WHITE CLIFFS TRAGEDY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 7

WHITE CLIFFS TRAGEDY.

<, HISTORIC INCIDENT RECALLED. (by tklegkaph—press association.) New Plymouth, November 11.' The death occurred on Sunday of Mrs. Rawson, aged seventy-three years, daughter of the Rev. John ■Whitcloy, who was massacred at White Cliffs, and widow of Dr. F. E. Rawson, a leading practitioner of Taranaki forty years ago. One of her sons is Judge Rawson, of the Native Land Court. Tiio death of the daughter of the Rev. John Wliiteley recalls the tragic and historic incident that marked the close of tho Taranaki War. On Saturday, February 13, 1869, excited by the success Which had attended the arms of the rebels under To Kooti and Titokowaru, and oncouraged by the fact that tho whole of tho Imperial and Colonial troops had again been withdrawn from the Taranaki northern outpost, a taua, or war party of Ngatimaniopoto, the section of the groat \VaiIcato tribe residing at Mokau, approached Pukoaruhc, the British redoubt at White Cliffs.

The tana approached in broad daylight, and found two Europeans at the blockhouse, whom they enticed away by tolling them that there woro pigs on the beach for sale. Milne went first, unci was' tomahawked on the path leading to the beach. Seeing that Richards, the other man, did not follow, tho party returned, urging him to come arid look at tho pigs. Tho unfortunate man descended the hill, and was killed near to whore Miluo foil. Tho tana then rushed up to the redoubt, and found that Lieutenant Gascoigno and his family were absent in thoir field of corn and • potatoes. Lieutenant. Gascoigno looking up, saw the natives at the blockhouse, and at once proceeded towards them; carrying his youngest child; Mrs. Gascoigno and tho otlior children followed him. On arriving at a little stream at the base of the hill, on which tho blockhouse stood, Lioutonant Gascoigne gave tho child to his wifo, and went forward to meet tho natives. Approaching him they shook hands with him, aud accompanied him to tho door. Upon raising his hand to' open' the door lie was struck from behind, and foil. \•■ ■-~ \y ,;-,■ ■ • Soon after Mrs. Gascoigno eamo with her children, and she and the littlo ones .wero killed. ■ ' ■ Tho murderers then tomahawked the house dog and the cat. About, sunset Mr. Whiteley was seen approaching on horse-back, but was not recognised until he descended the hill which led t.) ■an old pa. After crossing the stream and ascending Pukearuhe, ho was ordered to return, but refused to do so, and ho and his horse wero shot. , Tho faithful Wcsleyan missionary, a toiler in tho Christian cause in New -Zealand for thirty-six years, was sixty-two years of ago when killed. No man had done, more for-tho Maoris than he. A writer at the time of his death,- referring to his martyrdom, says:—" At length the good old man finished the work that was given him to do. It was his custom to ride out to sdmo romoto post on Saturday, sleep tncre on Saturday night, rise, and bold early Sabbath service, and then, proceed homewards, preaching -it all tho villages on his way. In pursuance of this plan, ho went to tho White Cliffs. Ho was not unconscious of danger, for he had written a warning letter to' the Government concerning this very outpost. As .tho old missionary rodo along with tho spectacle of Ruapchu in front and Egmont on his right, both lifting their snowy crests from tho bosom of the dark forests to the bright blue sky, littlo did he know that Pukearuhe had that dav been stained with the blood of a young English mother of twenty-seven and of her three babies, and with the blood of three harmless men. "The missionary crossed tho stream at the foot of the hill,, aud commenced the ascent of the steep path, when from among a war-party of twenty Maoris, headed by u chief, who had been baptised as a believer in a merciful Saviour, and by tho namo of Wesley, voices were heard calling ' Hokia, bokial'—go back, go back!" "Then there was a dischargo of arms, and the missionary's, horse fell. Disengaging himself from the. dying beast, tho aged minister foil on his knees and clasped his hands in the attitude of* prayer. Arms wero again discharged; fivo oullcts pierced his body, and so he passed to his everlasting rest." With the death of Mr. Whiteley tho war in Taranaki was ended. The Government wero unable to punish tho murderers, but to n late day the blood-stained cliiTs of Pukearuiio woro heldvby a garrison of tho Armed Con-