CORONER’S INQUEST.

New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 68, 24 March 1843, Page 2

CORONER’S INQUEST.

On Tuesday, the 21st instant, an inquest was held at the Highlander, before John Fitzgerald, M.D., Coroner, and a respectable Jury, on view of the body of “ Parata Wanga,” an Aboriginal native, who was reported to have been shot by a native named Ratia, alias Kai Karoro, a native of Ohaua.

The following is a translation of the evidence brought forward : The information of E Kiri, an aboriginal native, in the district of Port Nicholson, taken and acknowledged on behalf of. our. Sovereign Lady the Queen, touching the.cleatli of Parata Wanga, an aboriginal native ..of New Zealand, at thsshouf&pf Duncan FrazOr, known by the sign of the Highlander, 'in the..district of Port Nicholson, on the 20tli' day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand?! .eight hundred and forty-three, before me, John Fitzgerald, M.D., Coroner for the said district, on an in quisition then and there taken on view of the body of Parata Wanga, an aboriginal native of -New Zealand, then and there lying dead. This informant on oath saith (Mr. George Clarke being sworn Interpreter), I knew the deceased, his name was Parata Wanga, I am at present residing at Pakuao, the deceased was living at the Pah Tiakiwai; yesterday evening, shortly before sunset, Monday, the twentieth of March instant, as I was at Pakuao Pah, a native named Ratia, alias Kai Karoro arrived from Ohaua, the deceased was also there ; Kai Karoro complained to the deceased that he the deceased had cohabited with his wife Neke. After arguing for some time, the matter, as I thought, was settled, they shook hands with each other and sat down; some time after, whilst the deceased was eating, I heard the report of a gun, which I saw after was a double barrelled one, and saw the. deceased fall back on the ground; I looked round,, and saw Kai Karoro discharge the contents of the second barrel at the deceased, the deceased did not speak,- but died immediately ; Kai Karoro then fled across the hills in the direction of Ohaua, I have not seen him since.

Cross-examined. —The deceased was sitting down outside of the warre with Kai Karoro, at a little distance behind him at the time the gun was fired, I did not see him, (Kai .Karoro); 1 saw the smoke from Kai Karoro’s gun immediately after it was discharged. By the Jury.—l did not notice Kai Karoro having a gun in his hand during the altercation between him and the deceased ; after Kai Karoro ran away, I saw him reload the gun as he was running. Thomas Barrow, Labourer. —Yesterday evening, the twentieth of March instant, between four or five o’clock, as I was at work in a brick yard a short distance from the Pakuao Pah, I heard the report of a- gun-; I looked in the direction of the pah from which the report proceeded, I saw a Maori with a gun in his hand, the gun was pointed to the ground, he made a, jump. and., fired, and immediately ran up thehill; he had the gun in his left hand —I thought first it was a dog he had shot at, b> it seeing the natives kneeling down on the ground close to where the Maori had fired off the gun —I went down to Pah Pakuao to see what he had shot; and found a Maori lying dead with a wound under his right breast. -

Cross-examined.—There was not time to' have reloaded a gun between the report. Margaret Reid, aged 9 years, also saw a jyjaoii fire off a gun. and corroborated the preceding evidence. Poroa, a native, was then sworn.—Yesterday 'evening, Monday the 20th of March instant, I was sitting at the Pah by the side of the deceased, eating; it .wajf'h;little before sunset; I heard the report of“ 4, giiri; the de-! me; ,1 M before I haa.tipie to look round*y|;heard the report of, another shot; when; Xlppkbd round, I saw Kai Karoro running towards the,hills with a gun in his hands. , ..Cross-examined —I am a resident at the Pah Pakuao; I went to Kai Warre Warre in the morning of the twentieth ; I had just returned; 1 was.not present at the altercation. Kaku and Ti, aboriginal native women, were present at the time the gun was fired. The Coroner then detailed'to the Jury as follows ;—-J examined the body of Parata Wanga, and found a small wound on the inside of the right thigh, about eight inches above the knee, like to a wound produced by a slug ; I foundanother wound on the right side, about the fifth or,sixth.t|h, similar to fjiellasU '.also a wound ! qver;Yhie" right scapula ; or, shoulder ~l|li*d& and, anptjierijn the left; I also'found; one or eitheir slugs or smalt bullets, under the skinj about the. ghest. , . ; c.; v f .:- X •-:»•*. I Returned a, yefqibt mufdeij aliahKai . , ' ' ; ’ j x ’jfiie extenuating circumstances, of the .case were left to a higher court for discussion;