AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 379, 24 May 1866, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

HVb tiara papers to the XSth insfe., from which we extract as follows MPSCDTIOK or SHE SCTOEEBEES O? SHE BET. MB vouprea, mb bdeiooh, and the ceew or ' * TUB 4 * ATE*’ Yesterday (says the * Hew Zealand Herald,* of the ISth May) the- aboriginal natives Mokomoso, Heremita, Haktrala, (murderers of the Rev. Karl gylviua Volkner), and Horomoua (accessory), Mikaere Kirimanga (principal), for the murder pf Mr Fulloon and the crew of the Hate, were hanged within the precincts of Mount Edsn Stockade. It is sufficiently known to tho public that the other persons connected with these rrngic occurrences, and who were for some time under the sentence of death, have been fortunate enough to 2nd clemency in.the authorities so that ihoir sentences have been commuted to various terms of imprisonment from penal servitude for life down To twelve months’hard, labor.

The proceedings of yesterday cannot fail to be remembered by Europeans and H atives as amongst the most impressive and solemn that have taken, place in this country for many a year. There Was none of the hostility or antipathy of races in antagonism observable. The whole tiling was in. Strict accordance with law. Vfe have already given some account cf the deportment of the prisoners since the time when their impending fate was made known to (hem. We take up the narrative at the point where we left olf in our last impression. Tiie Her. Father Macdonald (Roman Catholic), visited the gaol on "Wednesday night about eight o’clock, just after the Eev. Mr Grace, to whom' most.of :hs prisoners were well known, as he was to them, had left. The ta \n, of which we have given an account, was a scene of the most painful kind, but it produced no declaration upon The part ct the prisoners, or those who visited them, beyond what was already known. Vfo believe, however, G.fit the condemned prisoner have- sevs>sally written u> his Excellency tho Governor statements giving an explanation ot tbei"conduct, and giving eh account of all the transactions, which Jed up to the temhle catastrophe fur which they were condemned to suffer. . A few midtr.es- after seven o’clock yesterday jrserniog, the Ilev. Hr. Maun sell arrived at the gaol, almost simultaneously with the Eoman Catholic Fathers Maodcnaid and Koranic. The several clergymen proceeded at once to the condemned ceils, were they remained with ihe prisoners in prayer until a quarter cf an hour before . the- execution. At ton minutes to eight o’clock Messrs Scot:er struck the irons oil’ the fcit. of liortss-'j:.., 1T... phi (g-doreon the rropbet), aud Mokcmcko, who ncaii. retired to their cells and ■ were ent- i ' > • .yen until th&.betl rolled. The mate \ 1.1 1. was presented at this tune was ‘ more mindly solemn and impressive. Aeon- • piclcrahle assemblage of people bad collected upon the high rocks overlooking the gaol. ‘Some more .adventurous than others, had even ridden on .•■" Jvorsebuek up to tiiceu high situations, in tue hope of obtaining at least p gum use of What was occur. d ing in the gaol yard, or » chance of observing the demeanour of the condemned iptn. In tuiih a . case .as this tiie desire to wiin.es the deportment pf aboriginal .people may be excusable' as' being altribbutable to a feeding mere laudable than that of mere curiosity. The admission- to the giudyard was by ticket, and at one time-from 160 to %ZQ persons must hare been present. The presence and interest of such a number of people made the occasion anything but private % fctlt it was evident that its solemnity was considerably improved, fqi--after all there is nothing like’ sympathy' in.a crowd—not in tiie object of their gaze, cut tcith each other—which can lend to such an exhibition as that'of yesterday any thing like features to redeem it from unmitigated disgust. We observed several military clllcers present, ai al-o influential persons in the province. Ths demeanour of the spectators whether without or within the precincts ot the gaol, Was thoroughly in keeping with the unmistakable import of the reality oflhe scene'that was being enacted.

