THE WANGANUI TRAGEDY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 61, 28 August 1862, Page 3

THE WANGANUI TRAGEDY.

(From the Daily Southern Cross , Avgust 13 .) Our readers will, no doubt, have perused with considerable interest, Mrs. Lister’s statement, published by us yesterday, regarding the late homicide at Wanganui. It is a sad episode in the histoiy of our colonization, and demands at tention from the public, as the authorities are faint-hearted and refuse to interfere. It appears that William Lister, a respectable settler in the Wanganui districthaving had many pigs destroyed by Maori dugs, one day loaded a double-barrelled gun and went out to have a shot at any duos he might see prowling about. On his way he met two Maoris carrying a dead pig which he identified and claimed. The Maori admitted that the pig was Lister’s, and agreed to carry it to his house ; but conceiving it best to apprise them that he would prosecute them before the magistrate for theft, and being unable to speak Maori liuently, he signified his wish that they should go with him to the houseoi hisneighborandbrothcr-in-law, Mr. Jackson. The native willingly assented, and tire party, accompanied by Mrs. Lister, carrying in her arms her infant, set oft to Jackson’s. About halfway between the houses Mrs. Lister heard the two natives lalkin" together, and caught the expression by the younger — :i Jrai a 1 roe ic roa Rchara ,” meaning “as you like it,” The sequel shows to what that remark applied. The natives first took the liax off Lister’s dog, and set him at liberty, and the elder of them then walked on with Lister about thirty yards in advance of Mrs. Lister and the younger native. Mokena. While in advance, the old native Unakawa, made frantic efforts to induce Lister to look in tire direction of certain hills which induced him to stop until his wife and Mokena come up. Mrs. Lister suspecting that all was not right, called to her husband to know ii anything was wrong, but Lister, never dreaming of mischief, answered ‘mo,” and resumed the lead. After walking' thirty yards farther Lister uttered a scream, the native Unakawa having foully stabbed him through the back with his spear, the wound penetrating the lungs. The intended assassin then commenced beating Lister on the head with bis iron-pointed spear, and the men closed. Owing to the wounds and the suddenness of the attack, the Maori dragged Lister to the ground by the hair, and while pressing him to the earth in his murderous clutch, shouted to his companion for a tomahawk, with which to complete his work of butchery. Mokena with alacrity rushed to the assistance of his companion, and placing the tomahawk by the side o Unakawa, Hung himself upon Lister, endeavouring to force Lister's head into a position for tomahawking. Mrs. Lister was an observer of this murderous scene, but she was not long an idle spectatress. Placing her infant on the ground, she ran to the assistance of her husband, when Mokena, the younger murderer, sprang upon her and dragged her by her hair about four yards from the life-and-death conflict between her husband and Unakawa. With admirable courage she seized her assailant's hair, and so violent was the struggle, that Mrs. Lister and the Maori dragged each other to the earth, lying face to face on the ground. The savage, strugglin'* to free himself, placed his feet against. Mrs. luster's breast, and pushed her from him to a little way, but she still retained a hold of his hair. While engaged in this murderous conflict, Mrs. Lister heard her husband calling" to her for assistance, which only the more infuriated Mokena, who continued his attempt upon her life with greater violence than before. “He now tried to force me head foremost down the side of the hill” writes Airs, luster, “which is very steep; he held hold of my hair with one of hishandsand scratched my face with the other; he then let go his hold of my hair. My head was banging down the hill side, and the only thing that kept me from going down the hill head foremost was the firm grip that I had on the young Maori's hair. At this time I felt the hair that I had got hold of give way in one of mv hands, and come up by the roots out of his head: with great difficulty I succeeded in getting another grip, which prevented me from going headlong down the hill. The native then got on his feet, and on account of the hold I had upon his hair I was enabled to

get up too.” Finding her strength failing s h e released the savage, who, thirsting for blood, at once rushed to assist his companion in the destruction of Lister's life. The struggle ’ d lasted, ou both sides, about n ,eeu n/inu s, but the courage and strength of T.e European prevailed over his murderous assai’aut, and before i\lokena had time to release his accomplice in guilt, who was now getting the worst of it, Listei dashed the miscreant s brains out with his own tomahawk. Mokena then fled. ill our readers believe that lbs scene was enacted within a short distance of lire most flourishing town in the Province of Wellington, except the capital of that name; will they credit that it was done in open day, on Crown land; and farther, will it be believed that no steps have been taken by the authorities to bring Mokena to justice? There was no difficulty about doing this: the youth was examined before the Jlesident Magistrate, ami allowed to tell his own tale, while Mrs! Lister, from whatever reason, was not pernritted to make depositions. Mokena was turned out to rove at large, and assist to murder the Europeans with impunity, so far as the law is concerned. Tire facts, us deposed to by Mokena, exculpated Lister, but his own part in the murderous onslaught was not detailed. Murderer as he is, in The eye of the law, the Lnglish Magistrate gave him protection, admitted his evidence, and shut the mouth of the only witness who was in a position to explain the connecting links in this sad tragedy. ‘T can state with certainty,” continues Mrs. Lister, ‘"that the young native did all that lay in his power to assist to murder nry husband; and further, that bad I not been present and taken the part I did in the mailer, ueiibor me nor one of my children would now be alive. ’ When one calmly icGews these lads, it becomes a serious quest ion whether we are living under the protecting authority of tire Lritish flag, or whether we are merely Jiving by the sufferance of semi-civilized natives. The English people evidently labour under a delusion when they suppose that our colonists ought to be called on to bear the cost of ruling and civilizing a people, who are manifestly encouraged in their defiance of all social and moral obligations by the pusillanimity of our rulers. Let us have even-handed justice administered, and lae Colonists of Few Zealand are prepared to pay to the very utmost the cost of any such equitable administration. Are the li\es of peaceful settlers less sacred than the lives of murderers of the aboriginal race? "W bat \ blue is there in the blood of the natives, because of which they should not be prosecuted for capital crimes, and punished for the commission of felonious offences? We say that the attack on Lister and his wib‘- in the cemre of the civilization of .Vellingtou. in Mr. Fox’s own district, almost under lie noses of the Governor and llenresentatives of Xew Zealand in parliament assembled, if allowed to rest as at present, with Mokena untried, will be a lasting disgrace to the civilization of England—will be a blot upon her power and boasted impartial administrat ion of criminal law, and must be loooked upon by the natives, as a declaration by Hie Government, that the sword of justice is only used to punish Europeans, hut that it is a weapon to protect the Maoris in redhanded crime.