MAORI OUTRAGE AT OHIFEMURI.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1122, 2 September 1879, Page 2

MAORI OUTRAGE AT OHIFEMURI.

A SURVEY PARTY FIRED UPON. The Colony has been startled by what at first appeared to be a most serious catastrophe, the wounding of one of a party of surveyors, and the possible murder of two others, who did not make their appearance m Grahamstown till next day, but who, though fired upon, also fortunately escaped unwounded. The facts of the case are these. On Friday last, Messrs Bayldon and Crump, surveyors, of Grahamstown, with two men, William MoWilliams and a halfcaste named Powderell, were cutting 1 lines | on a block of land near Te Aroha. Suddenly, thoy observed a party of natives covering 'them, vrith rifles, and almost immediately they were fired upon. The mon to bring m- the intelligence were MoWilliams and Powderill, Messrs Crump and Bayldou being loft behind, and, until they arrived m safety, on Saturday, the excitement, m Grahamstown, was very groat. STATEMENT OF M'WI LLIAM?. About 1 o'clock, on the 20th instant, I was m the employ of Mr Bayldon, surveyor, ov a place known ax the big hill, at Retokohu. I saw about fifteen natives. They were within ten yards of me. before I saw them. One of them said, ' ' Pakeha, you must dig," Ho immediately flrcd a

shot out of a double-barrel gun — the I bullet took off the tops of two of ray i fingers. I was then facing them. I then 1 turned to run away, when he again fired, the bullet entering my hip and coming out at the groin. I then fell on the ground, with my face downward. The same native that fired the shot, came up, ] took off my hat, took a knife out of his pocket, cut off some of my hair, and put ' it m his mouth. I was told that that j means revenge. I pretended to be dead, \ . and lay m a motionless state, for about • ten minutes, during whioh time I suffered great' pain. My mate ran away, and they ' all fired a volley after him. I then heard them re-load the guns. Thoy followed m the direction of my mate. lam convinced they thought I was dead. I then crawled up, but was barely able to walk. ' When I got out of the bush, I saw my mate at a distance. I called to him to go and get some peoplo to help mc home. My brother John, Clem Comes, and a half-caste woman named Kate Watson, came and carried me away to the houso of Mr Bartholomew Brown, who treated me very kindly, and gave me his horse to bring mo to Paeroa. Mr Comes came m front of me, for the purpose of detaining the steamer. Captain Dalton took me on board the steamer, and dressed my wounds. The following is the statement made by the half -oaste, Powderell : — About 2 o'olock, while we were engaged m cutting a line, MoWilliams being with me, Mr Balydon being at the intrument some distance away, and Mr Crump being about a chain from myself, we heard a Maori call out, " Ka mate koe, Pakeha" — which means "You will be killed, Pakeha." We did not see the Maori who cried out, owing to tho dense bush with which we were surrounded. The words were instantly followed by the firing of seven shots upon us. I immediately ran away on to the open ground, and waited to see if any of the others would come out. 1 waited on top of a hill about two hours, and then I saw William Mc Williams come out of the bush, and wave his hat to me. I called to him, " What was the matter ?" and he replied that he was shot. I went up to him, and asked where he was shot, and he told me m the right thigh, m the right hand, and that his breast was grazed. The wounds were caused by bullets. He wanted to lie down, but I told him he had better go as far down the • hill as possible, or the natives might come on him again. We went down the hill together some distance, and then J said I would go on to Mackay town to get assistance. I left Mc Williams m a safe place. He was very much exhausted with loss of blood., I then went on to Mackaytown, reaching that place m about half an hour. When I reached Mackaytown, his brother and several others at once went out and brought him m. I got a horso and went down to Paeroa to give information to the police authorities of what had taken place. A party of Volunteers, m charge of Sergeant IJus-sell, immediately started for the scene of the outrage, and I went with them as guide. On the road out we met Messrs Bayldon and Crump, witb Constable Menzies, who had been out to give the settlers of Ijlotokohu warning. We then returned to Paeroa. I did not see the 6hots fited at MoWilliams. The block on which we were engaged surveying is called Okahukoro. We were surveying it for the Ngatikoe — a large and influential tribe of Maoris. Mr Puckey is buying the land I believe. It has not passed througb the Court. MoWilliams was brought down to Shortland m the Te Aroha. The attacking party were the Ngatihako. They were about ten of them who 'attacked us. It was a portion of the sam 9 tribe who stopped the snagging a few months ago. The Hon. the Native Minister started at once for the spot, to make inquiries into the matter. THE NATIVE MINISTER AT OHINEMURI. Paeeoa, Sunday, 12 o'clock. Last evening, the Hon. Mr Sheehan, accompanied by Messrs E. W. Puckey and G. T. Wilkinson (of the Native Office Shortland)! Brodie, Aitkin, McCuilough, Wilkinson, A. Porter, Major Withers, Superintendent Thomson and others, proceeded to Paeroa, m Messrs Snowlingand Moore's new steamer Vivid, for the purpose of inquiring into the cause and nature of the late outrage, and also to take some steps for the punishment of the perpetrators of the act. MR SHEEHAN'S SPEECH TO THE NATIVES. On Sunday morning, the Hon. Mr Sheehan met the natives from the Romata, m the Paeroa Hall, Ohinemuri. , Mr Wilkinson, Government land purchaser, interpreted. The Hon. Native .Miniate* said: I salute you people who belong to the place polluted with blood. I have come here on account of this bad act that has been done. I did not call you here to have a meeting, but to hear what I have to say. I want to tell you that the reason of my coming here is about the survey of that block. lam very pouri (grieved) about the whole thing, on account of its being the first of its kind that has taken place m Hauraki, and I hope it will be the last. There are two things of course — the question about the title to tho land, and the right or wrong of the survey. The other is entirely distinct from that — tbe shooting and wounding a man ;- and while I am quite prepared to discuss with you the fairness or unfairness ef the survey. I wish to take the people who have been shooting. lam going to their settlement for the purpose of seeing them. If they are there I will take them back with me ; if they have flown from justice, then I will do the next best thing— l will take their land until the people are given up. lam quite aware that this is a thing 'done without the consent of the people of Hauraki. It is evidently the act of a very few people, ihose same people have been troublesome for the last two or three years. I intend to make use of the present opportunity to stop them from making troubles of a similar kind again. I have been very patient with them for the last two or three years, and now that they have gone so far as to attack the '. lives of -person acting lawfully m making a survey, I intend to go further and ■ take them. With that object m view, I intend to open up a road from Ohinemuri to Grahamstown, and the railway, and the ■ wire, and whet- 1 have got these things, I ] will b 9 prepared to say that I haye got 1 satisfaction for this outrage. But for this I •< trouble I would have been content to have . I waited quietly, and worked the thing out. i r The best way to shew that yon are not parties to this business is to lot the thing 1 be done quietly. Ido not want to talk or i hoar anything from you. These are my c own views, and when I return to this 1 settlement I will be very glad to have a I talk witb you. Do not think, that I am 1 acting without right on my part. I During the time Mr Sheehan was c addressing Tukukino and the Koraatjj, s natives, the Constabulary, with a number 3 of the Thames Scottish Volunteers, were £ got together, it being Mr Shcehan's f, intention to proceed at onoe to tho settler { o ment of the Ngatihako, on the banks of j 1; the Waihou, and demand the surrender of j p tho natives who had committed the ! _j outrage. Tukukino seeing, however, thni ' p Mr Sheehan was determined to act m the "V matter, requested that a number of y natives, with Mr Puckey, -should go to the T sattlemcnt first, and that the natives p

