(From the Daily Times Correspondent)

North Otago Times, Volume I, Issue 4, 21 April 1864, Page 7

(From the Daily Times Correspondent)

I can scarce convey to you the

harassed feelings with which I

sit down to write an account

of the sad tragedy that has a cast so

deep a gloom over our small com-

munity. The ensuring description

of bloodshed, with its accompanying

barbarity, stands without parallel

amidst the many sad incidents

that have for the four years tinged

with disgust the system of savage

warfare provided by the natives of

New Zealand. The affair at

Puketakauere m 1860 does not shock

the feelings of civilization nearly.

as much as that of 6th of April 1864.

We have have often seen bodies brought

Into Taranaki mutilated with toma-

hawk cuts, but never before has it

been our lot of witness such a sight

as five headless corpses by my side

by side. So sudden and unexpected

was the attack that brought about

the sad catastrophe, that if has

been a difficult task to collect

matter for a truthful account, it

is easy to imagine the numerous

tales that become current, origina-

ting m many instances, m the ex-

cited minds of individuals.

It appears that m compliance with

his directions, Captain Lloyd of the

57th left the Waitaki camp m order

to effect a reconnaisance of the

southern spur of the range.

At six o’clock m the morning,

Lieutenant Cox with some of the

57th, and Captain Page with Mcl-

bourne volunteers, crossed the Oa-

kura river from the camp on its

banks, striking inland by the newly

constructed road up the river towards

the foot of the ranges. Here they

halted until joined by Captain

Llyod and his party, the force now

consisting of one Captain, one sub-

altern, two sergeants, one drum-

mer, and 53 rank and file of the

57th, with Dr Jones and one captain,

one subaltern, two sergeants, and

41 rank and file of the Melbourne

volunteers, the united numbers

making a force including Officers

of 101. The march was continued as

near the fort of the ranges towards

the south as the broken state of the

country would admit of the men

having to toil through high feru, tutu

and manuka scrub up one wood-

Ed hillock and down another.

On a portion of table land upon

a rise to the left, a small plantation

was met with. This Captain Lloyd

gave orders to destroy, at the same

time handing his sword to serge-

ant Anderson for the purposes of

cutting it down, taking m exchange

the sergeant’s rifle and ammuni-

tion. Whilst this work was pro-

ceeding, Lieutenant box, with the

right subdivision of 57th ad-

vanced up another rise onto a

flat piece of land. Posting senti-

nels near the ruins of a a quantity

of wares destroyed by the soldiers

on a former occasion. Afterward

six men, under sergeant Ander-

son fill back as a picquet on the

outer spur, carefully searching.

Captain Lloyd now passed to the

front, descending the hill on to the

flat where Captain mace’s horse

was lying dead near a series of

rifle pits, the men after an interval

following down the hill, leaving a

guard of ten men on look out.

The word was now passed to light

pipes, and for the men to make them-

selves at ease; the soldiers and

Volunteers were consequently clus-

tering around the cast road that

leads to the beach. Ten minutes had

scarcely elapsed when from the

thick fern on the spur the natives

poured m a valley, wounding

the man. Upon this occurring,

Captain Lloyd leaped into the

rifle pits, and ordered his men

to seek cover as rapidly as possi-

ble, and open fire towards their

front, the Captain himself re-

plying as quickly as he could

load with the sergeant’s rifle,

which he had retained m his

possession. After firing for some

quarter of an hour, the word was

passed, retire, which the men did

as well as they could through the

thick growth of vegetation, cap-

tain Lloyd and others falling, besi-

des many receiving wounds,

some of which, I am afra id, will

prove mortal, Captain Page

with his men also retired , the

country preclu ding the possibility

of a rarely being effected, three of the

volunteers f alling and five receiv-

ing wounds. A hurried retreat

was made on to wherruirike, a

hill above Big Jack' s Pa (Houra

rigi) near the beach , where they

awaited assistance from town.

During this manoeuvre the small

band was exposed to a galling

c ross fire from th e natives, who,

you must understand, had

rushed down between the force so

as to divide it m two, whils t others,

b y passing southwards, had

flanked the line of retreat.

so soon as tidings reached town,

reinforce ments were immediately

dispatched, a party of the 57 th

hurrying out and passing up the

car t road to the rifle puts of Ahua

Aahua, where they found five head-

less bodies, and a sixth that had

be en deprived of its clothing but

for some reason or other not de-

capitated. May be the five heads

are now stuck on derision

before some native stronghold.

The Bush Rangers, as usual,

took their part. They had been or-

dered to attend the funeral of

sergeant Appleby of the Otago

voluneers, who had died of his

wound, recieved at th e takin g of

Kaitaki, but so soon as the order

was given for them to fall m, regard-

less of changing the i r dress, many

threw off th eir coats, an d with rifle

m hand marched at a very rapsid

rate towards the sceene of disaster.

Near the Oakura m ounted order-

lies onet them with the directious

to push on as quickly as possibl c.

This they did, crossing the river with

out a boat, continui ng by the beach

as far as the Wairau stream, when

they turned inland over the clif f

where Paranga Kingi' s ware

formerly stood. Some of t h e 57th

and Melbourne Volunteers, with

a 24-pounder howityer and a

5½ inch mortar , continued along

the beach to where the remnant

of the party that had marched

m the morning had taken up

position, from whence they passed

up the cart road towards Ahua

Ahua; the Bushrangers crossing

m a diagonal direction through

some swam ps and gullies towards

the same p oint. The Rangers

had proce eded some mile and a

half when th ey fe ll m with one of

the Melbourne men; 150 yards fur-

ther they met with another -they

were both so near and yet unaware

of each others presence. Although

neither were wounded, they were m

a bad state of exhaustion from

excess of agitation , the poor fel-

lows must have remained many

hours es-conced beneath the

shelter of the firm. They described

the natives after the withdrawal

of the force, as howling most pite-

ously, as it for their own dead;

m the countinued advan ce of the

volunteers a thir d man was met

with who, although wounded m

the shoulders , was unaw are of the

fact. The next stage was to the

rifle pits, where they met the military

who had come round by the wood.

The gun having been unlimbered

within range, commenced shel-

l ing bush, when another Mcl-

bourne m an arose from the fern,

waving his hand kerchief on his rifle.

The bodies were brought m to town

by an esc ort of the 57th, Captain

Lloyd lam sorry to sa y, leaves a

widow and family, who have just

ar rived m Taran aki.

The funarals take place tomorrow

it gives an extra feeling of sad-

ness when one reflects that each

coffin contains a headless man.