The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 1876.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 124, 17 June 1876, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 1876.

The decision of the Bench yesterday, in reference to the four Maoris charged with assaulting J. IT. Laurie, was, with out exception, one of the most extraordinary, as well as unsatisfactory, that could be well conceived, and on what ★possible grounds the magistrates occupying the Bench arrived at their very singular decision is an unexplained enigma to every one but themselves. The remarks that fell from the Chair■man, in dismissing the information, in no way elucidated matters—indeed, if anything, seemed to render things more obscure. The absurdity of reading defendants a lecture, telling them, as well as the Maoris generally, that they would not be allowed to ride rough-shod over the whites, whilst practically giving them permission to do so, by discharging the defendants, could not bo excelled, and, were the joke not quite so personal to the pakeha community, might no doubt bo keenly appreciated. As it is, wo only echo the feeling of every one in the district, Maoris excepted, in saying that greater dissatisfaction has rarely been stirred up, and that the decision is generally regarded, not only as unrighteous, but as likely to prove most mischievous in time to come. There could be no question that a disturbance was caused by ft parly of drunken Maoris ; that the white men there were •assaulted and beaten; that at least .three of the defendants were present during the row, and that one of them was seen, in the act of endeavouring to strike .the complainant. Whether his blows reached their mark or not is not the question, the attempt constituted an assault, as every articled clerk of a week’s standing could tell, and as all magistrates, honorary or stipendiary, ought surely to know. Why, then, in the face of direct evidence to this effect, was Te llama let off, encouraged, 'in fact, to go and repeat the exploit? jDuring the hearing of the case, it was -.elicited that there were several other while men at the hotel during the melee, and the Resident Magistrate asked why complainant had not subpoenaed them? ’The latter explained, first, that.ho bad been so severely maltreated, as hardly to be conscious of-what bo did, and in the second place, that lie did not know these witnesses would be required. Trial they should have been compelled bi airem) is uitjucsUormhle, but a man j

like Laurie, not very deeply versed in, legal proceedings at any time, and pro-' bably rendered still more obtuse by the brutal usage he met with, was, not supposed to know what he should or should not do. This, under any circumstances, was a quasi-criminal matter, and, from its surrounding circumstances, should have been specially so regarded.. No aid, however, was afforded by the police, and Laurie had to light Ins battle alone, to lose it in the face of evidence, ignored by the Bench, sufficient to fully convict Te llama before any ordinary tribunal. iSnch being - the case, why did not the Bench deal boldly with that offender, and adjourn the hearing, for the purpose of obtaining „the evidence of those men the Resilient Magistrate said ought to have been subpa'inn-d ? So far from there being any desire evinced to sift the matter to the bottom, there seemed to be almost an anxiety to get rid of it, as soon and as speedily as possible. It was done, but the whole a Hair reflects very little credit on the administration of justice in the Patea district. Lnuiie lias been beaten and kicked, knocked down, and rendered senseless, and by way of a wind up was mulcted in a guinea costs, a fitting termination to the whole a flair, as far as the local authorities and dispensers of the law are concerned.