THE MATENGA MADNESS.

NZ Truth, Issue 142, 7 March 1908, Page 5

THE MATENGA MADNESS.

A PRESS-MADE BUSHRANGER. Jury Find Him Not Guilty. Gisborneites Proclaim Prosecution Pitiful and Paltry. (From Our Special—By Wire.)

The daily press-made bushranger, Hare Matenga, came up for trial at the Gisborne Supreme Court on Tuesday before Mr Justice Chapman. Matenga is a middle-aged Maori whose hair is turning grey, and he looks as timid as a mouse. Instead 1 of a blood-thirsty, murderous-looking individualj- Matenga is just a harmlesslooking, tired, easy-going native who could not ever be used to frighten children to sleep. This is the individual the New Zealand press have boomed as a Sbushranger and for whose capture it was . deemed necessary to send out armed police forces who apparently could not get within reach of him. The police, perhaps, are not to -blame, and Judge Chapman, m his charge to the Grand Jury, . sadd it was possible for one man to elude police pursuit for years. The same Judge also thought it necessary to tone down the

DAILY PRESS HYSTERICS about its bushranger, and termed Matenga's camp robberies mere depredations. Anyhow, the police were five years after Matenga, whose original crime, or alleged crime, was horse-stealing, and on .Tuesday a jury said he was not guilty. For five years the poor harmless native was hunted, and his captors are not slow to admit that he is harmless, but a •bit barmy, and that he was more frightened than anything else. It wasin 1902 that Matenga was alleged to have stolen at. Tuparoa a dark iron grey mare belonging to another native. Matenga later sold an iron grey mare to Henry McClutchie for a fiver. .. There is no doubt that the mare was stolen by somebody or other, but Matenga told the Court that he \ SWOPPED A HORSE for an iron grey with a native named Wiremu Hauriki and that the horse he sold to McClutchie was the same one he had secured m the swop. The Crown struck a mare's nest when it set out to prove that Wiremu was m gaol about' 'the time of the swopping transaction, but it made a mess of "it. The jury took ten minutes to consider the case, and ' said "Not guilty" "with emphasis. The jury lieved Matenga's story, and certainly did not view him as a blood-thirsty wretch, .. seeking whom he might plunder and murder. Indeed, a European Crown witness, who had known Matenga for twenty years; declared Kirn to bean honest, industrious fellow, who did nobody any harm whatever. This is the poor hunted devil that such a fuss has been made over all these years. How jnuch money has been spent m effecting his capture should : be made public through Parliament. It was for 'walking into a Maori pa led by a bushie, who has since biecome a policeman, that two Wellington de-

He drives a skittish young filly, Does Reid, whose front name is Billy, You can gamble, foedad,, When-you get m his cab That you'll get there willy or nilly.

tectives were liberally rewarded. "Truth" isn't blaming the demons ; good luck ;to them every time, but what everybody, m Oisborne is indignant about Was that the press of New 'Zealand should deliberately proclaim A POOR, SCARED NATIVE a murderous fiend, whereas he got a bad fright because policemen wanted him, and he did riot even know what for. Moreover, as long as he kept away m the wilds the' police never had a chance of ,natrt>ing him. The acquittal of the poor devil gave a lot of satisfaction to many m Oisborne who .simply describe the whole busi-; ness as a farce. Though acquitted of 'horse-stealing, the Crown intend proceeding against lilatenga on other charges of camp-pilfering, and they are very paltry, too: Later. Hare Matenga was tried on Wednesday on a charge of stealing a watch, chain, and pendant, the property of Alfred Brothers at Matu, on October 12 last. He pleaded not guiity. Counsel Finn urged, m defence, ' that accused was irresponsible for his acts, having turned a wild man of the woods. The evidence bore out the previous assertions that Matenga was more frightened than anything else, and m his story he admitted the theft. He stated that he went into' the whare to secure a gun so that ,the, Europeans miight not shoot, him. The jury found him guilty. Matenga pleaded guilty to another charge 1 of stealing a gun. His Hbrfor Justice Chapman sentenced the prisoner to twelve months' imprisonment on each charge, sentences to be concurrent. , Green the bushman, who led the search party, was not made a policeman as stated, but received fifteen bob a day and £20 reward for walking into a Maori pah and pointing Matenga out to Broberg and Skinner.