tho fight at Tuamarin.i; .nnd tho massacre which followod, ..iisrVtaken from ..., the Nelson ".Examiner?' of. July 1/ 1843/ and is reproduced hero; by.. tho kind' permission of Mr. C. Y. Tell, of Nelson, who is believed to bo the, only.person in New Zealand to possess an'issue;, The "paper, which, was of two j'sheets ,and well'printed, is now yellow withvflge. , .■; ; A warrant had been issued on Monday, June 12, for the' arrest of To Rauparaha and To Rangihacta for arson, and on tho following'day the, Government brig left Nelson .with ,a force,considered to . be quite sufficient in numbers to effect .its object. The' "goes.'.on to say: — "The individuals who. e'e-nrprised .the' party were: v.;Mefer;s.' If. ; i : ']-Afyf Thompson,. Judge of; the.County iConrt" : and; Police/ Magistrate;;'Captaiii A'-.-WafeefieldiVEiN.,' the New; Zealand. Company's agent for the settlement';. Captain England,. J.F.; G. R, Richardsori/'JJaq.; Mr.'Cottreli; surveyor; Mr. James iTlflwird'i four constables, .arid sevoral special'constables; Whilo in the Gulf, tho/.brig fell in. with the company's boat on'her.roturn.froni the Wairoo, with Mr. Tu'ek«tt, ; (Chief Surveyor, and Mr.. Patchott,"wh6 with-the'boat's crew were thus added to the number already cmbarked.on this fatal expedition. On the oyoning of'the following Thursday, ■ most, of the party:landed'at tho; mouth of the Wairoo,:' 4 nnd .-wero joined next morning by others) when arms were distributed, nnd the whole body proceeded up the right bank of tho river. They Boon met a- chief named Puaha (nophew of Te Rauparaha, and the individual who is favourably mentioned in Colonel Wakefield's early dispatches under the name of Ilboa), and some resident Natives, who said that they had been engaged in clearing the land but had been stopped by Rauparaha, who had proceeded higher up tho river. - "Puaha and his followers wars considerably alarmed on seeing An armed force; but their fears were somewhat allayed by Mr. Thompson informing thorn that he sought only Rauparaha and Rangiha'eata, whom ho had como to apprehend on a charge of arson. Puaha, at tho request of .Mr. Thompson, then undertook to go forward and acquaint these chiefs, with' the arrival of the. magistrates', and that they had come to take them aboard the brig, where tho charge would bo investigates. Higher up the river another party of resident Natives were met, who were similarly informed of the object of the expedition. Here the magistrates and their followers encamped for tho night, and were joined by the remainder of the party, which now amounted to nbout fifty, and who irith

the exception of four or fivo of tho gontlomoii were fully armed.

THE CHIEFS LOCATED. "On Hie following morning, the 17th, tliß party nilvanccil a tew miles further, nnil, observing some smoke issuing from a small wood, thry (onclu'ed that the chiefs ami their followers were encamped there. "Proceeding towards (ho spot, they discovered that they were separated by n narrow but deep stream from the Maoris, who amounted allogethpr to 1211, including women and children. They were scattered about, squatting c.u the ground in groups with their canoes hauled up on tlio bank of the stream occupied by them. At tho reriuest of the magistrates, Piecuwui'i'o (a Native) furnished them with a canoe, in which Mr. Thompson, Captain Wakefield, Mr. Tuokett, Mr. Cotlrell, Mr. I'atchett, Brookes (interpreter), and Muling' (chief constable) crossed over.

THE NEGOTIATIONS. "Tho police magistrate addressed himself to Huuparaha, explained the nature of the charge brought against him by .Mr. Cotfroll, and desired him to go aboard the brig with such of his followers us ho chose, -whore tho matter should be investigated. This Itauparaha refused to do, bat stated his willingness to have the matter investigated there, and to pay for the damage he had done, if ho should approvo tho magistrate's decision.

THOMPSON'S MISTAKE. "On the reiterated refusal of leauparaha either to go on board tho brig or to surrender himself prisoner, the Police Magistrate threatened that if he'did not surrender ho and his party should be immediately fired upon. This was no sooner interpreted to him than sixteen Natives sprang to their feet and presented their muskets, and Uangihaota, who until then had not hern visible, stepped forward and defied the magistrate's order.

