POLICE REPORT. Tuesday, 10th March, 1846. Before Henry St. Hill, Esq.,

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 75, 14 March 1846, Page 3

POLICE REPORT. Tuesday, 10th March, 1846. B efore Henry St. H ill, Esq.,

Wiremu and Kumete, two natives, were examined before Henry St. Hill, Esq., Police Magistrate, in the gaol, charged with having been concerned in the robberies that took place in the valley of the Hutt on Sunday, the Ist in st. Thomas Jackson Hughes stated, that on that day his children informed him that a body of natives were coming towards the house; he went out, locked his door, and saw about 10 of them; one of the natives asked him for the key, which he refused to give, when he (the native) immediately pulled the window out of the frame, and went through into the house; three or four natives followed, and then deponent opened the door, when a general pillaging commenced, and after they had taken everything of any value, they decamped ; they all presented their guns at witness ; witness swore most positively to the two prisoners as being two of the party of natives who came to his house on the day in question. A neighbour who was in the house at the time corroborated the statement of Hughes, but swore only to the Prisoner Kumete. Charlet Collis stated that a party of natives came to hi 3 house on Sunday, the Ist instant, and robbed him of everything of any value; swears to the prisoner Kumete, but cannot identify Wiremu as being there ; Kumete was armed with a cutlass, which he flourished about in a threatening manner. William Sennox stated that on Thursday, the 26th February, a party of three or four natives came to his house, stole a quautity of bed clothing and wearing apparel, and then proceeded to his pigstye, and killed a large pig weighing about 2 cwt., and* maimed another with their tomahawks; they carried away the one they had killed, but witness succeeded in getting the other one from them ; swears positively to the prisoner Kumete as being one of the party ; has known him for 15 months, and cannot be mistaken, but cannot swear to the other prisoner.

.Tamet M'Kellup stated that he had been robbed of some shirts, &c, by a party of natives; swears to Kumete as being one of them. Other witnesses were examined who fully identified Kumete as being concerned in all the robberies — and both prisoners were committed to take their trial at the Supreme Court.