THE LATE ATROCITIES AT POVERTY BAT.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 414, 27 November 1868, Page 2

THE LATE ATROCITIES AT POVERTY BAT.

PULL PARTICULARS

The settlement attacked is called Matawhero, and is situated about six miles above Turauganui, the port for the settlers of the district, and the spot where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand. Although no immediate danger was apprehended, a party of scouts had been for some time patrolling around the outskirts of the settlement, all picked men, and under the command of Mr Oascoigne. Around and beyond the settlement were several sheep stations, as far as Wharangahika, upon which were living those in charge of them, with stockkeepers, &c. Captain Bloomfield's house and that of Major Biggs were a few minutes' walk apart, and were situated at Matawhero. Capt. Bloomfield but lately built at a cost of £I6OO. The boy Charlie James, who escaped,

bhus relates the attack upon the house of Major Biggs. He says that ahout three o'clock on Tuesday morning the Majop was awakened hy a noise outside the house, and imagining it to be caused by the return of some of the scouts, went outside, and asked who was there; the reply was a volley from the wretched savages, by which, however, he was only wounded. He immediately cried out to awaken his family and told them to run for their lives, as the house was attacked by the Hautaaus. The boy Charlie at once rau to the front of the house, but found uatives there. He then tried the back, and found that blockaded also, and finally he managed to elude the vigilance of the natives by crawling underneath the verandah boards, and concealing himself in some flax in the immediate neighborhood of the house, whence he had a view of the entire proceedings of all parties. On looking back he saw that the Hauhaus had got into the kitchen, and were lighting the ire, and eating some food they had discovered: poor Major Biggs was Laid upon the ground outside, and one of the fiends was beating out his brains tvith the butt end of a musket. Mrs Biggs was held in the arms of others ot bhe brutes, screaming to be allowed to 50 to her husband, and struggling to 3scape, and Jane Farrell, the nurse, whose husband was wounded in a former engagement at Napier, and tvhose parents reside in Auckland, was holding the baby, an infant of seven months old, and tvas heard to say that she would stay tvith Mrs Biggs, and would live or die tvith her. The whole family were ifterwards seen killed and lying on :he ground outside. The boy, Charlie lames, after witnessing this frightful scene, fled towards Mr Bloomfield's

house, and in passing that of Mr Wilson heard the doors heing battered in, and volleys fired, and shortly afterwards saw flames breaking out of the windows. He states that the yard round Mr Biggs's residence was full of Maoris, and they seemed to be very numerous in the immediate neighborhood. He escaped to the house of Mrs Bloomfield, and she, with four children, Miss Parker, her brother, and a boy servant, fled to Turanganui, without eve a dressing themselves. A little boy, a brother of Mrs M'Culloch, aged eleven years, arrived at Turanganui on the afternoon of Tuesday, accompanied by Mrs James

and her six children, who had made their escape from Mr G-oldamith's through the scrub. The little boy says that whilst Mr M'Culloch. was getting iu the cows to milk in the early morning, he was surprised and chased by the Hau-haus. He fled towards his house, and his family hearing the alarm rushed out and endeavored to escape. Mrs M'Culloch's little brother ran a-head of the others, and relates that on looking back he saw his sister following him, and that he beckoned her to hurry on. Shots were then being fired in rapid succession, and in reply to his signals she shook her head and fell. Mr and Mrs M'Culloch and their child, and a niece aged seven years, were all victims to the attack.

Sergeant Buttress, of the military settlers, was working at sheep shearing at the station of Messrs Pepperd and Dodd, who were partners in a sheep run at Matawhero, and on Tuesday morning he went to the station to work as usual, quite unaware that anyI thing had happened, and proceeded to the shed to sharpen his shears ; hearing no one about he then weut up to

the house, and found Messrs Pepperd and Dodd lying on the ground, outside the door, with no other covering than their shirts. He at once ran off and warned Mr R. Atkin and his wife, who immediately came down from Wairangi. Q-oldsmith, a stockman on Captain Read's station, heard firing at on early

hour on Tuesday morning in the | direction of Mr Mann's house, and] saddling a horse, at once galloped off to the spot. Coming suddenly upon the house, he beheld a most dreadful spectacle. The Hau-hau demons were dragging Mrs Mann out of the door by the hair of the head, and striking her, and upon getting her outside they were proceeding to set fire to her clothes, when some of them, catching sight of Goldsmith, made a spring at the bridle of his horse. G-oldsmith, however, being an excellent rider, put spurs to his horse and rode right over some of the wretches ; he was hotly pursued by a number of them, but fortunately their firearms were not loaded, and he effected his escape into the redoubt. Mr and Mrs Mann and their child were all killed.