PAGES FROM THE PAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1922, Page 9

PAGES FROM THE PAST.

REBELS DISTURBED AT MANGOREI.

-SKIRMISH AT KAITAKH > WHITE FORCES REVERSE AT AHUAHU. (By “Juvenis.”) On the 12th of February, W. Richards, jun., reported that rebel natives were on Mr. T. King’s farm at Man<<gorei. At 2 pm. two parties of Bushrangers started for that locality, one party going by Ratanui, and the other by the Avenue Road. When the latter party got into the neighbourhood of Mr. King’s farm, they saw a column of smoke before them in the bush, and about the Mangoreil bridge they found tracks of natives, and marks of sheep having been dragged. The party that went by Ratanui came up about 5 p.m.. and then an advance was made. Following the tracks a Maori was seen fishing in the river, and was fired at, but made his escape into the bush apparently unharmed. Crossing the river an encampment was discovered, which had the appearance of having hut very recently been abandoned. Her? were eight very large Maori ovens, from some of which meat had just been taken and laid upon branches; some -were still unopened, and contained a barrow-load, or more, of mutton each. A number of kidneys had been reserved in a heap uncooked, and these the men appropriated, and conveyed to town for their suppers. Potatoes, ,'kumeras, and apples were also at hand, as well as a quantity of that Maori delicacy, rotted maize. From’, the fact of twenty skins being found in a neighbourhood clearing, and from the number of tracks seen, it was judged that a large number of natives intended to partake of the preparing feast.

The camp was about three-quarters of a mile from the Meeting of the Waters, and about 300 yards beyond the site of an old pa, called Papamoa, but onythe eastern side of the Waiwakaiho River. The rebels appeared to have intended to stay there for some time, for they had commenced to build whares. SKIRMISH AT KAITAKE. On Friday, March the 11th, an alarm was given in town by two settlers, who had been out on the Frankley Road, that the rebels were out in that direction. Bush parties were sent out in pursuit in various directions, £nd Major Butler, with a company of Volunteers advanced towards Kaitake. Captain Corbett left Pahitero, a singular mount on the east of the Oakura, and made his way with his men to the left of the Kaitake spur, on which the rebels had their strong-hold, while Major Butler advanced straight for the spur, with a force consisting of »4i men of the 57th, and a small detachment of the Rdyal Artillery under Lieutenant Larcom, with a 21-pounder howitzer and a cohorn mortar. On advancing to within 500 yards of the lower pa, firing was opened upon the position. The natives replied by a weak and desultory fire, and the British advanced to a rising ground within 200 yards of the pa, and here the gun was again got into position. This had scarcely been done when the enemy opened a heavy cross fire from three different directions. In this predicament there was no choice other than to retreat, and this was effected in good order, the men retiring skirmishing. The greatest number of casualties occurred in the neighbourhood of the gun, at Which the rebels- chiefly directed their fire.

In the midst of the engagement, Antonio Rodiquez De Sardinha, a member of the Royal House of Portugal, and one of the mounted orderlies, displayed great gallantry by conveying two of the wounded men to the rear under fire. Major Butler also manifested cool courage throughout the affair. The, casualties of t;his engagement were:—Lieutenant Larcom, K.A., wounded severely; Private Michael Kennedy, No. 1 Company, 57th Regiment, killed; Privates- William Henry, Martin fSiagpoole, James Adley, John Chamberlain, and Charles Kearne, 57th Regiment. wounded.

