MURDER BY MAORIS NEAR CAMBRIDGE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 50, 7 May 1873, Page 3

MURDER BY MAORIS NEAR CAMBRIDGE.

(From the Weekly News.) It appears that a man named Jones came into the township with the tidings that a European named Sullivan had Been shot by a party of Maoris. An expedition was at once organised under Major Clare, and proceeded in search of the body, which wu discovered near the spot indicated by Jones.., The head had been cut off, and the heart taken out. There was a gungsliot wound, as from a slug, on the back under the. right shoulder blade. The body was at once 1 taken into Cambridge. Poutururu (or Bill) was the only one of the party of Maoris recognised by Jones. A Mr. Parker was afterwards fired at about u mile from the scene of the outrage, by the same party, an hour later. Neither Mr. Parker nor a man who was with him was' wounded. The Maoris are believed to have gone in the direct ion of Aratetaha. coroner’s inquest. VERDICT : WILFUL AND BRUTAL MURDER. A Coroner’s inquest was held at Cambridge on Friday, the 25th April, upon thS body of Timothy Sullivan. After the jury had viewed the body, the following evidence was taken:— David Jones deposed : I was with the deceased on the 21th of April at Pukukura, between, seven or eight miles from here, when four armed natives come on us. I stopped for a minute to make certain that they were following us, and then said to the deceased and Bogers to run for our lives or we were all dead men. We ran on together. Sullivan ran for three-quarters of a mile and was then shot. We continued running, the native who shot Sullivan followed us for two miles further and then shot at me, and called out to the other natives to give up the chase. The native who shot Sullivan was the same that shot at me. His name is Poutururu. —E. K. Walter deposed having, received information'of Sullivan’s murder, I immediately proceeded to the spot. After a search I found the body, which had been horribly mutilated. The head was off, and the trunk ripped from the neck to below the navel. The heart was torn out, and portions of the lungs, liver, and intestines were lying from one to three yards, from the body. There were marks, of a naked foot on the body, as if some one had placed 'Mis foot on it while tearing out the viscera.—A verdict of “ Wilful and brutal against Pin te Poutiiruru, and three other natives unknown,”

was returned, with a rider—“ That the Government be requested to take steps to prevent such horrible outrages for the future.” It will be remembered, that some time ,ago a rumor was current that several Europeans had been fired at on Messrs. Douglas and Walker’s' form, near Cambridge. The rumor turned out to be greatly exaggerated, the foundation for the statement being a quarrel between certain Maoris and a few Europeans who were then employed at ditching work on Messrs. Walker and Douglas’s property: It would appear that the murder of Sullivan is the result of the quarrel above referred'to. The -fatal ehot, was fired by Parukutu, who belongs to the Ngatihaua, or Thompson’s tribe. Hq. is a worthless sort of fellbw, and is supposed to have about 20 followers, men of his awn stanipL He is a man without any influence whatever, and it is supposed he may thus be trying to york himself: into. favor with any restless spirits that may to amongst the Maoris’ in their different settlements. The Ngatiraukawas are quiet and frie*nißy, and hare leased large portions of their land to. Mr., Buckland and others. It is the opinion of those who are in constant communication with the k&ridpa tribes of natives in the Waikato district that the present murder has no political significance, and is the- outcome simply'of tite old quarrel between the natives and the mniwered man.

(Ilawhe’s Bay Jerald’s own correspondent.) , Messrs. Hugh Rose, Troup, and Gaisfonty arrived in town this morning, having ridden through from Napier via Patea and Taupo. At the various native settlements along the route they were everywhere hospitably entertained. However, upon teaching a spot within thirty-two miles of Buckland’s homestead, a party of natives,/represriftfog thpdisdlves to be out pig hunting, warned the travellers to beware of Hau Haus. This incident,happened on the day following' Timothy Sullivan’s '* murder. Shortly afterwards they came upon a survey party, including Messrs. Tregiar and Moon, who were quite ignorant of'the recent outrage, but seemed doubtful of their personal safety. On their arrival the Tollowing day-' at Mr. Buckland’s farm they learned the news of Sullivan’s murder, and congratulated themselves that they had escaped. 1 ■ '