A DEMENTED MAORI.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 12, 17 April 1916, Page 2

A DEMENTED MAORI.

I Some excitement was caused on | Wednesday on the Normanby road I midway between Okaiawa and' Manaia, i through a Maori becoming demented i (reports the correspondent of the Hawera Star). A meeting was in progress in the vicinity of the- old Okaiawa pa, and on Monday the native in question wandered down to the toll-gate, ivhera •be asked some strange questions of tha lady in charge. Among other things he wanted to know if she had the telephone on, and if there was a police station in Okaiawa. The man's manner was as strange as his questions, and whjiirhe passed out of sight the lady tcok the cash, locked up, and jwent to a neighbour's for the night. (The man was not seen en Tuesday, but t early on Wednesday morning he again ' appealed at the toll-gate, and his behaviour was stranger then ever, and ■ was such as to cause the lady in charge considerable alarm. She locked [ the doors, which the Maori tried to [.break open. He then tried to catch ,the dog, expressing his intention of ' killing it. His next performance was jto climb on top of the water-tank. ; From there he sprang on tap of a large boxthorn fence, and elth'ough barefooted, walked along it for some distance. Some Maoris appeared on the scene, and attempted to .capture t' e man, who made off over a paddock. The iolice were rung up. The Manaia constable was engaged in court, and (Hii'd not come, and the Normanby constable was away, but Hawera promptly sent out two men. Before their arrival, however, the Maori had been caught by the other natives and taken in a car to Hawera, where he was medically examined. The Maori came from the Patea district.