COMEDY IN COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 168, 15 July 1916, Page 6

COMEDY IN COURT.

RITA CROSS-EXAMINED. AX INNOCENT PROPHET; TELLS ABOUT A DEAL IN WHISKY. ADHERES TO FORMER STATEMENT, j " Glory, honour, peace and goodwill to all men, amen," that is our prayer, remarked the "prophet" Rua in the course of his examination sit the Supreme Court I yesterday afternoon. From the time the Crown Prosecutor. Mr. J. A. Tole, K.C., started his cross-examination of tho accused, two hours' comedy ensued, in which the "prophet" fairly held his own. '" You call yourself a prophet, the prophet RuaV" was the opening question, to which the accused simply and modestly answered. " Yes.' , You are the fourth in the line of the prophets of Now Zealand amongst the Maoris';— Would you like mc to enter into a dissertation upon prophets and tohiingas? Mr. Tole: Not at all. Arc (J'ou tho fourth prophet from Te Kooti?—l object to that statement. 1 have not said I was.the fourth. There are many phopliets in many lands. 1 am talking about prophets in New Zealand?— There was Te Whiti, Titokowarn Unit lie was a man-killer as well); so also wa< Te Kooti. Mir. Tole: And Tohu? Witness: Yes. but he was a good man. WHOSE LAND WAS IT? Mr. Tole: Then there is Rua. Xow, you have been talking a good deal about, giving hind for soldiers. Are J'ou a landholder.—Search the Native Land Court register and you will iind I am a landholder. Is not Kcreru a great chief in Tuliooland? —He is a big chief. You talked about giving throe thousand acres of land for the patriotic fund, but that wa< not your property? —If I 1 had made any objection to such a gift it would have been serious. It was because J was in favour of it that it was done. Have not you sold most of your land? —I have solil only two interests'. 1 do not claim that :t.OOO acres belonged solely to mc. There are some 28.000 acres in that block. Mr. Tole: And you only own 01 acres? —And what about my parents' interests? I am not the only one with a small interest. In that 25.000 acres raj interest was 01 acres. You got your ]>eople to cultivate that land in common, on the understanding that their interests would be subdivided? —Mine \va3 the controlling head. Mr. Tole. Yos, and hand, because it was never subdivided. Run said he drew tho people together, told them what to do. and they worked under bis authority. LAND WITHOUT LAWS. Mr. Tole: You referred to Tuhoe as a land without law before you saw Sir Joseph Ward. What would have happened in case of n murder when there was no law in the land ?—You forget we have the inner consciousness to guide us. The Holy Ghost? —You are quite right: the Father. Son, and Holy Ghost. But if there was a murder, how would the offender-he punished!— There would be no murder if the conscience were properly bridled. Still, if there was a murder?— But them could uot be under such conditions. Hie Honor: It did not suggest the stopping of the sale of whisky. Mr. Tole to Rua: You regarded the introduction of liquor amongst your people as a most desirable thing; you wanted a license?—l did not like whisky being sold there by others. Liquor is an evil whether licensed or not. Then why did you want a. license to introduce it amongst your people? —If a negro wants liquor he may buy it, if a Chinese wants it he may do the same, but we, the owners of the land, arc forbidden to do so. Is not that a good thing for the protection of . the Maori people?— Why should we be treated differently from other people? Was it always other people who brought liquor to your place?—ln 1011 Europeans brought it to my store and sold it 'to mc there. Even when 1 was convicted I asked the police to stop the sale of liquor at Maungapohatu. At this stage there was a slight discussion between counsel, which terminated abruptly upon Rua remarking: "When you have done, I will begin." His Honor: Did (you pay £30 for five cases of whisky?— Yes! There were sixty bottles, but I 'explained all this in the lower Court. Mr. Tole: And you sold the whisky at £1 per bottle? —T forget; if the Court has it on the records. I am not prepared to deny it. Jt is five years ago, and a man wants a long memory. KNIGHTS OF THE ROU3?D TABLE. Sir. Tole having referred to' the round table, and remarked be thought it might have something to do with another occasion, when the twelve apostles we.-o there, Rua replied: '"That was not the only round table at which laws were made. There was another round table." "1 think," remarked the interpreter. " Rua must have King Arthur's round table in his mind." Mis Honor: King Arthur was a Welshmail. That is a long way from here. Mr. Tole. to Rua: Could you make laws better if there was a ease of whisky under the round table?— That is a mutter upon which each has his own opinion. (Laughter.) Mr. Tole: T believe this man understands everything I say. His Honor: He certainly smiles at the right point. Mr. J. R. Lundon: Tt is the inflexion of my friend's voice he understands. Mr. Tole: Have you told your' people that you would walk upon the waters? —Tt is all lies. lam just an ordinary human being. Did you say you would discover a large diamond with which to buy out all Europeans in New Zealand?— T, like a lot of others, did go to look for a diamond, but, like them, I did not find one. I did not say I would find one, but that T would look for a diamond. """ THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES. On resuming this morning the prisoner was subjected to searching cross-examina-tion with a view to securing an admission that he knew about the five charges which were left over subject to the good conduct of the accused. Rua firmly adhered to his sworn statement that on coming out of gaol after serving the 1915 sentence of three months he believed that he was free of the old ehargesMjfle denied that either the gaoler or the chief warder told him anything to the contrary. Questioning the accused about the events at Wai-iti on the occasion of the alleged ofl'ence of sedition, Mr. Tole asked why he and his followers were in such a hurry to get back to Maungapohatu when the police arrived.

