A SIN FOR EVERY POUND.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 169, 17 July 1916, Page 2

A SIN FOR EVERY POUND.

ATEAJTING OF EDA'S BIBLE. PRISONER DIFFERS FROM JUDGE. FIFTH DAY IN THE BOX. Rua Hepetipa hae already spent 20 Jliotffl'.'!inUi3{(i-M'itnbss"- : box, and liis crossexamination continues, .at. the .Supreme Court With unslackened intensity. This is the thirty-thjrd day of his triaj upon charges of sedition, resisting the police, counselling to murder, etc., to all of which he has pteaded not guilty. The Crown Prosecutor (Hon. J. A. ToleK.C.) is. ... cQfiducting the cross-examination. "hO,QTB his.Honor Mr Justice Chapman ■■and a jury, while Mr J. R. Lundon is defending. .NOT- A- : BIG LAiNDOW^ER. Mr Tole resumed by questioning the accused as to -whether he did not tell -the police officers at Wai-iti that he 'tad no land or stock upon which distrain could made for the amount of the , '.fines inflicted by the magistrate.' Prisoner .denied.having done so. He had both land ■.'Mγ Tole mentioned seriatim the Hocfce.-of native land in the Tuhoe district, with the object of disclosing the small amount owned by prisoner. The etnn total showed that out of 700,000 acres of land, Rua has shares amounting to"' only 433' acres, and of this he has sold a portion. In respect of the Maungapohatu block of 25,000 acres, divided into 6,23S shares prisoner was AoWn to hold six shares, amounting to 61 acres, which is included in the total zncntioned- above. His Honor: la the big house of Iβ means on the block of 91 acres?—l beHe ve ;it is. . iJMr.Tqle: But it has not been mdi WHlUidißed'?—lt;ia_ common. giound. .~%P?yJ n g_tp further questions, prisoner admitted that- the figures quoted .by Mr. 35?le.were from the report of a commis"afiSnof inquiry set up during the adminof the. late Mr Seddon for the fWrpose of investigating the titles. ■ '■, ----- THE BIBLE: 5, ■ :3Ht Tpie: Now, you have told us "the great veneration you had for finvbig BiHe: It was written in Srfi r .Trae it, not?— Yes.

-Well, it was of no use to yon, was it? —¥k>& jo-a juet listen to mc with referees some of. the human beliefe. . I don't want to have- -them from eenesis to Revelations. What? nee could £bu make of the Bible?— The Europeans faroUght the 'Gospel into this country. did not.have.a Bible of their oign*. '■.■■:•■■■■ ".VXpir got; it" from the Tuhonrangi tribe at' Whakare.warewa, did you not? —Yea. ■' And you pijt it in- a house of its own «fr_ Sfaungspohatu ?—Yes. ■What use did yon make of it?— You ebquld' ask mc why I got it. I did not steal it. you -could not read the boot!—lt is not necessary for mc to be able to follow the markings inside that book if I am-'iinbiiedvwith. the belief. . ...What Mse7*ouW you make of an EngKBh'Bible?—l have revered and honoured tW"T3o.o!i!:.becauee it is the word; ajtd that ,;is. quite .sufficient for mc. 'Did Jw simply allow the book to lie there?—Yee. "THIS IS THE FINISH FOR YOU." What did you mean when you brought ft'ooit with the ribbon to the Whakatarie police at Maimgapohatu and said, '?IHi6-' is- the. Bible. I. am the Holy Ghost. TMfi is the finish for you?"-l dld,\jnbt bring the, Bible out, and I did imt say-those words. ""PgrhSpV _yoiT !dWt Tecollect because under th.c influence of HquoT on that morning?— You can 6ay I wae drmlk: No doubt you can cay that you have the remaining contents from the bottle. I knew all about everything that was going on. Did you ever weigh the Bible?— Yes. Were you able to do co at your home ? —Yee. I had scales for weighing grass eeed... . ..,.., ■

