TE KOOTI ESCAPES, TROOPS IN PURSUIT. Our Special Visits the Pa. TE KOOTI'S FOLLOWERS UNDER ARREST. Auckland, February 28.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 347, 2 March 1889, Page 4

TE KOOTI ESCAPES, TROOPS IN PURSUIT. Our Special Visits the Pa. TE KOOTI'S FOLLOWERS UNDER ARREST. Auckland, February 28.

Tjw, general topic of public interest Ja»t evening, not only in the city, but tlnoughout. (he whole prou'nee, was the an\iou&ly anticipated march by the (lovcmnient tiuops upon the camp of tho e\ lebel Te KooU and his nutneious band of follower?. News oi the advance of the troops was eatreily awaited, amongst the most anxious oncb being the iiiemlb and lelativebof those who had ic.-pondod to thcu country's call to follow up the aich lebel, who ha-> for the second time, dining a \eiy notable caieer, caused his namo to be a by woid and a tenor to the whole colony. The news t-o longingly looked for did not arnvu, liowe\er, until an ouily houi thid morning, Mnjor l'ortci, of (Jisbor.-ie, who i* in command ot the cjmbincd foices, ha\ing decided for pudential reasons to deter the advance of the tioops till an eaily hour this morning. It appeals that, owing to infoimation ha\ing been supplied to Major l'oiler, the otlicer commanding the (Ji&borne contingent that To Kooti had leturncdto Omaramutu, he caused a sudden and unexpected descent to be made upon the pa at that place, bub the old wanior pto\cd to be nou ei>(, O.ily a small number of hU followers were \ wl/le, and they proved fiiendly enough. i\Uijor Porter then proceeded to Opo'ild, ha\ ing decided not to take any decisive ,--teps !a>t nitjlit, except to .-.end ja message to Te Kooti infoiming him that he would see him in the morning. The cllect of this kindly intimation was to ghetho old carrier timely warning 1 , and, as he e\idently was not favouiably iml)ios;ed with tho intended interview, lie gatheied up his tioops and left, lca\ing tho bulk ot hi> followeia to account for his absence.

ADVANCE OF THE TUOOI\S, The fh&t information recehed of tho ad\tinco of the tioops was published in a St\k E\tiashoitly aftei 8 o clock this morning as folows :- - The combined forces advanced on Waioeka at h\o o'clock this morning under Major J'oiber, of (.! is borne. When near the pa, tliey were met by Te Kooti's followers, upwaids of 300 men. Major Porter advanced svith \Yi Pere, and negotiated with them. The natives informed him that Te Kooti left for Waikato last night alter the policemen icturned with Te Kooti's letter. [The letter lefened to is a .shoib note sent by Te Kooti to Mr Bush last night. In this note Te Kooti wrote, " I will not go on to (lisbornc, but will return to the WaikuLo."] Only his women and two or three men weie with him.

WH Y TH n A DVA^'CE \Y A S DEFERRED. The reason w hy the troops did not march toWuioeUa lastnight was, because Mi Bush, Resident Alagistiate at Opotiki, thought that ib would be a somewhat difHcult matter to arie^t Te Kooti after daik, and because of the possibility of a collision taking place between the tioops and Te Kooti'fc party. Ie was it) order to avoid alarming- Te Kooli and the chance of frightening him away b_y the sudden appearance of an o\peditionaiy iorce, that Major Porter, after enteiing OmaraiDutu, sent a me.-sage totho Maoii wauior stating thai he would see him at WaiocUa next day. This me&sagc [ ha\ing been duly despatched the tioopa proceeded to Opotiki and lemained theie o\ei night. At tluybieak this morning the tioops were on the mo\e, and maiched to Waioeka. The chagiin of the spirited \olunteer toice and their guncralannoyancecanbcimagincd when they di^co\ered that

I TE KOOTL HAD DEPARTED. '1 ho majoiity of hid followers who \\e\e left behuul to tell bhit> unwelcome tale said that then piophet, piieofc, and leadei was on Ins way back to Waikato, and it is not \eiy remai liable that the stoiy was leceivcil uithmoic llian the cu&tomaiy "grain of ealt. "' Even if the story were true it seemed intensely ag^ra\ating thai Te Kooti should have deieired making up his mind to this pacific course until $o much Itoublo had been taken to induce him to gi\e up his pleasure blip to Gihborne. by tihe conjriegation of a numeious armed foice collected fiom all over the colony.

IMMEDIATE PURSUIT ORDERED. The CJo\crnnient having confcuccl on this sudden change in the aspect of affairs decided to adopt u hat seemed to be the only safecouise, and ordeis were sent to Major Poiter that Te Kooti should be puraued with all haste. It was considered likely that Te Kooti, knowing the country almost as a Eiuopean would be acquainted with the geography of his back . yaid, might have taken ad\antage ot .some nathe track, anddoubled back on the loutc ' to Gisborno, and that even while the campat i Waioeka was being visited in quest of his precious self, he was making his way to j Povcity Bay, lull tcai. This probability ! occmred to the Uovernmcnt, and after telegiams had pa&sed between the Premier, Sir Frederick V\ hitakcr, and the Hon. Mr Mitchelson, it was resolved that prompt measures should be taken with the object of thwarting 1 any such mc\ c. Another matter which called for the earnest consideration of the Government was as to what action should be taken with reference to the natives associated "with To Kooti who are now assembled at Wnioeka. The desire expressed by the settleis was that this unwelcome band, which is some three hundred strong, should be compelled to disperse, and return to their homes, some of the number being hold in dread almost equal to that entertained in respect to their leader Te Kooti. It was eventually decided that Te Kooti's followers should bo placed under arrest, and a careful watch wus placed upon ti{eir movements.