PAGES FROM THE PAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1922, Page 9

PAGES FROM THE PAST.

THE TARANAKI WARS. MAORI FORCES INCREASE. SOME SHARP ENGAGEMENTS, (By “Juvenis.”) Last week we left the British forces " 10 "ere engaged win, tile natives at tee Aaitarn in possession of Wi'Kingi’s I-had been vacated at night, .lira trouble wa4 not confined to the ■'aitara; i t began to spread to an extent that was truly alarming to the European pioneers of the settlement. On Friday, March 23. news was brought to town, of the defection of Manahi and his people at the native reserve called Ratapihipihi. on the Barrett Road. This old chief and his people i 1 , 3 ' 1 ? n,t recently sworn allegiance .to British, and were armed "for their On the -following day news arrived that several hundred natives of the laranaki and Ngatiruanui tribes were on their way to Ratapihipihi, and that the advanced guard numbering 70 men had already arrived and danced the war dance. It was reported that thev intended to create a diversion in favor of Wi King! by menacing the settlement m that direction. In the evening, at about 9.30 o’clock, 250 troops from the camp at Waitara marched into town, bringing three field guns with them, VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION. On Sunday, the 25th. at 4 a.m., 130 Taranaki Rifle Volunteers and Militia. o: the 05th Regiment, lined to Ratapihipihi, the natives having already commenced to kill the settlers’ cattle and sheep and to commit other depredations. r j lie Volunteers, led bv Major Herbert, formed the advance, and proceeded in skirmishing order under Captain Stapp within range of the rebels on no account to engage the rebels in the forest having been issued before the expedition started, the skirmishes fell back upon the troops in good order without provoking attack. The plan for this particular service was well laid, and would have cut off the natives and placed them between the fire of the troops and militia, who were to have reached the enemy by different roads. On Monday, the 26th. firing was heard at Ratapihipihi, and was supposed to be arrival of reinforcements. The enemy, with the intention of encompassing' the town, commenced to build a pa on Burton’s Hill, on the Barrett, or Mountain Road. The volunteers and militia were busily engaged in erecting small stockades. digging rifle pits, and in strengthening the Kawau pa. The Niger arrived from Manukau with 30 men of the 65th Regiment. The Rev. Mr. Wollaston reported the death of Sarten. From the the ball that struck him having entered near his left hip. passed through his body, and was cut out from his rigfit breast. Five hundred Taranakis and Ngatiruanuis arrived at Huirangi.

MURDER AT GMATA. On Tuesday, the 27th. intelligence was brought into town that Wi Kingi’s natives were about to build two large pas, one on Teira’s land, and the other outside the boundary. They were to be near to one another, and were to be built of puriri. About five o'clock intelligence was brought to town of the murder of three settlers at Omata. The victims were Mr. Samuel Ford, a saddler and merchant of New Plymouth; Mr. S. Shaw and Air. 11. Passmore, farmers of Omata. These persons while on their way to different parts of the block were shot, down by natives concealed behind a furze hedge near to the Primative Methodist chapel, and were afterwards tomahawked. Mr. Ford was on his way to se.e some sheep on Mr. Grayling’s farm, and had that morning ridden out to Moturoa with Mr. George and purchased six of his bullocks. Mr. Ford proceeded from Moturoa towards Omata alone, and on passing the stockade was Air. H. Passmore was out with his bullocks and cart for the purpose of obtaining some puriri fencing. His bullocks yoke was taken off and thrown into the hedge. Shaw accompanied Passmore, and was supposed to have been going to his farm to milk his cows. Information was given to the men at the stockade by Air. AV. Gilbert, who as he was riding along the road, saw a body lyback ajid gave the intelligence. A party then proceeded to recover the bodies, and on arriving at the spot found three corpses lying within a few yards of each other, and they also saw a native in the act of taking off Air. Ford’s eoat. They fired at the native but missed him, and he ran off. Ford and Passmore appeared