be given up. This was agroed to, and a j force of about 20 have just started off m 1 the Vivid. THE DEMAND BEFUSED. s The afternoon was spent anxiously waiting tho return of Mr Puckey. About, half-past five o'clock he reached Paeroa, ■ and reported that he had been to the settlement, where he found the natives who had committed the outrage. The Komata hatives had a long korero with them, and asked that those who had been engaged m the shooting should be given up. This they refused to do, urging that they were justified m the doing- the act, as the land which was being surveyed had been stolen from them. Mr Puckey then , stated that he had come up to demand the surrender of these natives, and that he wished them to be given up. On this, two natives, named Hepiba and Pakaia, stepped forward and said they were the natives referred to, and they refused to be given up. They were quite right m wha 1 -. thoy had done. It was their intention to have killed the Maori, bnt not finding him, they shot the pakeha. Mr Puckey states that the natives are very determined. There were not more than twelve adults altogether m the Kaluga (settlement). After Mr Puckey returned, Mr Sheehan consulted Superintendent Thompson, as to what had better be done, and it was determined to leave Mr Thompson with all the available men, and instructions to act as circumstances required. Mr Sheehan then Btarted for Grahamstown, and. went on direct to Auckland. The Komata natives are very much annoyed at 'what has occurred, and are doing their best to assist the Government.