Rollicking (Black) Rams.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4271, 8 September 1882, Page 3

Rollicking (Black) Rams.

, At the Police Court this morning, two ■-'■ natives, Penhana Eau and Peha,' were ;'■ charged with using ohscene language on the Kauaeranga bridge within the hearing • , .of Mr ; Henry Wood, storekeeper. This, .. ".however, was but preliminary to another ■ - serious charge of threatening language. -. -Another native,' HemiPuru, wasinplud'ed in the case, but he bad absconded. Mr Wood said Kau was a decent fellow, and he was sorry to see him in susli bad company; the other two scoundrels deserved hanging. The character of the charge maj r be gathered from the following evidence:— • . Henry Wood deposed that on Tuesday . " night about 11 o'clock be was in bed, and • -'■ 'prisoner wakened him by knocking, vio- >> ■ Jlently at the door and shu tier. He dressed :'' himself and got up. Went out by the back, and saw prisoner skulking dowo. ' He was'calling out in English, "You bald headed old b . I'm come to ,;,, murder you and. rob you; I will burn *■■" ybnr house, violate you wife, and kill c , r jourpicaninis. Would swear positively prisoner was the man and believed he „., would .carry out hi 8 threats.' Mr Brassey appeared for the prisoners ■■,- and asked for a remand, as he had only been retaiued that morning. A remand for a week was granted Eau's personal „ - recognizances in £30 being accepted, but <• .-. -the "other" prisoner was ordered to enter ■• . into his own recognizances for £50, and 1 -.to find two sureties of £50 each' to keep ' 'the peaceand to appear on the day appointed, andLto |be imprisoned until the " terms had been complied with. Peha is V-a vile looking native and bears a bad '!v character. - . I"' 1'1 Mr Kenrick, R.M., said:-that during ' i ",' | . the past fortnight there had been a series ty. of . outrages ,in the Parawai district; [. .. houses had been .-.broken into, and fences „, ; -torn down. A few nights ago, the house -, -..i.of an old lady was broken into, and she v<i.: and her imbecile son sought refuge at his '.-. '.'house I.iti the middle of the night. She was so frightened that she had since left .-" ' the district. There were several other '>'- instances of misbehaviour on the part of the natives which he knew of, &nd he was >' glad to see some steps had been taken to bring them to justice. He could not understand such conduct on the part of people ordinarily peaceable and orderly. • Sergeant O'Grady said the natives had had some money lately, which they were spending in drink. • '-. Mr Kenrick. replied that, if. it arose from drink, the police should find out the houses that supplied them with drink at such a. late hour. If they.did not find the publican supplying them with drink, the publican would still be guilty of having - drunken people on the premises. Sergeant O'Grady expressed an opinion that the Maoris . were in the habit of purchasing bottles of grog, and drinking them on the way home. ■His Worship seemed to think that did not "meet the case, for he remarked that, if that were so, the drink took effect on them in a remarkably short time.