HARE MATENGA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1870, 27 September 1906, Page 3

HARE MATENGA.

SEEN WITH RIFLE IN HAND.

(Special to Times ; )

There was a sensation ou Thursday , meinffig when the nows got abroad that ihe Maori fugitive, Hire Matocga, bad attempted another robbery and bad boon foiltd. About 19 o’clock on Thursday morning one of the bushfelling contractors of Pcioe end Co., who wa3 laid up inoamp with a cut foot, was startled by boaring a phoo of siick thrown on the tent. Proceeding to tho tent door he was surprised j to see Haro MateDga at the back of the tent, with a rifle in his hand, However, Hare, on seeing that someone was in the tent, ran eff, According to tho man in tho camp, Hate was comfortably dressed, seemingly having all tho usual neco?siiies lof everyday wear. Price and Co., who are felling fur Me It. W. Kemp, havo already bean robbed twice during this winter. It is thought Matonga failed in his last attempt owing to another man having joined th 9 gang since tho last robbery. Beforo previous robieries tbo thief had watched she camp and knew exactly how many meu were working there, and soring I the proper number going lo work on the morning in question, ho boldly advanced

So tho camp with the intention of robbing it, and not resorting to his old custom ol throwing sticks on tbo tout until practically the last minute, which ot courso ro suited in his discovering there was somebody at homo. This is the first time Mater,ga has been seen around the camps, It is now a little over four years since Haro set out on his mad career, uDd this has only been the second time that be has been seen by a white maD, The first lime wa3 about three years ago, when ho was seen by a young man named Dryden, who was foiling bush for Messrs L. end G. Gotterill, whose oamp he robbed either the same day or the day following. This last

attempt of Milonga will oiioourago his puiauors and bo tbo rnoaus of satisfying them in which direotion ilia now homo la located. Tho trio, D, t: olive Brobtrg, Constable McAllister, aud Mi- J. M. Earle, are now in tbo pink of oondition for their wotk. Tho ivouthor for tho past week has bocu very wot and miaorablo, anil oom bined with an cxiatsnoo ou •' bully ” boot and bisouits, thoic lot just at proaout ia not a very roay one. j