THE MAORI OUTLAW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 77, 24 December 1907, Page 7

THE MAORI OUTLAW.

"[STORY OF MATENQA'S ARREST' - FIVE YEARS'.LIFE L\ THE BUSH. ' (BY TELEGB'APII— SPECIAIi- COItEESFONDENT.) ■ -;■->,:■■;••■ "Hapier, December 23. .} ■iThe-story-of4he~arrest.o£.the..Maori outlaw; Malonga 'was secured, by a "Daily,. , Telegraph" reporter from Detective Brobbrg, who, ,:with Constablo A. Skinner, oi * wrestling fame, arrived in Napier by the Jion'o'wai tbis'morning.'" The hardships suf- * fered .by the police ' officers during thoii chase is evidenced by tho fact that in one.'. instance thcy : wero- wading downii river for- \ six..'hours.____At.^tlipr _. times they groped *. their way in their underclothing throughdenso bush with the heat 90 iii the shade. , . ! On.; Monday .' morning, December '9, ;th« \i party- loft Hutchihson'.s Tobora station aJ' and ■ struck out in tho back couu-* ti-y," wliere,''.from .bxporierices,'* Dotective, 1 Broberg-.-thought , .' the outlaw might-; bo .'located.-- A-trail was struck, and' | for-.six hours the police- officers, accompanied 1 by. thpir-guide,;Harj-y..Green, a. Poverty Bay' . man , , , waded..dqwn,;the Motuwheru\stream, -i ■' until,.it junctioned 'with the 'Hangaron.} River. '- Hero: signs' of a' camp wero struck! with tho savoury.- remains of blue mountain ducks. From'tliis , -spot'the party pushed on,v travelling in singlets aiid. linderpantsi. ! and at dark that 1 night reached the Wanna- i pa,, close, to where Rjia had once formerly ' campei) , ." , '>'■"■■■-■;-■■• !■- . ■:...'.:■ -~../ i , By.Jtuis.timo.,tlio se.archors .were .showing.,;) extrome signs of fatigue, but they received tho gratifying intelligence that a strange i Ngatipovou native bad boon at the pa about .. throe" weeks' ,, before. ,, ''He had been- treatedwith native hospitality, and when he. doparted had loft bohind, hini a'double-barrelled gun,.--This was: found to. have been stolen.' from , Mbtir 'on: Octobdr 21.' -The stranger , * , wins , stated to"have left in'the direction-of ' AViiiroii.:.',.; ■.'■...,■■' ; ~,. .. ' ■ '.•';■ ''■' : On after sjiending tbo'iiigbt • , at; tlio pa, : the officers of justice early' next;'l , mo.rumgi.ngttiri. , «struck.into.'tlie heart of.os, tremely rough' country. ;:,Throughout- the >. day ■ tlid 'giiiclb ■. made/ inquiries at varioue * pasj-Jbutjiothiiig definite was learned. ;lliq arrest of Mat'onga'ciime alioiit aT.'tbe. : Rnakituri pa on tho samo 'day. Here the" guide introduced his,cpmpanions as a survey party, and they, woro''welcomed, as such. Amongst tho'crowd of natives-one man-was , ' noticed , as a stranger to the tribe. The, guide exercised his conversational powers- , and was informed by the. Maoris that thy. stranger- had-arrived- at the pa a few. dayi. before,-- and 4 wns. -tribe.'. . '< ■"Tliat',was. ; .6nough:.fo"r tho 'police, who , eingled .. ; out:_tho l iiv.miin,..aiid in the .expressive lan- ;. guage of the,.''force,""put the acid on him.". ■ ■Under this motbod of cross-cxaminatibii'.'.■ tho strahgor-said that bis nahio was "Tiari," ami that ho canio from a place called Miiungd])onutu. ; search was' then insti- - tilted, and tho suspect was found in pps< ■«•■■ . sossion of a watch and"chnin, which hadbben stolen from Messrs. Alfred Bros. , camp,' . oh; ; October ■ ,12. Tliii v man then saw tliat 1 ■; tho-'gamo was; np'i'.-and: admitted lioing Han'* Mat'enga; ' Ho was immediately placed under '■ atresfc.-.: (The Maoris- were evidently totally" linawaro as. to' whom 'they had been shel'., coring. . '. : ' }.'■■'., ! Both Detective Bioberg and Constable" Skinner speak in high terms of Matenga's fjhe physique: and suporb. powers of ondurtfneo. Hp said that during his five years' lifo in the bush' lie .bad undergqno fearful ,■(■ privation. For days ho had l gone wijjiout , food. Detective, ißroborg could not learn whether, on the occasion of ' his. forjnor Bearcji 'with ,,. Constable : M'Alister,- Matenga* , lijnow'lip. was being searched for. The native '? .about. forties years of .age,, and is not '• ■ above tho average Maori in intelligence.--* , : . .";In casting a roflectivp glance over what he had been througli ..Detective. Brolierg concluded: "It was ; three :'of.-tlio'hardest days' work ever I. did-,.in-.my'• Hfo.V - - : . '.:'■*.

\_A \ploasant little' feature in, connection wit'lntho search 'came to. the knowledge 'of the police oflicofs .on-their-return to Gishorno. Some Napier ladies, With ,1 kindness of heart that did them credit, forwarded to Gisborne n plump!plnm pudding,. ii) lib sent out to the searchors iii the bush ■with tho best wishes for a , merry Xmas."Wo loft it with tho Gisborno police to cook for Matenga'sChristmas' dinner," gallnntlj spid Detcctivo i.Broberg. ..." .. . ■' ' .>.. ~