Taranaki

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 11, 18 March 1867, Page 63

Taranaki

MURDER OF A EUROPEAN. CAPTURE OF A HALF-CASTE BY THE . REBELS. The arrival of the Lord Ashley on Friday in the Bay, has placed us ,in possession of Taranaki papers to the 7th inst.

We take the following from the Taranaki News of the above date:— “ A report was brought into town on Tuesday that a man had been discovered killed and brutally hacked on the road in the neighborhood south of Stoney River. As yet, however, no satisfactory accounts of the particulars of the identity of the individual have been received. Several persons have lately left this for the South overland, and several names have been mentioned as being the unfortunate individual. In this un certainty we deem it best to postpone further notice of the affair for the present. We may, however, add that one of the parties mentioned is known to have rendered himself obnoxious to the natives by improper interference with them, and that it is likely should he prove to be the victim that the sanguinary deed has been the result of some private feud, which, ii there be any truth in the rumour, is the most favorable construction can be put upon it.”

“We have since learned that a man named Clements left town a few days ago with Mary Tahana and Maori Martha’s boy, who remained at Kaihehe, while Clements went on with a half-caste named Jackson. Some rebels were on the beach just returning from fishing who fired on the two travellers, and shot Clements, who was walking, and took the half-caste prisoner who was on horseback. We cannot rely much on the present information as the person who brought it iu seemed so confused as to whom the murdered man actually was, which would naturally occur from the terrible mutilation the body had undergone. It is strange that no proper official report has yet been made to the authorities, civil or military, of the case, for we cannot but think that the Government would have taken some steps to investigate the matter.”