Wihy did you weigh ' it?—Because it ■eras given to me'ob "a very weighty thing, and I.knew.lt to.be so. What did it weigh ?—Seventy-seven pounde, and I have made 77 sins before the face of God. • More than that-, I think?— There are 77 sine befoTe us all from the beginning of the world to the present day. Hie-Homrr: That is not a very extraordinary number, ie it?—ln your opinion it is not v§ry many. In mine it is a considerable number. "Mr:""Tole:-Open~BOTife6Eion is good for the soul. — (Laughter.) •>&>( tier • -retracing - the happenings at WaT-itrfor the 'purpose oF'ascertaining prisoner's ."reason for refusing to accompany the police unless they forcibly arrested him, <Mt Tole aeked Rua. why lie was so presumptioue as to want one of the highest officials in the land to come to him. Counsel explained that •when an Englishman desired to consult with a high authority lie went to ccc him. : "yit Tole: 'When the Hon. Mr Herdman went as far as Ruatahuna to meet you, why did you not <:ome forward? —Because l»«outd—not carry the rumours to him which-, required to be dissipated. When questioned closely as to why he boite'd from the police at Maungapohatu, instead"Of' responding to the invitation' of the- Commissioner, prisoner said he did not run away until the armed police had 'gathered iii large force. All Maoris, he said, weTre' afraid of guns. In .explaining his previous statement abefnt Williamseon's threat him, prisoner said that while he-was!.lying with several other Maori

prisoners on top of him, Constable Neil told "hint in "'Maori to call out to his pepjile'to come, back from the bush. Prisoner said he did not have sufficient breath to do so, whereupon Williamson eaid, "Sine out. Tell your people come brtefe'-'ii-you won't" I kill you quick!" Prisoner. 6aicl. ihis., in broken English. SAVINGS BANK BURLESQUE. The-.-firOwn Prosecutor proceeded to teert-prifioner with reference to his statems& tlVat the'taking of his people to Gisborne "to meet King Edward" cost him~£±Wo.~- Did he get the money from the sale of land 2 Prisoner replied tliat he had not sold any of liis land at that time. He had wp'rMd. forrlOryears; and had saved up hiß»-moneyv—'-Aebed where he kept it, Bua-said that-* Maori knew where, to keep; Ws?inoneyWh'e' just scratched a whole and buried. His own monej was mostly in .notes. !fi?fe"'p6horT'Pid : the.notes?— Yeel'i'puttnJem in a bottle, and bunged it up and then buried it. (Laughter.) It would be very awkward if someone came along and found it?—A:man Woujd, be ;Htad to put itw here it could \>b found. ;,

Did you bury it in a. gully or on a hill? —I don't intend to tell a' Jiving soul where it" is." Prisoner was cross-examined . about tlie savings", bapk which he was said to have established at Maungapohatu for the deposits of liis people. Asked how much was deposited, he replied: "Only £380; a more trifle." (Laughter.) Rua explained that lie had a cafe at Waimana in which he placed the deposits of his "bank." The safe was procured after he spent £IGOO on the Gisborne trip. Some of the Maoris deposited their money with the prisoner for the full term, which was 10 years They were paid interest annually. Others drew their money out tlip rluy after depositing it. They did not get interest. (Laughter.) Mr. Tole: I believe you got a seal from a printing firm in Auckland for the "Maungapohatu Bank?"— Yes. TOO SIMPLE. His ITonor (seeking to test prisoner's knowledge of banking) : Row much is five per cent on £15?—r can't say. I don't want to bje bothered with simple matters like that. (Laughter.) Mr. Tole: When you were living at Waimana, did not the natives'complain that their lands were being sold, and that they were not getting the money; and did you-nob then-go to-live elsewhere? Yes. • ' ' Re-examined by Mr. Lundon, prisoner said he had claimed to be a tohunga for the carrying out of good works. He had also actod as a toliunga for the purpose of directing the thoughts of his people and their ways of living into proper channels. He knew of no other tribe of Maoris who had received so much benefi* in these connections ;is the people who came under his authority. The re-examination was proceeding when the "Star" went to press