CHARGE AGAINST RUA

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 749, 23 February 1910, Page 6

CHARGE AGAINST RUA

-v- ■ Svp; V ' ALLEGED THREAT TO MURDER. BAY OF PLENTY SETTLER'S PLACE DAMAGED. A GUN IN EVIDENCE. -(By Tclegrapii.~Special< CdrrosDondenU ■ V;y ,v Opotikij;,February 2l'; :ViOn;-'&tufday^'eveiung:;newsarrived'.at Opotiki '-;df an..alleged : .outbreak by. the iMapriV^Pro^^j^^Kna^.a^^-aviuunberVf^ his ;' followers at Later. <'on, ; j;what'purports' tp be • full .particulais., of the • affair -.vero given tp a"Guajdian" representative. ty .Mr. Larcy. Lawis/ who- is said to have iuffered considerable damage, by /what is deemed -to be 'an .unwarranted 'cutrage. The following ; is the, .full ao'bouat J of the ibccrarrencb'as told' by Mr. 'Xiowlse-^';V I V I V :. Tho Settler's Story. - : "On Friday eveiiing Eua'-and a party passed' iny ; pfbperty;at ■ Waipt&hi oil, their petiim-journey■ from: -Opotiki. Sbvera,! lEcinbere of a. party of men were cainped on my. .property,but. were not werking, with me, but;on ; tho day in.question thisip?ityi ; owing:-.to "wet; weather,- were not. at their wpik, but-were assisting me to-dig potatoes and to carry , them to the house. " '.-:- ■/;.'■■■;!'. ' : r' - : ,'.rWe- ; were/Jn ; : difi<Mnt.Vparts 'of the paddock,'when we saw: a crowd of Maoris go post,-and obis!of}our: party-'sang' out: 'Theregoes - Kua > on-'-: a.- '-black ..'hofsb.', 'OthbK: ireplied:'■■ No',':Eua always, rides, a ;Eua,' going 'down on- that, hbrso 'on'.Thursday.' C - ; "Our.: party'Vtheii.'poiised'• ■on .to;'• my ■■KoTi»".!r."i'6ii' l jwaved'; oiir; tools iin'';^ii&tibn,. not -;sayi' ing anything in particular. Eua ,stopped, 'and.;demanded. to, know : whoso property the.place was. . ,ourvpiirty;' answered .lewis's.' He tjien got off his horse, cro£6cd;.the.;fence,.;aJid \vJenfc acrosa 'the ■paJldbblc r t^mpaiiied' 'KyV-.TiisV:wahiiiw.■ On getting 'near :,the honso 6ome: of. ,liis followers, also, caine. along; to? the housed...

• ■ An Aggressive Movemoirt. : ■■■ "On getliiig within half a: chain of. the .'housavßuaV.want&l Jt6..ttpp ( ';^hr:'K6',weie mo '- 'cheek'' •■ffixateverwas.-intended; - we ''simply^iMiilredJbn^ ;lused;:to ; ;listen,;to my;explanation, ■:and, (tatted "about killing, the whole party .when bo'all\the ll^ris-there." • ' .. • ' |i. t party:-: than- rolled up -.in. force,. mustering about . thirty. • Our party, thinkingy- matters ; were getting.' serious, out'.-of V the i wmdow,V:l,'.'.blKerved ?one' of :tho/.yaliijiK/hand ; '-Kia'. which;': ;on'being, unwrapped,-proved to be a/gun in two parts. ( ' 'Windows Broken—Rua Adjusts His Gun. . "Rua -, continucdXto; threaten',:' and . one •of-'his : party got: through; r the''fence,!'.and approached in,,his . hand,'-which > ho; threw ,at the 'hbuEe,'. j ;aiid--theiiV.ran/ away.vThisf.pei-.' .formaiico was "repeated, .;:b'ut;. ',the-second time he : sent-the through the'window, smashing aUithe glass in ; the lower ':SasL! He : 'then;:ran<-backi-and,'monnting : •his horse, galloped awayr-.' 1 adjust ■ his i gun,;, which',vi^iV'in"■ two' pieais, also .retired (to .the-,road, ...where hb / sat-down to fix his .gun properly.' ' The Maori who had /smashed.'Jthe,..windmra meanwhile set. to work on tho milk cans, , one of .which he damaged,

"Waved the Firearm,' and Departed."*

"Wken:'. -Bu* '.'had'. gun lie waved .the .firearm; in ;'a'|.threateiiing, man;ner for about; ten' mimites,-after. which ithe whole f '-mbunted 1 -; their; Horses' mana." l;Wainjana is/a.'se'ttlGnient, bnthe Waimana Stream,; on the way to Maungapohatu,.the settlement' in '■ the heart of ;the Urewera,! where; Bua ;reigns; supreme.

