ROBBERY AT WAIRARAPA.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume I, Issue 23, 15 March 1845, Page 2

ROBBERY AT WAIRARAPA.

The following depositions relating to this robbery, were taken before the Magistrates at Wellington — (Copy.) Wellington, 10th March, 1845. James Bell being sworn states — I am in the employ of Mr. Barton as superintendant of a grazing station, near Mungaroa, on the East Coast of New Zealand. On the 17th February last, a party of nartives headed by a chief named " Wereta," from Waraurangi, about forty miles from Mr. Barton's station, came to my hut, and asked me to give him a present. I gave him a shirt and a pair of tro'wsers, and some pipes ami tobacco. He then told me he should leave on the following morning. They however remained all the next day, and another canoe load of natives arrived on that day ; they behaved very civilly to me then ; on the next morning I went out to look after the sheep ; I soon afterwards returned to the hut, and saw the chief Werlta collar a native and knock him down. He jumped on him ; I enquired of t!ie man who was living with me, named Charles Jones, what Wereta was beating the native for, aud understood that they were quarrelling because one of Wereta's natives took our part and said it was wrong to rob us. Jones got into a passion because Wenttlfc took a pair of trowsers from him and|^H| them on. I asked Wereta what was the ralff^ ter : he said he had been strugfhug with Jones in the house, and he would have nothing but Jones' head in payment for the insult that he (Jones) had offered to him. After he became calmer, he said he would take some trade in payment ; he then went into the house, and I gave him two pairs of trowsers, two shirts, and one cap, and put the remainder of the goods into the cask. The chief Wereta, then went away apparently quite sa-* tisfied, and returned in about two hours. He got into a rage and told me that he would have nothing in payment but both our heals. I said I would give him no more payment ; he then went to the cask and took all its contents out, except six grubbing hoes ; he then took away six spades and my double-barrelled gun, shot belt, and powder flask, and re- 1 mained in and out o* the hut all that day. On the following morning he went away, taking articles with him, namely, three pairs of blankets, five cotton rugs, three shirts, two pairs of trowsers, one cap, seventy-six pounds of tobacco, and six giubbing hoes, and about eight gallons of turpentine, and a few other things which I cannot enumerate ; he threatened us with our lives in case we should inform the people of Port Nicholson of his conduct ; he left us that morning, but left his men behind him, who threatened us with vio-; lence, and took away several things from us. They said we were slaves to Mr. Barton/ and Mr. Barton was a slave to the Governor,and the Governor a slave to the Queen ; that the Governor was afraid of them, and if they killed us ie would be taken no notice of, as there were gentlemen killed at the Wairau, and that was taken no notice of, and as we were slaves that we would, never be thought of. I then told Charles Jones that I would never be treated as they were at Wairau, that 1 would take one or two-glasses of spirits and then pitch into them. 1 took three -glasses of spirits -and' toltf?-" 1 Jones to be ready, and I then took hold of * boarding pike and struck several of the natives over the head with it. - Jones then came and held me, and the natives tied me hand and foot ; they then carried off my chest, and a chest belonging to Mr. Barton, and made roe lie down on ray bed, having my hands and feet tied for about five hours; they then brought back both chests, and untying me, made me flpen the one belonging to me, and carried off all the contents, which consisted of clothes ; they brought back all the clo hes on the following morning, and distributed them amongst the natives I had struck the day before. I was then taken unwell, and I proceeded on my journey to Wellington, to complain of the case, where I arrived last Thursday. On my way to Wellington, I stopped three days unwell at Te Kopi. The natives of that place had been up to my hut before I left it, to arrange the quarrel between me and Wereta's people,'but they afterwards, when we were alone, only laughed at and abused us. At Te Kopi, the natives talked of those of the East -Cape, and Taupo, and Waikato, coming to

kill the white people at Wairarapa and the Hutt, and that all the natives would unite fop the purpose, like the white people, without distinction of tribes. They did not wish me to leave, and tried to prevent me coming, but I got away with a chief, Erawi, who belougs to Te Kopi, as far as Mr. Russell's station, and the next morning instead of going to the Pah with Erawi, I slipped away. In answer to questions by the Magistrates. — Wereta, when he was quarrelling with the other native, said that he would kill any native who took the part of the white man. The natives who pillaged me at the hut, and others at Te Kopi, said that they would not let me go to Wellington, because I should fetch soldiers and constables to kill them, and that Habouka, a Hawke's Bay Chief, had been taken prisoner for stealing from a white man, and {hat they supposed the same would be done to them. I had been living at the hut, taking care of Mr. Barton's sheep, with Charles Jones, and a boy of seventeen years old, about three week?, aud had been on very good terms indeed with the natives about the place, who were very few in number. The natives who robbed me were strangers to me, and came in a canoe, about sixteen in number. When Jones held me he did so because he had no weapon, and thought resistance to them imprudent, and that the only way to save our lives was to pretend that I was drunk and he sober, and to use his influence with the natives by appearing to take their part. Wereta's people talked of the number of white people .they had robbed on the coast at different times. Sworn before us this tenth day of March, 1845. Wellington. „. , C Chas. Clifford, J.P. Signed. | w Wakefield> j >p>

(copy.) Wellington, 10th March, 1845. Richard Barton of the Hutt valley, Port Nicholson, Esquire, states on oath that more than two years ago, in January, 1843, I met with the chief E Kai, some of whose people had been working for me at clearing land, and he requested me to go to Wairarapa and instruct the natives how to clear land, and grow grain, and said that he would give me some land to begin with. He afterwards yisited me on the Hutt, and repeated his request, and I gave him some presents of clothing, and grain and other things. E Kai was soon afterwards drowned at Wairarapa, and I gave up all thoughts of going there. In November, 1844, twq natives brought me a letter signed by several others, stating that E Kai had set apart some laud for me before his death, and that all parties wished me to go and occupy it. I went the following month and saw it, and entered into an engagement for it for a term of years, at twelve pounds per year. The natives set up all the boundary stones, and signed a deed, men, vvoraen, and children, and [ took possession of it in January, of this year, by sending up a herd of cattle, and a flock of sheep, and three people with stores for twelve monihs. The natives built a house for me before my arrival. I placed James Bell in charge of the station with two assistants. Charles Jones, and James Cameron. The value of my stores amounted to between fifty and sixty pounds. (Signed) R. Barton. Sworn before us this tenth day of March, 1845. Wellington, New Zealand. /o- j\ \ Chas. Clifford, J. P. (Signed) | Wi Wakefield> j. Pi