On the 20th of March, the villages of Ahuahu and Te Tutu were taken with trifling loss. THE DEFEAT AT AHUAHU. On the 6th of April, in compliance with orders, Captain Lloyd of the 57th Regiment left the Kaitake Camp in order to effect a reconnaisance of the site of the Ahuahu Village. At 6 p.m., Lieutenant Cox, with a party of the 57th, and Captain Page, with the Melbourne Volunteers, crossed the. Oakura River from the camp on its banks, striking inland by a newly formed road up the river towards the ranges. Here they halted until joined by Captain Lloyd and his party, the force then consisting of one captain, one subaltern, two sergeants, one drummer, and 53 rank and file of the 57th. with Dr. Jones, and onp captain, one subaltern, two sergeants, and 41 rank and file of the Melbourne Volunteers; the ilnited numbers making a force of 101. The inarch was continued as near to the foot of the ranges and towards the fouth as the broken state of the country would admit, the men having to toil through a dense and luxuriant growth of fern, tutu, and manuka, up one hillock and down another. On a portion of table land, on a rise to the left, a small plantation was met with. Captain Lloyd gave orders that this should be destroyed, handling his sword to Sergeant Anderson for the purpose of cutting it down, and taking in exchange the Sergeant’s rifle and ammunition. Whilst this work was proceeding, Lieut enapt Cox, with the right sub-division of the 57th, advanced up another rise to a flat piece of land, posting sentinels near to the ruins of anumber of whares, which were /destroyed by the soldiers on a former occasion. Afterwards six men under Sergeant Anderson fell back as a pick- : et on the outer spur of the range, carefully searching all round, Hemi, the native guide, having reported that he had heard a call, and that the party had been discovered by the enemy.

vaptain Lloyd then passed to the front, descending the hill on to a Hat near to a series of rifle pits-, the men, after an interval, following down the hill, leaving a rear guard of ten men on the look out. The word was now passed to light pipes, and for the men

to ma-ke themselves at ease, and sddiers and volunteers began to congregate about the cart road leading to the beach. Ten minutes had scarcely elapsed, when from the thick fern on the spur the natives poured in a volley, wounding one man. Captain Lloyd then leaped into, a rifle pit, ordering his men to seek cover as quickly as possible, and open fire towards the enemy, the Captain himself firing as rapidly as he could with the Sergeant’s rifle, which he still retained in his- possession. After firing for a quarter of .-in hour the word was given to retire. In the. retreat Captain Lloyd with several of the 57th and Volunteers fell. BUSHRANGERS TO THE RESCUE. When it was known in town that some disaster had beta lien Captain Lloyd’s- party, Color el War re despatched a force consisting of the Bushrangers, and a large party of the 57th in dor Major Butler. When the orders came the Bushrangers were on their way to attend the funeral of Sergeant Appleby, of Captain Corbett’s Company ol Volunteers., who had died of the wound he received at Kaitake. They i immediately fell out, got their arms, and proceeded to Oakura, and from Jhence by Wairau to Ahuahu. Colonel V’ arro, with an Armstrong gun. went to Hauranga, and from thence by the road to the ranges-, and when pretty near to the foot of the spur he ordered two shells to be fired. This had the effect of rousing the men who were still hiding in the fern. Two men where picked up ly the Bushrangers, and one by Colonel Warre’s party. An advance was then made to the little fiateau where the tragic event, of the morning took place, and there a fearful scene presented itself. Six bodies were found by the rifle pits, stripped nearly naked and decapitated, and their heads taken away. Another man, whose body could not be found, appeared to have been viscerated, some intestines being found on the ground. The bodies were played in two carts and covered with fern*, and conveyed to town.

The casualties in this affair were: 57th Regiment: Captain Lloyd, decapitated; Privates Jeremiah Dooley, [decapitated: George S>adler,decap'.tated; Andrew Collins, wounded: Lawrence Cronin, wounded; John Kirby, wounded: P. Murray, wounded;- and Isaac Smith, wounded: Militia: Corporal H. Banks, decapitated; Privates JamesNagles and IT. Bartley, decapitated; John Gallaher, missing: Color-Sergeant George Bentley, wounded; Corporal Robert Stokes, wounded; Privates Privates Francis T. Tomlins, wounded; Edward Whatmore, wounded, and James- McKenna, wounded. About this time the rebels threw off al' pretensions to Christianity, and practised fanatical rites called P}ai Mariri, and called themselves Hauhaus. For some occult purpose the heads of the unfortunate persons killed at Ahuabu were dried afler the native fashion, and conveyed from one native settlement io another by these fhnatieg. On the 21st, Lieutenant Hirst found (ho missing man Gallagher nn the ranges, decapitated, and part of his breast and one leg cut off.