HAS THE GOVERNMENT WINKED AT ROA'S WAYS? ; A PLEA FOR : STATE ACTION. >. .'.Commenting.- Ron the l matter, the .'"East- Coast Guardian" says:-, "Besi-. dents in, scattered: settlements, of the sur-. rounding . districts ..will: vieWi.:,witH. : considerable : alarm the ." recent ■ unwarranted outbreak of the arch-imposter and His followere' at ,Waiotahi 'and, judging by. this t latest' outrage •6n ■ .the j partof :the>isocalled Maori. 1 prophet,' no people or, pro-, perty on ' the countryside -will, be . safe until/this.insolent ;imposter^and His .lawless . followers are' tangHt ; a' salutary{lesson; . ■' ;■ : : '■' "Itseems to be perfectly-clear that Eua and >v about; thirty of • lii;- i people, i wHile oh•"their Jway ,from. Opotiki to Maunga-. irohatii, irithout .the slightest grounds"for proy<Kation,' entered ;a.;'6ettler's . private property'' withhostile' intents,.. smashed windows '/ the Hq.u£e;'y.damaged.. , other property,';, andv!threatene'd'- .to miirder ; a small ;party. of' pakehaa: Most people jrtll be-..surprised;that an, outrage.Jby Eua".is rendered possible, by. his '.'continued liberty, at Mauhgapohatii, ..where'.' He las . for several years practically defied ■ the , laws of. the- .Muntryv;;eserci£Mg-.''aut3iority, to which..he has po. natural, or .lpgal right.' ' 'liberty which, has' been allowed, to. Hiin.,by'.thfv'authprities, 'He has..become , encouragedto vtbat he,.is,a' gTeat■;man,-'possessing. Crown-: given' authority, ovor whosoever and whatsoever He'. pleases, :' sufficient . to.' exercise ; it.'' r This. ; inflated sense of authority' Has' so .obsessed Hiiri: and liis vanife.. Has. become' ■so {ridiculously', .'great that He . Has' added'to His imposture a dis.segard' of British' law. and 'order' that canuut ;bo allowed' tb.';'pass..ii'nch^lengj.l;''■ . V,The "Guardian" regardsthe matter 'vqry seriously, v .aii'l -aswits .'that ■ Ilua'a ; con- ■ tinned-reig.i at v Mauhg'apohatu- : and in other ; parts "of • the Has, been due .entirely) to ■ tlie { past .'leniency ; of- the • Government.' It urges.: that the matter should be.'fully investigate!; '

- The "Guardian" also urges the Minister for- Justice 'to aijpoiht an additional constable at Opotiki. . !■'

PROPHET-POLITICIAN. V KUA'S PREDICTIONOF >:■ THE' END OP THE 'WHITES. : Kua has p'rophesred-^'/far. vainly—the extinction "of the . whites, ..and. possibly, the wish-is. father to the. thought; also, it-is perfectly plain that:he. believes .in his own . empire, and" that; he has ihar.to'ithe' chariotvwh'ftsls of : his ambition. what ~kns,; been, describe(l as "the ohir P'eat./mbtire .jpdwer. in; Maori.life— the l f6rce'-:pf; A in' The;' Dominion;. ;wlio ..went'.through-, tho •Ur6wera..'"last' : a'itumn 'and;, saw;.Sua in his ' spiritual' and.;.', temporal ' stronghold "Maori; township. cling;irig -to..the; slopes,.ofthe;:great mountain .of ; the ; saino' of; the' Mehaia (Messiah); as follows:—^ Prospective Ownership. "It is now . some two.'or three years since Kua-first : appeared''aS;a man with: a' mission., ' He started vulgarly 'enough as a sort of;.tohuiiga-prophet, with wild a- coming visit- to ■ New Zealand ■by: KinKi.lidward l .('Who-waß,,t6 remove all the' 'patehas. and restore.«ths Maori; to ■his own ;! also- of ;tiHidal : wave,- which was to: wipe, .tiilt. theVwi(il;Sd ; >vhites ajnd spare only ;yabprigihils;.-who sought on elevht6d ; .sahctuary'/',al6ng.V,'with the-pro-phet; .Among them\'wete fto : be; parcelled. ..out. in ..due.', proportion,, the lands.