At eight o’clock precisely the gaol bell toiled, when the accompanied by the governor of the guoi, proceeded to the condemned ceils and communicated lo the clergymen in attendance ppen the IVotrstaht culpi its, ilcnoinana, and ilokomoko, that the tin.e had expired. The celldoors were p£ once ’opened ami his Excellency’s warrant was nad over to the two prisoners. '.Uic hangman, env,-ii*gsd in crape to the waist, “sloped” in, taking tip uis position behind each prisoner as he emerged from Ida oeh, and proceeding • .with placnty lo the work of pinioning. Jlorotnona whs (he first 10 appear : ids eyes were dosed, tind he uttered the responses in a voice singularly tonorpus, end with 'enunciation particularly char, -wlticli bespeaks for him a degree oi'.intelligence afccye that of his companions and in some respect possibly accounting for his inliucnca over them, ne wus entirely pats.vo. lie had been dlvesteu pf ttie long white beard which distinguished him upon his trial, and instead of the lock oi hair on the forehead, which like a phylactery -marked him out os the hierophant of tne new superstition, jiis hair was cropped close lo the scalp. But this barb-C-rous oueiution, to which -.ml inmates of gaols ere subjected, was exe'-edingty lavorablo to. Horomona. ’4io looked far-more intelligent and Jess sinister than when he appeared iu ii;a dock. The demeanour cf klokomokowas less quiet. Ills yestiess eye sought the face of everyone, until tney pact the countenance oi some .fellow native, of whom there warn six or seven present, and then he would give expression to a convulsive iiiaia,” pr u "\Vhatis the use?"’ This word ho uttered twice or three limes in reply to Uie exboitutiom tp pray irons t.ie pseudo-prophet, his fellow in Condemnation. \V hen Awkomoko camo forth into -.he open air he ruined round to-.vara? the plhcr divisions ol the esc! and uttered aloud ‘e korirak,” or -‘jb'arcwcii, and several umes on hi* jeaveh to the seefi’cld he exclaimed, “ tcnci rakau pm »• -pakebal'*rcweil, patches,” ‘When the two men arrived at tbs. loot of . the ecakoid •ad ascended they w#¥b .self-possessed, and beriifUtfft HMiWfttWP Of U'V»uioui-

ness or faltering. They were preceded up the steps by the gaoler, Mr Tuckwcll, the Sheriff, Col. Ealneavia, and Hr Maunsell, reading the appro* priate service. The air of Hofomona was that of a devotee, whilst the' halter wps being adjusted upon his neck he was" mdtionjess.y-et crying aloud “ © £e, atua ts tohangao.lmu” (“Cord have mercy upon mo”). He ventured to turn towards Mokomoko, and exhorted him to prayer, when again the response was “ihaia” (“What’s the use?”). During the process of adjusting the rope round , Ins neck, Mokomoko exclaimed, “ tenei a hau e mate harakore ” (“ I die without { c.»u§e,” or “ I, iam innocent ’’). Having, said this, he closed -his eyes, and gave himself entirely up to the hangman. The Rev. Dr. Maunpeli having finished prayers, shook the two prisoners-by the hand. The bolt was about to be withdrawn when the han-jnian was s so overcome with nervousness ,as to render it doubtful whether, if- left unassisted, some misadventure might not occur. However, the bolt was withdrawn, and tiie ‘two inch fell; The death ofßornmona was instantaneous. There

