NATIVE NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 95, 30 March 1883, Page 2

NATIVE NEWS.

THE HUKSSTHuUSE OUTRAGE.

A DETAILED STATEMENT.

BRUTAL USAGE BY NATIVES.

(by telegraph."* press association.) Auckland, Maroh 29. Te Uira is 52 miles from" Alexandra and 16 miles from Otorohanga. When we came m sight of Te Uira, we saw Te Kaumarua mustering. Te Uira is on a small hill beside the track. On getting within 50 yards of the natives, Te Mahuki, who was standing up, j stretched ont his hand, and told ns to turn on one side, and invoked his God to send as back. Te Rerenga replied, • it is light, it is light,' meaning that the matter had been arranged, and that we were to go on. We walked our horses on, and when we got abreast of where Te Mahuki and his people were,, he motioned, to some ten or a dozsen boys who were sitting close to his feet, ■ and said " rere," meaning run and stop them. They immediately jumped on to the track and caught the bridles of the horses that were m front. The natives then seized me, and Te Wstere, and his brother (Te Rangi), Newsham, aw\ Te Haere, and dragged us off our horses. Te Mahuki all the time was calling on his people to be strong and quick. . He also called on Jehovah to make them prevail over, the enemy.; When he had us held properly, he told the people to take ns away immediately . to a whare and fasten us tightly with chains. All Te Kaumarua then, came with us dancing and yelling, and sing-, ing war songs. On the way down the hill, Te Mahuki called out to his people that everything was now left to them. He said : ' This is the first day on which I have no thought. This day is m yonr hands.' By that I apprehend that he meant they could do what. they liked with us j that our lives were m their hands. He told them to take us to the whare, and tie us. When we got opposite the marae, he said, * No ; don't take them to the whare, but to 'the; marae, that the women and children; may be amused.' We were subsequently' taken to the whare, which is a cook« house built of slabs, with spaces between them about two inches wide, and some I wider. They chained oar feet together, having first made us sit down and take i off our boots. They tied our hands behind our backs, and chained our feet together. Just as they had finished doing that a chiet named Te Haere was brought into the whare, and violently pushed m. Te Haere said to ns :' I am glad they have taken me} because I shall be your companion.' Of course, we were very glad to have him with us. Te Kaumarua put a chain and padlock on the door and locked us m. They cleared the whare of everything movable m it, leaving us two mats each, about seven feet long and five feet wide, to lie upon. Te Haere then asked for water, and they brought him m a bucketful, m which he washed his mouth, which was bleeding very much. Te Haere was not. chained, but had no clothes on except his shirt and trousers. That evening they gave him four small -pieces of firewood to put upon the little fire that was burning m the whare. They brought us back our pipes and some tobacco which they had previously taken from our coats. Te Haere filled our pipes, lighted them, and pat them m our mouths., In the evening we asked them to bring us some water to drink, and they answered, 'You have water there.' Being told, *It is dirty with the man's blood,' they replied that it did not matter* ; that we must drink it if we were thirsty. That was all we had todrink during the 41 hours we wev& confined. I asked them to tie our hands m front instead of behind, but they refused. I asked this to be done so that I might lie easier and be able to .brush,., away the mosquitos. ..., The mosquitos were very troublesome, and the only way I could brush them off was by rubbing my face on the ground. We past a most painful night. I could not lie on my back, as my hands were tied behind, nor could I lie on my side for the p'airi m the arms and shoulders was excruciating. We were left all night with nothing but our 3hirts trousers, socks, and hats, and there | was no pillow or fern to rest our heads on. Owing to our cramped position our arms and legs became very painful. They offered U3 nothing to eat thai night. Two men kept guard round the whare | all night. About half-past 6 that morning they came and emptied our trousers' pockets, and, amongst other things, they stole £10 m cash; our hats were also taken. About 8 o'clock they brought m some potatoes, but as they would not untiejour hands, we could not eat them. At noon some pork, potatoes, and the leaves of the kamokamo, or marrow, boiled, were thrown down beside our heads— a band* ful to each. We did not eat any of it. We asked them to untie our hands, that we might eat, but they took no notice of our request. About 5 o'clock m the evening, Te Mahuki, who was close to the whare were we we were, called but to his people iv a loud voice, urging them them to be strong and persistent ; that the laws which Jehova had made had not yet been fulfilled. I then became frightened, as I thought; the expression probably meant that we had yet to be killed. The door of the whate was immediately opened, and the natives entered, and our pipes, tobacco, and knife were taken away. At sunset we were visited again, and made secure for the night Both evenings at about dusk the people gathered round our whare and performed hakas, shouted and yelled, and spoke derisively of us. It was very cold the second night, and we tried to keep ourselves warm by swaying to*and-fro, back to back. About 6 o'clock the next morning they came m with two padlock s,and tightened our ankle chains and locked them. The ropes on our wrists were also tightened. About 8 o'clock we heard the Ngatimaniapoto party call out on one side of the whare that they were coming, and immediately afterwards we heard Te Kooti call out on the other side, m Maori, *Itis I ! It is I J my children."

When I heard these calls I strained on my band ropes, and by dint of great exertion slipped them off. When they were tying up my hands I always tried to keeptae wrists a little apart. Mr Newskam also managed to get off his ropes. 1 looked out between the slabs and saw the Ngatimaniopoto party close to the house, headed by Kahu and Wetere's daughter. Somebody then exclaimed, •Let us talk/ but Kahu answered, *No, talk was dbheyesterday','' and rushing up to the door of the whare, smashed it open with two blows of his fist. The men on guard assaulted him from behind, but being a very powerful man, he knocked both of them off, and they did not not again approach him. By the time they had entered I had^ after great exertion, removed the chain off my right foot, and Wetere's daughter removed the chain from my left foot. The Maoris tried to get the chains .off Newsham, but they could not manage it, whereupon I got two stones out of a Maori oven, and smashed the padlock. I then seized a. piece of chain as a weapon, and went outside. When I got outside I found the Ngatimaniopoto rescuing party had got four or five of Te Kaumarua tied up (the rescuing party including T© Kooti). Then aS shook hands with me, upon, which"! fairly broke down and wept. I 'mm very weak for want. of food, and overcome with anxiety. Te Kooti then I took us up to Te Kuiti, about two and a half miles away, and gave us food, coats, hats, and boots, but the boots not fitting I was obliged to remain barefoot.