REPORTED MURDER

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 32, 5 August 1867, Page 193

REPORTED MURDER

FOUR EUROPEANS AND

FOUR MAORIS, by the HAUHAU3 l

[From the Daily Southern Cross, 29th July.] On Saturday, letters were received in tow a stating; that four. Europeans and four natives, ,who were engaged driving a herd, of about 300 head of cattle from . Napier to Mr... Firth’s run at Matamata, had been murdered on the road.,The place at which .this is said to have, occurred is about, half-way between Napier and Taupo,, and where the mountains, of the Uriwera country come into the Kaingaroa. plain. .The letters, are written from Maketu,. by Mohaka,,,a native who has been in charge for.soaie time of Mr Buckland’s cattle at Taupo. The following aye, the, letters: — • .Maketu, July 24* 1867. To.Josiah.jFirtli, • , Friend, salutations. Listen! I haveheard the talk relative to the cattle-drivers. They have been killed by the ■ Hauhuits,: by the TJriweras. .They‘were the tribe who. killed them. They • were killed at Eunanga. There were four Europeansand four Maoris. The principal reason why we suspect they were killed wa-*, as they did not arrive at Taupo. Tt occurred about fifty miles from. = Taupo! 1 I will make furtlier enquiries; into the matter; but. tlie people here say that the statement* is.correct, that the people have been killed, aud the cattle taken away by-the ilau-i haus—by the TJriweras.— It is also said, that, if, they ..had attempted to come, oa [they could.not have got so far as Matamata on accouut of the roads beingstopped. Maniheru said the roads were open, ancL. he nearly got killed for having said soi Maketu, July 24,1867.'; . To Mr Buckland. O father, salutations. Tliis is the news'that 1 heard: 1 That the drivers of Firth’s-. cattle have been killed. They were killed by the.Hauhaus at .a place called Te -Ru-. ■ nauga, near the mouth of the creek, where the road bends towards the IJriwera country. They did not arrive in Taupoduring the three weeks-that the'-person., was waiting for them- who let'd -them *at Mohaka; therefore we are sure they havebeen killed. Also; we sent a messenger-, belonging to Tara wera to inquire. The •" Hauhau came down aud guarded the[passes of the road, and they were killed jthere. . .

One of tliomen who went down todrive Mr Firth’s cattle up was a son of the Rev. Mr Grace. Another was.

Lieutenant Owen, from Waikato; the others*..Europeans and Maoris, were engaged at Napier. It ;is .' supposed that the person alluded to in the letter was young Grace, as his :duty was to go on before the rest and prepare' the natives at Taupo to receive : the cattle if the road from thence to Matamata was closed. • - - , 'V. .'

! The above, are all the facts that are known in reference to the matter, and we shall probably have to wait for several days before certain contradiction or confirmation can be received. We. learn by the steamer Tauranga, which arrived from Tauranga yesterday, that the people there were 4 inclined to believe that the report was not true. For ourselves, we are bound to say that we can see. nothing at all improbable in it. The killing of Moore and Beggs, and of Bennett White and Wi Popata, show the temper of the Uriwera, who would be informed from Napier, and possibly from Waikato, that the cattle were coming over. We know that there is nothing at all to hinder them, from reaching the place where the affair is said to have taken place. Most of the country in that neighbourhood belongs to different hapus of the Arawas, but they have all cleared out of it. Even the kainga of the Tuhourangi at the Rotomahana has been deserted for some time. It is worth mentioning that it was it was in this neighbourhood that Adam Clarke encountered Kereopa and his band, returning to Waikato

from Opotiki, after the murder of Mr Voikner, and where live of the Arawas were killed and eaten. It is impossible for any one to say positively whether, the killing of these men, and the stoppage of Mr Firth’s cattle, was in any way connected with the notice given to Mr Firth to quit his run at Matamata. It is probable enough that,. when the orders were given that Mr Firth should he warned, the Uriwera had been informed of

what had .been done, and instructed to

prevent these cattle coming' over. " Taking this view of the matter, it would almost seem too much to expect that Mr Firth .will be able to maintain his place at Matamata. Mr Firth was expected to arrive at Matamata yesterday, and, if these murders had really taken place, would probably learn the facts from the natives there. At all events, he was telegraphed to on Saturday evening, so' that he would receive the news from Auckland in that way.