A STRANGE SCENE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1526, 7 August 1905, Page 3

A STRANGE SCENE.

MAORI WOMEN PREVENT POST MORTEM EXAMINATION. AN OVERWHELMED POLICEMAN (Per Press Association.) Auckland, last night. A Maori named Uua Haro, who livod at Rnratonga,-and was staying temporarily /in a Maori sottlomont at Orakoi, was found dead in his wharo. Per the last two yßars he had been engaged in fruitgrowing in I Raratonga. The death was extremely sudden, ns ho had apparently been in good I health, and under the oiroumaianocs an f inquest became necessary. The ooroner proceeded to Orukei on Saturday morning I to conduct an inquiry, aooompnnied by Dr Peter Moir, whom he directed to make a I post mortem examination. The. corpse was laid out in a teat, and a number of Maoris were around. Before the medioal man oommenoed his examination) the ooroner requested the ! natives to withdraw, but they refused. Several women wero amongst them, and Constable Shearman was directed to remove them by foroe. There was no active resistance on the part of the natives, but as the constable would put ono woman out of the tont several more entorod. from (be other side. A very extraordinary scene was wit- -|

nessed, several of tho wahines throwing themselves oo the body in order to prevent the doctor making an incision with his scalpel, and as the natives crowded around it was impossible to proceed with the post mortem.

The coroner deoided to take the ovidenoe of identification, and also put on record the doctor’s description of the manner in whioh he had been obstructed.

The inquiry was then adjourned. The coroner has applied for a force of police to enable a post mortem to be made.