THE OPOTIKI TRAGEDY-PUBLIC MEETING.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2402, 1 April 1865, Page 4

THE OPOTIKI TR AGEDY-PUBLIC MEETING.

In pursuance oE a 'requisition, signed ! on behalf of 150 oitizens of Auckland, to"his Honor,, the Supenn". tendenb, a public meeting, /con veued" by his, Honor,' was held in the old Supreme' Com t-houie, .yesterday, at noon, for tlie purpose of acknowledging ",the gallant^ conduct of Mr/ Levy, master •or the , schooner 'Eclipse,' in effecting the rescue; of Mr. Grace from the hands of thePni Marires at Opotiki." Th'eJ?uild' ing' was'crowded^with persons, thVgreat* "biillc of whom seemed to be tho admirers of Captain Levy. Mr. Osmond Lewis announced that he had just been informed by Mr. Caileton, .Provincial Secretary, that his Honor tho Superintendent, who was expected to, have taken the chuir, had not ariivod in Auckland; that ,his Qonor had gone two or three days ago to the Hot 'Springs, and had not yet returned, it,- therefore, devolved upon those present to.ohooao a chairman. , Ho ,would,,.be glad if any goutleinnn' would coins forward and kke the chair. The meeting would bo occupied by a statement made by Captain Levy and the native Tiwai. It would be the duty of the meetiug to listen to their statements; but as ycb tho meeting was without a head, lie would wish the meeting would coiuo to a decision and put some one in the chair, so that the> mi^hb go on with the proceedings. lie would merely mention to them that the mason ho (Mr. Lewis) was there in that cap.ioity * was m consequence of a resolution that was passed on Monday wock, in which ho was requested to sign a document as one of the lequisitionisls. He did so in his official capacity, and he waited upon tho Superintendent, who readily agicod that tli'at meeting should be called. He (Mr. L.) would mcieljr mention to them tsiat ho was the lepicbcntative of at least 150 inhabitants that were assembled at that meeting, and he now came foiwviid with some lesolutions that had been picpared by a committee of those gentlemen. It was for the meeting to decide what course it would take. The iirst step was to appoint a chairman. He would leave the matter entirely m thenhands. Some delay took place with respect to the appointment ot a chtiuman, several peisons having been nominated to occupy that position, Mr. I\. W. Wynn amongst; the number. Mr. Wvnk sa d ho hail other appointments to attend to. He did not come down theto with a view of taking any active p.vitintho proceedings. ITe felt veiy much fl vttered in beinij called to take tho clian, Lut ho was afraid tho proceedings would occupy 100 much time, and would oblige him to vacate the cluir beforo the pioceodmgs teniiinalecl. Ho would take the chair on the understanding that, if they did not couchule the pioceedings when it wns impeiativcly necMsaiy for him to he eteewhoio, they would appoint some one else to take the chair. (Applfime ) Ho (Mr. \V ), having taken Ins position as chairman, rerd from the Daily South km Caosa tho advertisement convening tho meeting, and observed that Mr. Lewis would read the requisition which induced Ins Honor the Supeiiutendunt to phicc that advertisement in the paper. Mr. Lewis lend the requisition, which was signed by Mcssis. French, Biame, ami Lewis, on behalf of 150 persons. The Chaikman said they had hcaid fiom the lcquisition that the meeting was convened to take some steps in older to acknowledge the gallant conduct of Captain Levy, master of the schooner ' Eclipse,' in effecting the ioscuc of Mr. Grace. He hoped that any gentleman addressing the meeting would abstain from using jmy language that might lcflect nnpiopeily on any one else. All they had to do was to acknowledge thegallant conduct of Capt. Levy, which was recognised by all. It was only the bubinessof the meeting to iccogiiisetho*ie services. He believed Captain Levy desued to make some statement which had been made in other places. It would be satitf.ictoiy tlwfc he bhould be heard personally, and, if necessary, thiS he should ]jo queslioucd. The fiisc paib of the programme was that Captain Levy should bo invited to make his s-tate-mout to tho meeting, and after that they would have a statement fiom the native Tiwai. 'iheu lesolutions would ho proposed in due couise. (4pplau%e.) Captain Levy then came forward, and was loudly cheered. He suppoied it would bs useless to go into bis diary, as most of them had read it all ; but there weie many things not in the diary that were suppressed, and therefore he wis place 1 in a peculiar condition. They were suppiessed nt the instance of others, and ho was now thrown on the public sympathy. Ono of the liist queitions would be asked — could he account for Mr Uiace's conduct? He could not ; because up to tho veiy hour of going an ay they were on the best terms. He blepfc with him in tha same house, ami took every meal w ith him. They had had several— he might <-ay tows — a groat many ; but nothing to interfere very mateiially with I hem. They had had a low, and. half-an-hour aftciw.ucU they had taken iiuah* together, and conveisod together, lie had called him (Mr. Grace) bad names, lie had called him a liar, a hypociito, and told him he w.is not fit to wear the cloth of the Clmrch ; and he wns prepared to piove it bcfoieany tnbunal in the woild, (Applause) One of thoh'ist oecifciotn of their bickcung was after the murder. Mr. Gi.ice wanted to bo he.ucl. lie said he had great influence with Potare, the great chiof amongst the natives. Ho wan to I them to go and sec if ho could get a heating fiom Potare. He (Captiin Levy) asked Potaro if he Avould allow Mr. Giace a boating, and tho chief told him it would appear cm ions to have one man aloue to hoar, and i£ the whole of the Europeans who wt re theie would meet him at 10 o'clock in the Rev. Mr. Volkncr's chinch, that lie would give them all a heaiMig. Accoidingly at ten o'clock they all assembled in that church, wheio chairs weie provided for ten of them. The fiist inquiry was as to Mr. Volkiior. and the next w.is what business Mr. Grace had to do there after being sent aw.iy. They hid a long parley. When Mr. Giace found out that he could not cairy his point, ho proposed that nine of them should be made pii^oncis to keep him company. He (the speaker) told 1113 brother, S.imucl Levy, for God's sake to speak to Grace and tell him to tako caie wh.it he was saying, as they did not wnnt to be all hung if he was taken prisoner. However they let him have hi-, say out. That was one of 'the lea^on". On'sonic evening after the meeting was held, Mr. Giace asked him if ha would go and ptopose a lansom. He did propose £300, which, was refused. He then proposed ,£l,OOO, which was jefneod. They <=aid £1,000, £3,000, or£8,0:J0 n ould not gat him, as they intended to take him to Tauranga and s.tculico him a" Tatanaki. (Cheeis ) At that saino meeting his brother (who was present) volunteered — ho was asked fiist — to remain nt Opotiki with Mr. Grace if Potare would allow Mr. Volkner to stop with him. Potaro agreed to that, and his bi other went as a ransom to Polavo. Mr Grace and he (Captain Levy) were walking aimin-nrm that evening, and they talked about his brother being his ranson. He (Mr. G.) it was too mean for his brother to be his ransom — too mean for a Jew to bo his lansnm. An hour or two afterwards Mr. Gincc wns walking up and down with him, and he commenced to talk about what his (Cupt.im Levy's) brother was gamg to do for him— that lie was going to do that thing and the other thing. lie (Captain Levy) asked him how he knew that he would be there to do all those things for him ; that ho was at liberty to do whatever he liked to escape. Mr. Giaco then said it was in his power to inform Potare, who was then four miles distant, that his brother was going to escape. 13 o (the speakei) then said, " You a minister! you are not (it to wear the cloth." (Cheeis ) He (Mr. Grace) preferred not to go to Potnro, but to let tho matter rest. There was .another veiy gieat occasion. They all knew it was death to wiito. Mr. Grace said so himself. Ho (Captain Levy) hod repeatedly warned him against wiiting One day ho refused to write to Auckland ; ho said it was death to write. Ho had asked him to write to his wife, but he said he was afraid to do so. Ho was writing a letter in tho onou air to send by a native. He (Capt. Levy) would now como to tho grave scene. 'I hey were aware lhat Mr. Volkner's body was thrown down a privy. It would have been better had it been Mr. Grace's body. (Laughter ) In fact ever since that time, and within half an hour bofoio' Volknei's execution the natives were crying out — | " they have hung the wrong man." They told Mr. Grace that hundreds of times. He tried to get the body, They did not wish to run themselves into danger. They could not thou get the body out. A few days aftei wards he and his brother went tj tho privy and pulled open the top. They could sco the feet upwards, and about twenty dogs louud the body. /They wont to tho natives, and they had a good deal of bother about it. Tho end of it was that they agreed for him to tako the body. After they had told him to take tho body, they did not like him to see tho job they did ; they said, " Leave it alone, wo will bury it comfortably." Eventually he went to the natives and bought the body from them for some shirts. Tho conditions ho bad his body on were, that they wero •to bnvy it, and that Mr. Giace was, nofc. t to come near it. They would not allow him to" interfere at all. He asked them where they, wero to have it buried, and they pointed out the place: ' Mr. Grace wanted it buried in the grave-yard. Ho told him it was no matter where it was buried so long as they

