TARANAKI'S TROUBLOUS DAY

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 413, 23 January 1909, Page 6

TARANAKI'S TROUBLOUS DAY

\. THE ; MASSAC!M:-'; ! , •■ tai iiLiaiitß.'— bpkia'i...coxsesfoKobhtJ'',.'■•.■" - ■•'■■'■''..; '"i'Ji-'-oV;-'.:." Now! 1 -. Bl!;-;'-;-' ''':;For; the-past', week or- two ; New' Plymouth his been,hubbling over'with' : ,stories of'Tarar naki's ;tTOublous' (lays:- ■ The:-;ri!sit.' : 'of; the' Cambrian ,and! assembling.pfV -veterans,; followed ■by 'the,- Taranaki,Tiifles J - Jubilee,'-,;re-' opened the-stores 'of iaernoryV'..; Old 'veterans have ; been-fighting, their;, battles, over!again; and /now; a;: sacred relic' of-those;. days-,-has ■apje'are'4i-.-'.''To-3ayr'''thiß'- : lle.K i iTf : ih : charge of the Whiteley. Memorial MethoT dist Church ,ih New Plymouth; ; . on; b«half ; .bf,; ; the:-cjrcu^ ef Tariki,' .'tho% identical :'Vohmer,pf-*ih6."siy books ,of •Testament.^r'anshyted t . into Maori, which' 'Mr^'Whiteley.^-nail- with- him at the -time, of'.'the; .'Whitecliff's! massacre. ;.;''.lt' is -.understpbd: ithat. the' ;bdok, which Vis in' ; a good l state.!of will-be placed in ;to: the tablet!; erected to; Mr!'Whiteley,: the, pioneer ;pf;'Methodism in ithese.'.parts. .; The' the Eev 1 . John Whiteley was the last'act .in -thedrama ofthe Maori wars in; Taranaki.-:■, Early:^-in i December; > 1868,,' the 1 superintendent--of Taranaki •'; received -a.' com-, muhicatibh ] that the' .Ngatimaniapbto's,' - feeling angry ;,at; the' refusal ■•'of";the 5 other Waikato tribes ltd" sanction a -generalVrisipg' in that district, had uttered-a-threat that they would-go to* Wltiteoliffs in:Taranaki on their own account. The Government: .placed trustWorthy .'Natives on.' the -look-out 'to!-! guard against -the 'possibility^of; surprisej but later, not: apprehending "ihe'-scbuts; were.dismissed; "OnSaturday;-.February. 13/; 186.9,:'. excited- hyy the''.success': wliich'/had ,at-' tended -.the '•'•'arms:-' of i theyiebels';•'under 'Te •Kooti ahd .Titokbwaru, and 'by the :fact:th'at the whole Imperial'-and colonial troops, had .been 'withdrawn ~frb'm 'Taranaki's ; -northern a:.taua^;br. ; ;ya^^;part'y'.:pf , the'-Ngatimaniapotos,-; the., sectibif'.bf ,-thel tribe, res.idip'g.'in'- Mokau; approached;' Pukearuhe, i the British redoubt at Whitepliffijo-: The taua approached'in .broad daylightj/anS;found -two men at: the ' - : These''they, enticed away, with ■■ the story that:they,lad pigs'.:for: sale on .the beach. _" Both : men fwere."tomahawked. : :-The Maoris. rushed; -the'.- redoubt. Lieutenant':'Gascoigne and!- his family were absent in', a field-of; corn !andpbtat6e3.' Lieut. Gascbigne,looked, up and- saw.,;the Natives, and w.ent; l ;forwa'rd,;tp: meet, .tn'emj-'his-wife. following.;: ; jThe--Maoris 'i-'shoqk '-hands • with him, ;'.but. : as he went .to the door.pf .his house they,; killed ''him. from- behind;-"' si Mrs., Gas.coign'e . and children suffered :-a7,simi]ar \ fate. The 'murderers then .tomahawked the house-dog-and.'bat.•,..About!sunset-;the Rev. Mr. -:■- .liteley.: was'-seen' appfoachingV: a; Little rdid •he think how black a, crime': had; been-per-petrate'd at 'the spot.. Pukerauhe-had'that day been ; stained. with .the;blood-of a young Englisfrmotherof 27.years,her.three. babes, .'ana three' harmless;■'men." 1 -'"The: missionary. crossed the.stream.at :the.fo'ot';of' ; the -hill, and. commenced to :steeppath,. when . he "was warned; -/by v'-Maori voices; l 'llpkiai-hokia"■",('',Gp .back; go'back"). .There was; a discharge';of • arms, .and :.the;missi6hary ifell;'; ;Disengaging;himself. from.his;horse,he sank.on;his knees;; and,commenced ■■"praying.'..While"doing .so he '■' was'-,'shoti.at"twice. by Weterewith a revolver," and imissed. Wetere then went'up close,' and ;shot the: unfortunate gentleman'.dead.' He was '62 years of age at the'time of his:death.;::.* ■'-.