TE NGUTU-O-TE-MANU.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 235, 28 September 1908, Page 4

TE NGUTU-O-TE-MANU.

COL. ..UcIW.UEIjL VINDICATED. REFUTATION OF MR SHANACIIAN'y ALLEGATIONS. -M'r. J. 11. \Vti!kii"i", of Waitara, an exniciniibcr of the N.LW.R., and ex-Bugler K.R.V.0., w'hii ti.uk p'art in the disastrous assault at Te Ngulti-o-tc-Manu, 'writes- to the editor as follow,s:

"My iit'leiition having been drawn hy .Mr. (lordon. of the Purvey Departnient, to a/1 ell'iisioii 0/ one ./aines ."siunaglian. which appeared in your issue of Monday last (21st inst.,. i desire to .pluvu tile ii.icUs before your numerous readers. Mr Slrauaghan aays that the kite .Major \'ou lempskey .\va.s isacriliced through | the blundering incapacity, if not worse, of ids superior officers, etc. Theiragain. he .remarks: 'We, f'aough colonials, were disciplined .men. and also that jur .commanding ollieer, Colonel McDuiin."!!, ■M'aii completely unuKinne-.l,'' etc, Now, ■Sir, I a.sk yon and your many readers 'Wluit a boy of nineteen, w'ho w.Ts under his maiden lire, knew aliout such iirat'Lcrs. It. is ull.llla.llly to |inake such re-|lh<-tioius upon s-ujcli a, man, partii-ularly k',o k.nowi'ng tiliit the said ollicer Ims ■gone to 'his .hist .posit. Now, Sir, the hoy ■Shannighau wa.s one of those who retired with the first, batch of .men w'h.i ■left: the (■ug'agi'Ui.enl, and the late Col. |M!el)onneH Ikept liiin. in front lest he .should be left n.s "'kai mate iwi .Maori.' .M'r. .Sliunaplhiiu goes on to say: 'Well, the Coloncf had gone, and with' him the bulk of the. .men, including, I regret to

,say. several of our own company.' 1 ■think ho iJh'ould have been careful of .wlilat" he fiiiys, for he .was also one of the swine parly, Again, he says Unit Col. ..MolXmncll .was reclining oil his elhow, and 'our brave old Major was 'walking to and fro ivi'tHi sword in hand, .etc., and goes mi 110 talk 'a.s though-hot« jstill the boy he was at Unit period, .Fusil fancy, Sir, an experienced oilier like the said warrior belling a boy of .nineteen iilnvt he wau (disgusted, e'te.! (Proceeding, Mr. .Sihanaghan .says that .thirty were killed before Major .llunt-'n ■was khot. What rt)t! Major .Hunter nun ,110't .kiilied that day at a,ll, but at Okoluk.ll two month's later. H.e further) titwlos th'at .lluii'ter ,\nvs shot idead aibutit ■len paces" from, the body oi Von Teinp■skey. iiot asain! :soine mien refused to go with him, and, ma.kes a rambling .statement about Oap,t;iin liuck-ilhat. four of tliein. went for iVon '.lA"iinps,key'si b'od'y, tha'l Hunter ami ,I'iiiek were, .killed, wild .len'sen and '«' .(S'haiKighan) were wounded. sSir, I assure ;you and your readers that at the. .lime the. Jute lanien'ted Captain Butk ,\vaw shoit, the hoy Shanaghan was a long: iw'ay on 'his road towardK Waihi with' 'Mi bulk of thin men. Col. McDonnell and the bulk of the men hud retired /Tongiere poor lhiek fi'll ai corpse. Wily, the (boy ■S'hann.ghan was so bewildered .'that Irad lanyttne told 'hint he. had loistl llriis head lie would have believed iti' jAlfouit 'twelve yearn ago I called .upon ,'lhe said ,1. Shanagiian, and ,when ,1 .fin sliioK'd hi'in about hi» being .pre-

,-,ei.'t at the death of the inuehi-hiincnted l .'.ipt'ain liu.uk,"lre informed me that »»'' |ing to his .youth he had .but 'small recollections of the sad event of that engagement. -.V'ft now, knowing that the gajlant Colonel iMbDonnell is dead, and l cannot nlefeml hini'sol.f, he .malves' auehl .unaeieountaihlic assert ion's 'against aim-in iw'bom he ought'to feel grateful to, and' hold hijs .memory in the highest .es'teenii io\viii(g to Obe pains- tluit the said officer 'look for hiis (Slinnaglran's) 'safety. Sir, it grieves niiy heart to isec laiteh bast assertions .levelled agaiinsl. .such brave ii-.i-n. as the 'highly-esteemed odieers. Major Von Teuipsikev iind Colonel Tills. 'McDonnell, men of ,whoini all New Zealand or anyflother country should be proud to do lienor to. their names. 1 do not wish in insinuate that (he'repre-srii'tatw-r- of the .AuA-laud Herald has embellished the base and absurd .statement's made.ihutil do re'all'v regret that' he should be iso gulled ami misled a|s to give ei'i'deiKT to siK J lr s'iatomcirtu 'lis titiiso made ,bv a. penson who Was mt the time of Te .Ngiit.u onlv nineteen yea"'* of aga." ' .