THE FIGHT. "Words Tunning high, Puaha interceded, and with a Bible in his hand, prayed thero might he no strife. Captain Wakefield, seeing the necessity of uniting the whole party, proceeded by tho consent of the Natives, to lay a eanco across the stream to enable those who had crossed over to retire; but while thus engaged it is conjectured that the chiejs were told that tliey had done wraug in granting the use of the canoe, and that they would on the uniting of their opponents, be immediately fired upon; we say conjectured, for seeing u movement among tho Maoris, the nature of which we have not been able to ascertain, an order was suddenly given for the men to advance. l''our or fivo only did so, and the gun of some one went olf, it is believed accidentally, as no order to fire had been given. The Natives instantly discharged a volley, which was returned by their opponents. "Those who were placed between the two fires now hastened to join' their friends, and nearly upset. the canoe i:i pissing over it. The firing continued brisk on either side for some little time, ivhon the greater part of our countrymen retreated up a hill and were followed by the Natives who had, now crossed the river. WHITES BEATEN. "Here tho most strenuous efforts were mado by Captain Wakefield, Captain England, and Mr. Howard, to induce their party to act in concert, but altogether without effect. "Captain -Wakefield, therefore, in order to prevent a further sacrifice of life, ordered the firing to cease, and Captain England and Mr. Howard advanced towards tho Maoris with n white handkerchief, in toksn of peace. Those in advance of the retreating party, however, kept up a running fire, which was returned bv the Natives on the whole party indiscriminately. Captain Wakefield and the gentlemen about him wero therefore compelled to proceed further up the hill, in order, if possible, to put an end to the conflict. Mr. Cotterell after accomnanying them a short distance stopped in' the hope of assuring the Natives of the sincerity of his party, waited their coming up'and surrendered himself.; and his example was followed on the next eminence by Captain Wakefield, Captain England, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Eichardsou, Mr. Howr.rd, Brooks, Cropper, and M'Grogor. "I'ualia again endeavoured to become ,a peacemaker and urged his countrymen that sufficient blood had been shed. This was acceded to by. Bauparalw,. and., the two parties shook hands.

RANGIHAETA'S REVENGE. "They were noon joined by Rangihaefca. who, having already killed the wounded on his wav, demanded the lives of the nine who liad surrendered. To this Rauparoha at first objected; but on being informed that his own daughter (Rnngihacta's wife) was killed, he offered no further opposition. As no resistance appears to have been made by our unfortunate friends, it is probable that, thev -were through their ignorance of the Native language, quite unconscious of the horrible fate which awaited them. Standing in the midst of a large number of Maoris, they were easily separated, and while in this defenceless situation, iicrhaus without even a thought of treachery, the monster linngihacta sileutlv glided around. Getting behind each singly, and with his tomahawk brained them all in succession.

THE FUGITIVES. Mr. Tuckett, Mr. Barnicoat, and a man named Gav. left the parly after the first, ineffectual offer of surrender, and with seven other men, one of whom was badly wounded, reached the coast, where, with great difficulty, they obtained a boat from a whaling station to put them on board the brig. Two boats were then dispatched to the .shore to pick up who might reach it, but none appearing, tho brig "shortly after, dusk sailed for Wellington to -ob'tain- surgical assistance lor (no wounded, and aid to rescue such as were believed to' be prisoners. The brig reached Wellington early on the following morniiif, but a foul wind springing un, she was unable to get out of harbour before Thursday afternoon. Colonel Wakefield, Mr Spain, the Land Commissioner, tho Police Magistrate, Mr. Dorset, surgeon, and several, other gentlemen returned 111 her, and on their arrival in Cloudy Bay were immediately apprised of tho dreadful deed which had placed their lamented countrymen beyond the reach of succour.

