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D—No. 8

down and got him under; Lister turned him over and got Unukawa under ; this happened twice; then they got up nnd struggled together, each having hold of the other's head; I ran up to separate them, and as I ran up tny tomahawk fell from my hand ; I did not come close to them to put my hands upon them ; Mrs. Lister seized me by the hair of the head, and I said, let me go and I will go away, but she did not, and we struggled together and fell down, and I put my foot upon her shoulder and breast and goi away; I then looked at Lister and Unukawa, and Lister was on the top of him striking him ; I saw three blows given with the hatchet, and then 1 ran away to my own home where my mother was ; I told my mother that Unukawa had speared the white man ; I believe that if Unukawa had got the better of the white man he would have killed him ; it was a very fierce straggle ; I did not see the spear afterwards. Question by George King, Maori Assessor —No person that I know of prompted or told Unukawa to commit a murder, it was done of his own evil heart. Question by Wiari, a Native Chicf —Unukawa did not propose to me to kill pigs on the white man's land or to murder a white man ; I only knew that we were to go and catch pigs ; Unukawa proposed it; I did not know a white man was there. By the Coroner —l do not believe the white man was speared from any malice, but for fear of being summoned for stealing pigs. Mokena, his m murk. Witness to mark, Richard Watson Woot, Native Interpreter. Taken before me, the ) 18th day of July, 1862.) H. Ross, Coroner.

Enclosure 3, in No. 1. John Batty Tukk, of Wnnganui, Surgeon, being sworn, states: I am a Surgeon and Doctor of Medicine ; I have this day examined the body of an aboriginal Native lying dead on the opposite side of the river ; 1 did so this day in the presence of the jury; I found an extensive fracture of the right temple bone, extending backward behind the ear to the occipital bone, the continuation of that fracture going through a part of that bone ; there is a branch fracture of the right temple bone at about right angles with the longer fracture, and also a fracture of the left occipital bone of smaller extent than the other behind the left ear, and a fracture of the lower jaw ; the face was a good deal contused on the left side, a few scratches about the legs, but no other injury that I observed ; either of the wounds on the skull would have, in my opinion, produced death, and lam of opinion are the cause of death in this case; the wounds have been inflicted with a blunt instrument, because the scalp was not cut; such a wound would be caused by a blow of the back of a hatchet or tomahawk; in all common probability either of the wounds on the skull would have caused immediate insensibility; I know a man of the name of Leicester who was living in this neighbourhood ; I believe he is now in the Colonial Hospital at Wanganui; I was called to attend him last Monday night at Mr. Buckthought's, near his own abode; it was about 10 o'clock at night; he was suffering from a punctured wound in the back between the left shoulder blade and the spine; the direction of the wound was downwards and forward; the depth of the wound is about an inch and a-half, and from a slight escape of air through the wound I feel certain the lungs have been iujured, but I think slightly; I do not think anything very serious will result from it; it would cause severe pain ; there was a considerable effusion of blood, it was a triangular wound ; I have seen a spear outside the Court with a wood rasp upon it made of iron or steel, and I think such an instrument would have produced such a wound; it is a wound that might produce inflammation of the lungs, in which case it would be dangerous, but I do not apprehend it. John B. Tuke. Sworn before me, this ) sixteenth day of July, 1862.} H. Ross, Coroner.

Enclosure 4, in No. 1. William Lister (hereinbefore called Leicester) being sworn stated, —On Monday 1 ast I met in my neighbourhood two Natives, one of them carrying a dead pig; I looked at the pig and found it was mine, and told him so; I asked them to carry it to the house, they did so. I was ahead they followed me to the house ; I said they must go to Mr. Jackson's to talk the matter over, as 1 did not understand Maori: My wife, myself, and the two Maoris, then went from my house towards Jackson's; I was in front with the Maori; we went over a yery steep hill, and as I was going down

5

ON THE BODY OF A WANGANUI NATIVE.

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