was.cue.convulsive shudder apparent and all was, over. Mokomoko struggled slightly, but in less than a .minute all symptom of motion had ceased to.be ocservabfe. The bodies were left hanging tor tho usual period of audiour, when they were lowered into the coffins provided for them, and the rope out just above the fatal knot. .The Provincial Surgeon pronounced that life was in each case, extinct. There was nothing on the countenances of the. deceased to; show that they died so violently, in each case death being instantaneous,. The bodies'were placed in coffins, and carried to a convenient place to await the inquest. By nine o'clock a considerable accession to the number of spectators had taken place. Two catechists from the 'Roman college had taken up a position, kneeling, outside the.penal department, the two priests, tho Keys. Fathers Macdonald end Harardo being in- the colls with their penitents. The sains ceremony of striking off the irons had taken,place in this case as in the former. The demeanour of Heremita and Hakaraia was tj;r/. of men thoroughly subdued, bur yet placid r.«d collected.. The deportment of. Kirimanga, the leader who.called foe twenty men to kill tiie PakifliaS; was that of a persoii half dead. Ho kept his eyes shut, e--.vt.ycd about in startled impotence, and was only sustained by.his two com*, panions,-upon whose shoulders his head for some lime rested during the progress to the gallows, from a thorough break down. In the case of these,-' as cf the former, there was no disposition lo sneak. They bent their heads respectfully to the unhaltrd crowd as they passed. In truth, the two first had openly confessed their guilt, and that of ail three was too fully established to admit either ofvomcloud Or explanation. The procession was preceded, as in She former case, by the Gaoler, the Sheriff; in the present instance the two pri; stay alking beside the moribund prisoners with breviary-in hand and OraciCx in view, giving cut. the litany" for the dying, to which the prisoners half audibly responded. In this order they mounted the scaffold—Hakaraia occupying the right bond, Heremita the..middle,, and Kirimanau the extreme left. It was found necessary to ecsploy.-the service® of a second hangman, as ihe apparent nervousness of tho first must have inevitably led to & misadventure. The ropes hav- ■, irg been finally' adjusted,- liio clergymen passed in front of the condemned men, offering them u oiuidux, which each kissed—-it appeared to us us mechanically rather than whir aevolion. The clergymen retired, the bolt was again drawn, and —death, hi tho cases of Hakaraia and Heremita, was instantaneous. They were exceedingly heavy, muscular, well-nourished men. Kiruuangu was singular contrast to them ; he was merely a .boy, slightly-built, and emaciated to a skeleton. His cheeks and eye-sockets were so hollow that he almost resembled a ghost. "While Wot lie was hanging he struggled cansiderablyj- tho chest heaved severa!liineo, the wiists and knees were contracted a cenvulsive throe went through the whole length of the body, and, after the lapse of four minutes, the hangman had to juli the body by -the feet. A v very slight pull, however, was sufficient, and life was extinct. . The bodies having been left hang-

iiig an hour were lowered into coiHns and carried aside to await au inquest. It would be in ordinary cases needless to commens upon ihc antecedents of men who hare discharged the peaa!ty;of a horrible crime with the unfed of their lives ; but something more is necessary in the present crae t.hau a mere record of their execution.’ The victims of a debasing superstition, tiicy lived only Jong enough that they might die beside ihe exponent .of Uie imposture by which they were dre.-iv«-d. Horomdna was, ns IjC looked, tlie ti ue type of the religious or irreligious cthusia.-t, just as his intelligence' lea him. Jvinnuiigo, cn the oilier Hand, was the fitting last rumen t with which to work out a superstitious end, impulsive, illiterate, inconsiderate, and tilled wit imaginary rime, Mofcomoko has always borne a character oi hostility to Europeans, cunning, unscrupulous, with a “lean and hungry iook ” for grievances. Of the two men Ha-karaia, and lier-mua, they have borne, the ibrnicp a neutral cb.~.i-actcr, the latter a fair character. The demands pi’, public law have beeu justified, well de-erved retribution has overtaken the prime movers in two horrible crimes, nut-xvitLislar.-ding that Koval clemency has favored tome tnat were guilty. Those whoso business it is to record such an event, may lam hope that its recurrence may be lar distant.

At twelve o’cloel- an inquest was held upon (he booses, at which the evidence of the fancier,- 'tne Sheriff, and. the Provincial Surgeon was taken anti o> verdict reiumcd that the:deaths of the iive men were caused by being hanged in pursuance of the sentence pronounced hv Ins Honor mo Chicf-Jus-ticff at the-InsL'Criminai Sessions of the Supreme Court. ■ X-'uring the afternoon, in accordance with the orders, cf the Sneiift' and general custom, the bodies were- busied ■ wuhm tae ■ precincts of the goal. A large hole, 6 lent ccep, ti j feet long, and ■jO feet Wide, had been tmg at the- south-east' corner of tuo gcol jaidi near to the spot where the body of the un»erlune.te Harper is buried. t Here, which should herealtir be known as Aceldama Terrace) ine bodies of the ilsqrics, fcdvcfei Vtitli qupfc lime ( «e iafcmd.

