CORRESPONDENCE.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 213, 20 September 1873, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

j W« do not »rce«Barily endoise the opinions expressed by I our correspondents.] ! [TUANhLAIIoN | ■ To Ihe lulilor of 1 lie WaiKato Newj>papcr . Fhiiad, greetings to you. This is a word to you about the two Maori women who were Inken away b} tlie pakeba «awyeri nt Tnmnhere. One of the women was named Taupoki, the wife of Te Teira, the otlier was Haute, the wifo of Te Matenga. Tlioso pakehas deceived them and persuaded Ihcin to go to them to stay ; the woniPii went and the Europenns slept willi them. Then the parents and the husbands of these girls heard it, nnd they purposed going to take the | women and kill the pakehas. Then some of tho people went to Mackay and said tln.t the pakehas w ould be killed. Mackay taid it would not bo lijjht to kill the pakehas, but let tho women betaken away only. Some men went to fetch the women and etiught them in the house of the Europeans. Then some of the people said ]ct the pakebas be Killed as payment for stealing the wives of Te Teiru and Te Matenga. Others said leave it to Mackay to arrange ; tho tribe consented, but if Mackay did not send the Europeans away, then let them both be killed. Then the people went to Cambridge to *cc Mackay, and said to him, O Mackay your pakohas have committed an offence with our women, you must send them away or wo will kill them. Mackay said it is not right, to kilt them, but consider calmly the course to pursue. Mackay asked who does the bush belong to ? We replied, fonneily to us; but now to Crawford Mackay said if it belonged to you, it would be possible to bend them away ; but as it is Crawfords, perhaps it will not be possible. Then you mii9t proceed to law. Wo persisted to Mackay that they should be driven away. Mackay then said that Edwards the interpreter, and Ins two soldier messengors — ColliiH mid Higgins, bhould go to Tamahere, and I and Rewet i. Waikato also went, there. On reaching the settlement wo found the women there jind they admitted their offence. We were very angry when we heard the words of the women. We then wont to Crawfords placo, and we and our European companions spoko to him. He consented, and said — Yet, the pakehas shall go. Those pakehas then came to Crawfords place. Ho (Crawford) then said to their foreman, Happy Jack, " the two offenders must go away ; their work must end." Happy Jack ussented that the two guilty men should leave. Our hearts were then satisfied when wo hsnrd that those troublesome men were*to go away. In tho morning we heard they would not and said " what was Maekav to them." When we heard this we went to Mackny and told him if the pakehas did not go away they would be Killed. Mackay snid that was not right, but to leave it to him to arrange. Our talk with Mackay was not unded when those pakehas came to his oiliest) and asked him to allow them to remain in the buih. Mackay said ho would not consent ; that lie did not wish them to be like Tim who was killed at Pukekura by Purukutu ; that Crawford, the owner of the biuh, had consented for them to go, aud they must leave. They were then saucy to Muckay, and he said : That is all, you two must go; and, to-morrow, you must leave Tamahere and tho bush. These pakohas were again impudent, and Mackay said : Go an ay from here within one hour; if you are seen m Cambridge ton n after one hour, a warrant will be issued for your arrest, and you will be tried ; if you aro convicted you will go to jfiil for three months. Mackay read them a law about destitute people and rogues (Vagrant Act), and said they must go, and also leavo the bush, and if they did not consent, that they would bo tried in the court. I'hat was all ; they left tho office, and went away. Now, I havo heard the word of the newspaper, objecting to Mackays driving these people aw a;. In jour opinion, which was the best, to quietly send away thouo bad, unruly pakehus, or to kill them? If they had been deaf to tho words of Mackay, do you think tho husbands of thoso women would not have killed them? — they would havo been killed. You assume that the wives of Maoris are to be taken away as a matter of course, and of no consequence. If wo Maoris went and took away the wives of you Europeans, would you not be enraged? would you not turn round and fight us. In our opinion the work of Maekav was very right in sending away those bad and troublesome Europeans ; had wo killed them, I lien you would have b'amed Mackay, and said it vtm hi* fault for not sending them away. According to our idea the Europrans did wrong, nnd the punishment tlicj got was boing bent aw ay. We think being sent away was a small suffering ; had they been shot, or cut down with an axe, that would have been a punishment (a death). Another thing hod they killed, the pakehas would have been dark, and the now -paper* aNo, and it would hate been said " wluit a bad raeo these M.ioris uro ; let the Maoris be exterminated for their work m murdering innocent Europeans " Maokay understands matters; if nil people's thoughts were as straight as Mackays, there would not be any trouble in the island. The good of Mackay is that he hastens to arrange matters, and does not leave tho heart to bo long vexed. If we did wrong Mackay would not spare us ; he is just as hard with Maori offenders as he is with had Europeans. Mackny does not look w liet her a mun is big or littlo ; they are all the ••ami 1 to him According to v>m* European ideas Maekuv naiiery wrong in clriviim[tiua\ tU • guilty Europeans; but | ■■wording to Alauri thought ' n was \ory right, lest the I pnkrlms should he killed, beouiM' Maori husbands are veij ' malicious when their uiw> ,m> tnken fioin them by other ' mo i. All fuMii y<m \(.i-,i In, nl * | iV -> -,I'M.) ]>lUl\ It L.AIAL |