THE NATIVES AND WITCHCRAFT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5734, 15 August 1879, Page 5

THE NATIVES AND WITCHCRAFT.

(mi PIIES3 AGENCY.) NapIBB, Thursday.

A remarkable affair is reported from Reponare, a Maori settlement near Gisborne, Poverty Bay. A native named Henare, at the beginning of last week was found by Mr. Chambers, junior, lurking in the bush about his sheep run ; he came out at night and begged for food, but in the day time he again retired to the bush. His strange conduct caused Mr. Chambers to question him, when the poor fellow stated that he had been accused of witchcraft, found guilty and sentenced to death, and he was , now lying in concealment to avoid the natives. Mr. Chambers at once communicated with the police at Ormond, and Sergeant Kidd despatched Constable Yillers to Keponaro to make inquiries into the truth of Henare’s assertion. The result of the inquiry was to establish the accuracy of the poor fellow’s tale. It seems that nearly a dozen natives made a formal complaint about him, alleging various acts of witchcraft, and demanding an investigation, -A runanga was accordingly Held, and a committee of influential chiefs, including a native clergyman, was appointed to hold the inquiry. Heuare was found guilty and sentenced to death, though the precise manner in which the sentence was,to he carried into effect does not appear. He retired to his whare, but at nightfall quietly escaped, goon after he had got clear of the pah, the natives, surrounded his whare and set fire to it, .probably thinking that he was inside. Henare then made his way to Mr. Chambers’ station. The natives found when they burned the whare that he had escaped, and they then set themselves to the task of discovering his whereabouts, and succeeded, in spite of bis watchfulness, in tracing him to the bush. As he was clearly on Mr. Chambers’ land, the natives appear to have doubted their right to' follow him, and held a meeting to discuss the matter. They decided to demand Henare from his protector, and I he next day requested Mr. Chambers to give him up, threatening to carry him off by force if their demands were not complied with. Constable Villers, however, appeared on the scene at this juncture, and Heuare gladly placed himself under the protection of the law. He was evidently in great fear lest his people should capture him, and accordingly Constable Villers took him to Ormond and provided him with temporary lodgings at the police station.