G2EAT EXHE AT NEWTON. _ The ‘New Zealand Herald,’ 16th Slay, give the following account of a destructive conflagration which occurred at the above place on the 14th inat.:— • -

The scene of the conflagration wgs a row o wooden dwelling-houses situated "in Hopetonstreot, Newton, at the rear of the Immigration Barracks. The owners of the buildings destroyed were-Messrs W. Bobiuson and James M‘Andrews, and the houses were erected on adjoining properties. The fire evidently appears to have originated in' one of the houses belonging to Mr Bobinson, ■which wts uninhabited at the time; the nest house immediately - adjoiuing it was likewise untenehted. There are' several persons who claim to haye been the first to discover the presence of the conflagration, all of whom agree in the main as to the building in whioh it originated. Prom Mr M’Andrtjvfs, one of the owners of the ptfeporty destroyed, and who lives immediately at the rear of it, we have gathered the following particulars.

Mr M‘Andrews states that between two and three o’clock on Tuesday morning he was in bod, when his wife, who was kept awake through the restlessness of the fauby, called his attention to a great glare which lit up the building. He immediately jumped out of bed, and rushing on to the verandah, at once perceived what was the matter. Hastily putting on a few things, Mr M'Andrcws hastened to the spot, and looking over a fence which separated his ground from that of Mr Robinson’s, was enabled to take a view into the back portion of the house in which the fire was burning. The flames had not then yet reached the roof, but were bursting into the adjoining house, lie at once gave the alarm by calling put “ lire,” andAnocking up the inhabitants of the various bouses. On arming at the scene of the conflagration, Mr M*Andrews perceived one other man, who apparently came put of one of the houses, and immediately rushed back as if to awake the inmates.. : In the hurry and excitement of the scene he did hot clearly recognise who it was, but believes it to have been one of the tenants of the neighboring houses. The two properties on which the houses were built were separated by a.paling fence and a passage about ten feet in width. Of the ten tenements owned by Mr M‘Andrews, four of them were empty and six inhabited—two families having' left about a week previously. The house nearest to the building in which the fire originated, being the first of the row of houses owned by Mr M‘Andrews, was inhabited by a man named Bross, who is married, and has live children. All the furniture and effects in the house were insured by Ross in the Royal lusurance. Utiico for £IOO, and very fortunately nearly the whole of them were saved. The house which

Boss inhabited was a double one, and next to him resided a laborer named White, also a married man with, wife, and one child, with whom there were also living a man named Crreen with his wife and child: Fortunately ail the articles contained in this’ dwelling were also removed with little or no injury. The next building, another double .house,- was only- inhabited* in* one portion of it by a moulder, of the name of Fagan, married, with four children.' Here again, wo are glad to say, that nearly everything was saved. We may rematk that Mrs Fagan had been but a few days confined, and that it was with Some little ditficulty that she was enabled,.by the aid of her husband, to walk as far as the Immigration Depot, to which building some-of those who were burnt out were removed with their effects. A short distance from thhe house last mentioned commenced a row of six attached houses, containing two, rooms each, with kitchens be (dud and verandahs in front. The first of these houses was not inhabited ; in the second Jived a carpenter of tlie name- of Humboy, a married man with two children. Everything was saved in tins house, as was in fact in all tne houses belonging to this property. The third house was inhabited by a laborer and his wife of the name of Hiidgson, Who have three children. Kext came two empty houses, and the last was occupied by a carpenter, also a married man’,who, strange to say, had only moved into it on the day previously. Most of the furniture and effects belonging to the residents in these tenements Were removed into Mr M‘Audrew’s allotment. immediately at the rear of the Beene of conflagration, whilst the families were housed at the' immigration Depot for the time being. .Mr M'Andrewß, further states that the Are bells began to ring almost immediately after he reached the burning buildings, and that a large ' crowd very quickly assembled at the spot, many of whom, 1 1 ended by the indefatigable Co minis-sioner-of Ponce, and various members of the force, gave good aid in puding down the fences divining tne various houses at the rear of the premises, and by this means prevented the fire from, spreading to the house and premises occupied by Mr MCUuhrews. Mr Maughton would have endeavored to puli down one or more of the buildings at the end of tho row which had not then caugnfc fire, but on appealing to Mr Pierce, the agent of tho new -Zealand Insurance Company, who was also present, that gentleman considering the work as fruitless, as the Are had- aUeady caught such firm hold, the attempt was abandoned. Tlie Volunteer Fire Brigade were also in attendance with one engine, which, however, could not bo brought into requisition, owing, it is supposed, to; the fact that the well at the rear of