of . the doomed pakeha. ■ Those were, the days when a Maori in Buatoki rode up .to, a white .man and said: fThat is .a •fine camp-open you , have. I lite it. 'Don't damage that cainp-bybL'" After-you :are.,gone.,l intend to have it.. , And he •spamd' off . to lay formal'ckim'to' some other chattel of .his prospective owner•ship".- •.■'•, V;v '"' v■ ' — j 'Those were also' the dayswhen Maoris near JRuatoki ...cut. :a";. broad/.fair, • track ;through.,the scrub," leading;,'-rip the brow. ,of ■ a . ridge;.; so that..they' might be .able )to; make rapid retreat froih the-'ovbr-;coming ' deluge. Maiiy, ;more strongly •moved, sold their horses and .carts, their .'stock, even . their.: little weather-board house's (if they possessed, such) and • went •to live in Eua's own citadel in :the heart !of ~the Urewera- Country,, at:the foot :of Ithb 'sacred. : and •'mysteriouS'-. mountain'," the. "dwelling-place, of the dead. Maunga: "ipbhatu,: surely, the largest . kainga in |New Zealand, with -.its ipa-tapu,. and its jim'posirig. circular, temple, a. triumph'. of 'Maori. architecture." ..; ,; ;-.'r'.V- ■.

•A Pen-Picture.' ! _Eua:, is. sometimes . .very . European .in •his!: appearance,; sometimes - quite Maori. He is a poseur. ■ Here •is the writer's impression:;;. ■ . 'He, tho centre of; all'this disturbance, its fonset origo.'- is- a' singularly./affable man, aiid, moreover, ; a handsome one. His .figure stalwart, well-knit, and : upstanding, . features good, .-:eyes ; actually, beautiful; - .A;' coat of dark .cloth;. wellfittitig, and looking :as .-though'' 'just - out of the:. box,' covers a neat shirt of soft material, onwhich blazes a deep blue tie, well, suiting, the swarthy complexion. Riding-breeches and leggings go to complete a natty ,attire; .but . one .had',nearly forgotten the grey felt hat, - perhaps the most notable item of all.'for it is attached to the luxuriant black hair with a .lady's hatpin!- An'odour of scent-also emaaates -from .tho Mehaia, for if King. .Louis • was the,. First 'Gejrflemaa of; France,.'Eua is certainly, the' ,First Dandy ,of the. Urewera.; ', Everything., indicates , an .almost effominate,di6criiriihation, and shows .that ■ the;'Mehaia is a' past: master-.in the-art of; ajpeaiaiices'.ana jpcises. With his bine tie;and, hatpin'; aid,'gaiters'jand,' riding . whip, -he might - pass; -on Lambton Quay ,for . a foreign.; gbntkman,-. or, with; a, few alterations, he might' make a fortune for. Bland Holt-as. the' Brigand Chief. odd summers ''have -passed over; Eua, and ; he' carries , them 1 lightly. fluent 'of- speec.h, Mid as he' 'orates' his eye kindles,'and the .hands [are -often, clasped. . To 'all; this, add' a.; strong : . touch' of'■ unmistakable '.personal ■magnetism." '•'.-.-V-'- -••,>•■' : - Eua's■ rule: ai*MaungapoKaiu. ha.s, as its .outward-'; and ■ visible' sign .a; .circular temple 'of • w<mderful-; aTchitccture.' j Another visible sign is a reti-iiue of- m'ves—at one ■ time; young.' He--had an . oiribitious. scheme ,t» .make Mairngapohatu self-supporting: aid '.self-containW'--' by means of a System Maori/co-operative fanning,;• with»himself. as : 'bverlord.-,.,The settlers of-the :Whakatane ihave long murmured ' against hi 6 ways.; . '