GRAVE CHARGES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 177, 19 August 1909, Page 2

GRAVE CHARGES

AGAINST A CLERGYMAN. ALLEGED CRUELTY TO NATIVES. FINDING OF AN ENQUIRY. By Cable.—Press Association.—*jopyrigat Received 18, 7.25 p.m. Brisbane, August 18. Government officials have concluded an enquiry into grave charges made against the Rev. Nicholas Hey, superintendent of the Mapooii Mission, involving alleged cruelty to natives. The charges were made by. Michael Baltzer end were circulated in Germany last year by a sister of Baltzer, and communicated officially by Bishop Latrobe, of the "Moravian Board of Missions, io the Australian Presbyterian Board of Missions, who controlled the Mapoon . settlement.

Baltzer alleged that a half-caste girl named Ellen had been unmercifully beaten with whips of stingaree tails for striking Mrs. Hey. Baltzer, in his evidence before the enquiry, stated that the flogging was carried out by lley and himself at the former's instigation. 1 Ellen, in her .evidence, admitted being flogged- and that a dinghy chain ivas' put round her neck after it, but with the exception of that one beating she had been kindly treated at the mission. Hey, in his evidence, stated that Ellen was whipped for assaulting bis wife. He explained to the children who witnessed the punishment why it was given, and how serious the offence was. The girl | received 25 cuts', not 100 as alleged by Baltzeh He asked the latter to carry out the punishment, as he did not like to inflict eorpni-,1 punishment on anvcne. He cons'' ied it a severe whipping. He would have administered the same punishmei'.' to one of his own children under the same circumstances. It appears that llaltzer in August of last year wrote to the Moravian Mission Board voluntarily retracting the charges made against Ileyl Other charges were preferred by Baltzer, but as he could only offer hearsay evidence, the charges -were struck out, , and the Bench, after full enquiry, dis- ' missed the charge against Hey.