the burning buildings could not be made available. Tne members of the force were most active, however, ia drawing buckets of water, and endeavoring in various otuer vrajs to arrest the linmes and protect property. Mr 3t‘Andrews estimates Ids loss at £uUO, which was the amount the buildings cost him, including the-necessary repairs. Tbe Insurance : on this property of sJ.Suy. was eiiected in the JSew Zealand insurance Company’s Oliices immediately on their completion. Willi respecs to Mr Kobinson’s buildings wo have gathered the following particulars. The building to the double house in which toe fire originated, and which we before, stated was Uninhabited at the time thoconHagratiou took place, was also a double hou?e, and was inhabited in one poitiouofit by a Mr a MCormiek, with three children. - This unfortunate worn anti as tost nearly everything she possessed, even to ~the childrehVsnd her own fdnoes, added to which iter hubaod, wb« » • Wwrw, has obliged to go

,iato fho country to look for work. This is a truly pitiable case. Mrs M'Cormick had also in charge a little child of less than two years of age, whose mother .died in the hospital a few month* sinop, the father beiqg away at some of the Few Zealand diggings. , The pnly accident we hear o£ as .having occurred at the fire happened to thia little orphan, who, being taken out in hia cradle as soon as possible, was deposited too near to th» scene of the fire, the consequence being that it was rather severely scortched, not however, we are 'glad, do say dangerously. Mrs M'Oormick says that she was awakened by her neighbor, Mr XTawkshawe, who inhabited the other "portion of the building, and that it was all she could do to get her children apd. herself out of. the house in time; tp. escape „ tha "fire. Mrs Huwkshawe and I her husband, who is a plumber, with one child, have also lost nearly every tiling. A row of singla attached houses; commenced nest to this building, Fos. 1,2, and 3, which were empty. The fourth house was .occupied, by a Mrs Gainer, a widow, wish two daughters, one of whom was residing with her. In this house we are glad to say nearly everything was saved. The fifth house in the row was un occupied, whilst the sixth a corner one, was inhabited by a Mr Hi shards j a gardener, with his wile..and five children. This building was used as a small general shop, and it is almost needless that in the hurry of removing the things considerable damage and loss was sustained, otherwise everything was, wo behove, saved from the fire. ■ ■From the above account it will be perceived that only two families out of the large number of persons inhabiting the buildings, sustained any severe loss,' and. can congratulate themselves on escaping so easily with only the advantage and annoyance of having to remove at so instantaneous a notice. The case of Mrs M'Cormick, however, really deserves commiseration, and wo should ba glad to hear that something had been done towards relieving somewhat her pitiful case. We would recommend this unfortunate family, not forgetting the orphan child, to the syaipailues of the various ' benevolent institutions of this city, as fitting objects for their charitable ministrations. The buildings destroyed belonging to Mr Robinson were also insured in.the Few Zealand Insurance office for £503, and we understand that an enquiry will be held into circumstances attending the fire in a day or so. An inquest was held on the 16th instant, when the following verdict was returned That from the evidence brought before them, the jury are of opinion that the fire which occurred in Mr Robin* sou’s buildings was an act of incendiarism, but by whom or ho w it originated there is no evidence to show.’*