to have died instantaneously, but Shaw had evidently struggled for some time. Passmore and Shaw were tomahawked and Parker were reported missing. ENGAGEMENT AT AVAIREKA. Qn Wednesday, 28th,. news arrived in town that the two boys, Parker and Pole, had been found by the Rev. H. H. Brown, dead and dreadfully tomahawked. No. 10 Company of the Gsth Regiment, commanded by Colonel Alurray, 25 blue jackets, under Lieutenant Blake, and 102 volunteers and militia proceeded to Omata with the intention of rescuing the Rev. H. H. Brown, his family, with other settlers who still remained out in that district. Before the departure of the volunteers and militia they were addressed by the Governor, who expressed a hope that they woui-l guns, fired from Alarsland Hill, brought all stragglers from town, and Captain Cracroft, from the Niger, with 60 blue rocket-tube and rockets. The troops proceeded along the road, and the volunteers and militia went by the beach, and proceeded inland diagonally from Paritutu towards the AA'aireka stream at Omata. They were engaged as soon as they came within range of the enemy, who came down from the hill on the them. After the departure of the troops, volunteers, and militia from town, the Niger’s men took up a temporary position near to the boat house, and an officer went to the truck of the flagstaff on Alarsland Hill. As soon as he perceived that the engagement had begun he ran down Brougham Street without his hat, and with his cutlass at h:.s shoulder, and at once led his men off to the scene of action. Intelligence soon arrived in town i<hat Sergeant Fahcv of the militia was killed, the gallant Captain Blake severe-

ly wounded, and that the volunteers were hotly engaged and were running out of ammunition, and were surrounded until succoured by the soldiers and sailors. Tim excitement in town was intense. AVhen night closed in the soldiers returned, and also a party of the blue jaekeis with some of the’wounded, it was then learned that the blue jackets under Captain Cracroft, after firing a few rockets into it. had gallantly stormed the pa on Jury’s Hil], and killed many of the inmates and captured the rcliej Hags. About 8 p.m. the sailors came in bringing into town the flags, and wore' volunteers wore said to ho surrounded by the Araoris, but to have possession of Jury’s house'near to the beach: it waspended. A mixed volunteer force was despatched to their rescue at 11 p.m., hut they had not long gone when great cheering announced that the forces had <; ATI! ER INr: NATIVE forces. Air. AAfellington Carrington, who resided at the time at Tapuae, and counted the Maoris as they passed his house towards Omata. gave’the following par“First hapu. Nga Alahanga. headed by Kingi Parcnga, and Paretene Kopara, numbering 6<>. struck off into the bush at Tapuae and went on to Ratapihipihi; this was on Saturday, March 24. “On the 27. 64 natives of the Patukai hapu, headed by Paora Kututae and along the main road and settled themselves at Ratanui, a little above Mr. Jury’s house. “On the 28th, 200 went along the main road; they were the Ngatituwekerangi, Upokomutu, Ngaransri. Ngatihau and Ngatihaumia hapus. headed" by old Hori Kingi. the head man of the whole Taranaki tribe. AVi Kingi Alatakatea. Arama Karaka, and several other chiefs of lesser note. Those that I have mentioned were the whole of the Taranaki tribe engaged in the insurrection. "In the afternoon of the 2Sth, 130 Ngatiruanui natives of the Ngaruahine joined the others at Ratanui. They had hardly taken off their pikaus when the PRO Al INENT CHIEFS KILLED. At Major Lloyd’s farm. AA’aireka, the battle was fought by the Nga Mahanga, headed bv Kingi. Paretene and Perere, the best fighting men of the tribe. The i first was wounded, the two latter were i killed. On Jury’s farm the battle was. i fought bv Ngatiruanuis, headed by Te : Hanatau,' the Jiead chief of the tribe, i who was killed. The main body was i posted behind the pa they had erected laA Ratanui, and a number were also in Mr. Armstrong’s turnip field. Old Paul was killed when the pa was stormed and the colors taken. From that time the whole of the hapus became thoroughly disorganised, and early next morning • ommenced their retreat. However, they carried off most of their dead and all their wounded. The road between their pa Poutoko was strewed with all positively ascertained was 17. This included the principal chiefs, but more men of note fell and were buried at Omata. There werq 450 more Ngatiruanui and some Ngarutu natives coming up, but meeting the broken tana at AVarea and those places. Taking 330 as the number

of the Taranakis who came up, and allowing 100 as the number of those who remained neutral, we arrive nearly at tire strength of the. tribe, 430. Adding on their way up. we get SSO as the strength of the Ngatiruanui and Ngarauru tribes, which makes a grand total of 1010 natives capable cf bearing arms between New Plymouth and AVanganui. i MAORIS’ PROCLAMATION. I The following is a translation of a 'notice posted at .Omata by tire rebels:— “Listen! Listen! all the tribe. The den upon; also the rosjd to his friends, —James who ia from Kihi; to Emmanuel who is a Portuguese, to his children and’ ' wife; to Touet and his wife and cluldi ten, who are French; let' the thought of these three tribes be light to their , farms, to their property; let it be light, | because the word has gone forth from Paratene, Hoani, and Kingi Parenga to those people that we must strictly preserve them. Let there be no mistake; with us the three tribes of Taranaki, j Ngatiruanui and Ngaranra; let it be light. That io all. from Kingi, Pori.kapa, Paretene, and Hoani.