"We had to consider that it was the 12th of the month," replied Rua. fiilt you did not hold any ceremony on that day? ■ '

As I told you yesterday, the 12th is a Very holy day with iis. It is a day which we set apart for the consideration of matters which have a heavenly bearing and to see if some means can be arrived at with regard to the salvations of our souls. j You have a respect, for the law?— Yes. Then why did you not respectfully obey the law? . Prisoner (pointing to his breast) : Mc, mc, me'/ Mr. Tole: Yes; you, you, you. (Laughter.) I should have had no objection to going in obedience to the warrant had the reason for going been made clear to mc. Did the police not tell you all that you were told in the Court at Rotorua some time afterwards?— No. Did you say, "I die on my land first"? No. Did you not say you had nothing with which to pay the fIOO mentioned in the distress warrant?—.l said, "You make it clear to mc why I should pay, and I will pay the f 100. A hundred is nothing." A HEAVY BOMBARDMENT. Mr. Tole (warming up to the attack) i Did you not say, "You 3tarb the big fight?"— No. You say it in English. Say, "You etart the big fight." Prisoner spoke rapidly in Maori, and ended up in pidgeon English I did not say "You start the big fight." (Laughter.) Mr. Tole: I knew you could speak English. You say, '"Put you down and kill." Rua's knowing grin showed up two rows of snow-white teeth, Mr. Tole pointing at him the while. Rua protested that he had no occasion to speak to the police in English because Constable Grant was there to interpret for him. Mr. Tole: You say, "I the big fellow?" I know what you mean by big' fellow, but I did not say it to them. You said. "You touch mc and you start the big fight with the Government?" T want to draw your attention to the fact that the policemen have lied throughout. They said I had machine guns and cannons when I did not. You say in English. "The Government no good. You give mc a license." I did not say that, then so why should I say it now? You are cunning enough to see what I am driving at. £i>o FOR A LICENSE. His Honor: How much were you willing to pay for a license? I don't want a license. I finished al! my talk about that when I spoke to Mi - Dyer. But if you were given a license? \ I should be willing to pay £50 or what they charged mc. Mr Tole: At Wai-iti you said you were willing to pay £1000. They say that, don't they? Did you not take off your coat and call upon the police to start the fight? I took off my coat to punch the food that was spread out for us. (Laughter.) Did the conversation take place before or after breakfast? Before. You said, "Well, come on. You tackle mc, and I get all my people to tackle you." You remember that! No. 'Did you not cay, "I want yoii come to the breakfast, so that you be strong for the fight?" (Laugnter.) I did not say that. I am not likely to feed my enemy. If I am going to fight him, I don't feed him first. (Laughter.)

I am glad to know that. You have been telling the jury for the last month that you made all preparations to feed your enemy at Maungapohatu by killing ten sheep. Is that not so?

What.do you want mc to say to that! Nothing. Tell us why you did not go' quietly with the police? I wanted to force their hands and make them prove the rumours which they had been circulating about mc.

A TOKEN OF LOYALTY. Did you not say to Sergeant Cummings, "You got no king?"—Xo. And when Cummings said, "Oh, yes, we have a king in England," ydu said. "Oh, he beat."

1 think I had better give you some token of my loyalty to chow that it was impossible for mc to cay such things. The statements of the police are iall lies; They did not tell lies when you were dealt with on ten charges before the Court?— Yes, they submitted lira then. And ye*t the magistrate convicted you? —He was perfectly correct in convicting mc on those charges to which f pleaded guilty, but on the others he was utterly wrong. ' ■ ! '.. !

Did you not at Wai-iti speak contemptuously of the magistrate?—Xo. I had; nothing but respect for Mr. Dyer and hi* work. .i

Pressed by Mr. Tole, the accused ailmitted that lie liad only five shares in ; thd hloek of 3.000 acres which was handed over to Judge Brown for patriotic purposes. Mc said he had 20 shares in the block which was offered to the Natfve Sobools Department as an educational endowment.

Mr. Tole was continuing his crossexamination when the Court adjourned' at 1 p.m. until 10 a.m. on Monday. '