. . A BRAVE MISSIONARY. "They were prevented by tho weather from entering tho mouth of the river until Saturday, and on arriving at the fatal spot, found that' Mr. Trousido, the U es-k-vah missionary at Cloudy Bay, had preceded them, regardless of the lierso.njl danger which other shrunk from. He had discovered seventeen-of the dead, and (having no alternative) had already commenced tho interment of the bodies on tho spot. Two more- were afterwards found and buried. To have removed the bodies would have been difficult, ami such a procedure mii-vt have delayed tho departure of tho brig, and tho important evidence which was afterwards obtained in a searching investigation pursued by the Magistrates would havo been unknown. , , , . : "The brother of . our lamented agont had previously expressed his approbation of such a burial under such circumstances, and all'felt that this field of death was n fit place of sepulture. . Thus in death they will, ncrhans, achieve for us, their survivors, that object which in life they failed to accomplish. If tho spirits of the departed aro permitted to interest them-' selves in the affairs of mortality, tho thought may afford them-a generous satisfaction; to us such an acquisition of tho 'Wairoo' must ever be a subject of melaucholy contemplation'.

THE DEAD. "The bodies of the murdered men wero interred near the spot where they fell, as also were those of Coster, Gay, and Gardiner, who fell at a short distance from them. Smith, Tyrrell, and Northam were in another grave, and Clnnzie- and Ratcliffo in a fourth. The body of Mating, the chief constable, was not found, though known to be severely wounded. It is probable that he crept away into the bush, and there expired. Two other men, Stoke 3 and Burton, have not since been seen, but it is hoped they may be safe; and in order to assist them should they be attempting to get round by land, persons have been sent out with provisions arid with instructions to keep up large fires. Such of tho men as wero not wounded in the affray and did not reach the brig, remained hid till Rauparaha and Rangihacta departed with their followers, when they went down to Cloudy Bay and waited tlio brig's return.

RAUPARAHA'S DEPARTURE. "When Rauparaha and his party left Cloudy Bay to cross the Straits, which they did on the following Tuesday, Puaha remained in Tory Channel until tho return of the brig, to see if any violence would bo offered to tho Nativti la Cloudy

Bay and Queen Charlotte Pound, who had taken no part, in Ihe nll'rav, as it was believed in .-Kvoi-dann! with thrown custom, that the murder of our coiiiiirvmen would lie avengrd on anv Nativcs who might. It:' found there, rinding no violence was offered, lie ha-lened after liiiupariiliu to prevent any blemished which might aris- mil of !!-,.-;( bilief "it might nut b.> loft" unstated that .Mr. Spain, the Land Coinmi--i;o!!i r, li.-ul engaged to meet llaiiparaha aI. Tort Underwood within a cert.iin period, to invfstigale the title nl i!,e .\\\v Zealand Company to the 'Wairoo.' and thai the chief did not enter the Plain until after the expiration of the time appointed. "By accounts from Mann and Kapiti we learn that on the return of Uatiparaha Mid llnngihuota to. those islands, they instantly convryed away all their tribe from the two pas, and proceeded to the northern island, toinewherc between Wanganui and Manawatu, declaring that the 'Wairoo' was now paid for,, and the white men might keep possession of it. They expressed a dctermitiatic-n of encamping in some bay on the coast."

FURTHER PARTICULARS. Giving evidence somo two months later, Joseph Morgan, a survivor, declared that Tyrrell, who had crossed the stream with him, was the first man shot, and that he was shot in the throat by the Natives. "1 was seven yards away," he said, "from the .Maori who, I believe, fired the shot." At the pa. prior to the light, Te Ilauparaha had informed Morgan in a speech, interpreted by a Native, that ho would kick up a h row if Captain Wakefield came down. When Tyrrell was killed, continued Morgan. Mr Thompson ordered the whites to fire, but before they could do so several Maoris fired. Morgan's double-barrelled gun refused to

go off when he pointed it at liaiigihaeta. "The whites," added .Morgan, in another portion of his narrative, "ran in all directions. We went with the gentlemen (meaning the two' English captains and other officials), and then we ran down lrll, and lay down in the fern. \\e heard the Maoris' hunting for us with dogs, same as they did when tliey hunted pigs With tho exception cf myself, lyrrell, I believe, was the only armed man to cross the stream." The Maoris numbered altogether 123. of whom 30 or -10 were women and children, the whites 31 to ,9.