THE DISTURBANCE AT A MAORI PAH.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7132, 31 July 1888, Page 5

THE DISTURBANCE AT A MAORI PAH.

At the Lyttelton R.M. Court yesterday, before Messrs Ticehurst and Garforth J.P.s, Charles Frederick Dunkley was charged with having used threatening language an various occasions at the Port Levy Maori Pah. In auswer to the charge of threatening Hadtield, Dunkley made a statement to the Bench, in which he explained that the quarrel arose at a meeting of the minstrel troupe, which had been inaugurated at Port Levy. Evidence was called as follows: —

Simon Hadtield deposed that it was a rule that any member of the Club who got drunk should be fined £1. The prisoner pot drunk at a dance at Little River. Witness proposed that Dunkley should be fined _>1, and Dunkley said he was so wild with him that he could "hit him a slap which would send him to sleep with a pain in his head and he wouldn't wake again." Witness was afraid that prisoner would "kill him, or murder him, or someching. - ' In answer to the prisoner, witness said that the quarrel referred to above was the only cross word he had ever had with Dunkley. Francis O'Neill, a white settler at Port Levy, deposed that he was captain of the minstrel troupe. On Friday morning last prisoner said to witness that if he could only lay his hands on Hadtield he would finish him. Abraham Solomon, a Maori boy, corroborated a portion of the former witness's evidence.

Dunkley was then charged with threatening to stick a knife into Rachael Solomon on May 27th. In reply to this charge, he stated that on the day in question he was trimming a piece of wood near the fire with a penknife, when Rachael came in, and was moving about near him. He said, "Take care, Rachael, or the knife may run into you." She said, " Would you stab mc, Charlie," Prisoner said, " It'might run into you." She then went out and said that prisoner had threatened to stab her.

Rachael Solomon deposed that she was washing outside, and Dunkley was inside trimming by the fire a mast for a model of ship. On witness going to the house, she told Dunkley he was in a temper, and he offered to bet her 10s that he would run his knife into her. On another occasion Dunkley told her to go out and get some fish, and, on her refusing, said he would cut her throat with a butcher's knife, which he had in his hand. She ran away, and told her cousin, Susan Homey, about the affair. Prisoner got cross with Witness whenever she spoke to the other boys at the pah. She was afraid that Dunkley would kill her. The reason that she hadn't laid an information before was because she was afraid of prisoner killing her. A little Maori girl, named Susan Homey, deposed to hearing prisoner threaten Rachael Solomon on May 27th, also that Rachael told her of the other threat mentioned in her evidence.

Francis O'Neill stated that Dunkley told him that he would as soon stick a knife into Rachael Solomon as not. He didn't want her to run after the other boys; he wanted her for himself. Witness had heard prisoner grumble at Rachael several times.

This being all the evidence, prisoner was bound over on the first charge in two sureties of £25 each to keep the peace towards Simon Hadfield for six months, or in defauit to go to gaol for three months. The second charge was dismissed.