THE MAORI TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 65, 17 March 1900, Page 2

THE MAORI TRAGEDY.

(By Tele S raph.-Press Association.)

IS'APIEB, Friday. The inquest in connection with the Maori tragedy near Hastings v,asi heW this afternoon. It was shown that the woman Ariti Pau had been living with her husband Kopata at the Ohtil, though the parties had been on previous occasions separated. Early on ne morning of the 12th inst., Miriama another Maori woman, heard painful i cries, and on getting up found Kopata i striking his wife on the head with a lar-e axe, inflicting a nasty wound, from which she never recovered and she was too weak prior to her death to enable her depositions to be taken. illopato, when questioned by laranaki Te Ua why he had committed the 01----fence, declared he was pleased to have killed his wife, and would submit to I the law. The jury returned a verdict !that deceased died through injuries ■inflicted by her husband, who was I brought up on a charge of wilful murder and remanded to Wednesday next. The crime was the outcome evidently of a fit of blind passion, the man being ; jealous of his wife, who was a young woman, and very good-looking. Accused throughout the inquest went, for prior to the woman's death he j apparently had not realised the enori mity of the crime he had committed.