TEAROHA MURDER. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.] [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1347, 17 February 1881, Page 2

TE AROHA MURDER. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.] [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Grahamstown, Last Night. Pineha, chief of the Ngatihako tribe, came down the river to-day, and informed Mr Wilkinson, native agent, that Himiona'a friends do not intend to take any action re the satisfaction for the murder until it is seen whether the Government will punish^anyone.

Wellington, Last Night. The Government have sent urgent instructions to the Northern police authorities to use every possible effort to discover and bring to justice the Te Aroha murderer. All practicable use will be made of the detectives, and no pains spared to procure the arrest and conviction of the real criminal.

Te Aboha, Yesterday. The murder is still the principal topic of conversation here, to the exclusion of all other matter. The natives appear to be in a very unsettled state of mind, and fears are entertained by some, that they will retaliate according to their ancient laws. All the Europeans working in the Tui, JTomeward Bound, and adjacent claims, have come into the Township, and will not resume operations till the Maori excitement has cooled down. Detoctive Farrell of the Thames, is here collecting evidence, but I have not heard of any new light being thrown upon the matter. Whatever fresh evidence the police may have, is kept strictly secret. Considerable indignation has been excited here, by a stray copy of your Cambridge contemporary, which has reached this place, in which it is stated that the Bros. Catran had been arrested for the murder. 1 have been requested to state, that there was not the slightest foundation for the report, and that nothing has occurred which could, in any way, connect the Catrans with the affair. Had the report been confined to the columns of the paper in question, but little mischief would have been done, but unfortunately it got copied into the Auckland Evening Star, and so attained great publicity, much to the annoyance of the Catrans and their friends. The following further particulars are from Tuesday's Miner : — Shortly after mid-day on Saturday Mr Kenrick arrived here on horseback for the purpose of holding a Coroner's enquiry on the remains of the unfortunate Himiona Haera. He was accompanied by Sergt.-Major O'Grady, A.C., in charge of the Thames distiict, and Dr C.H. Huxtable. Shortly after arriving, the latter made a postmortem examination of the body, and at 2.30 the inquest, of which a report is given below, was held. On Saturday evening the body was coffined, and during Sunday morning the remains were conveyed away by his relatives. His aged father is said to be very pouri about it, and is determined to have blood for blood. Yielding to the solicitations of their friends, the Catran Bros,, and other Europeans working in the Tui and Homeward Bound Claims, have come into town. It is not considered safe for them to work while the native mind is in its present unsettled state. Besides, the relatives of the deceased, and the murdered man himself, bear somewhat shady reputations, and the passion for revenge might induce the former to murder an innocent man. Immediately after the inquest a sitting of the Resident Magistrates Court was held, and prisoner formally charged with the murder. He was then remanded to the Thames. He was taken to Paeroa on Sunday en route to Giahamstown. At a late hour last night we learned that the police have evidence tracing a mouth-peice similar to that picked up near the body to the possession of prisoner, he having been seen with it a few days before the murder.