fbt iEout of l th6,.privy.i4ffle > adyi«edtlum.to,g<w|w»3r.^ dig m^TO/'iWthihVss^^o^oXohl#^£ffi hadn't got the grave dowri'abon^fo f^JsfMgg^Ss Grace came,:»nd C ld I fg' ! u P^b6thM^«i|efiho^ grave was ' "not Vwft r»;^agßi(tai»)l Be^tolci;-; him; ho {,'{^dUn^B^M^Af^ll was "north-, and^ souths providedf? K thepSgot^ the body, out of whereat* :wtiK k Hojsitoldf him3for|g God's salco to go away (i and leayo;u«m,qt|wt.^Afterv| that they, went ondiggiug the grave. -£They/gqt thei| grave down ftve feet, when lip oame^Mr. ,Grace.f;lHe ; J asked him 'what was jtheynatter^npNyTliHojWOukl;, read the bnrial serwcS ) v Ho*told, him|' 4 that' he knew the conditions on which' ho had "got thef."i body, and'that he" would ;get'them "airjmng.'^For«^ he wouldn't go away ;'ho service. no,(Captain Levy) Bwore at- him, and caljed^ him an NypboritVand to gd'out of^he way and 16fctheta i; bury tho body comfortably and.respectubly. -Theret^ was such a row, that hi«i men left him, and wont a way ■> to their vowel. When they went away, Mr.; Grace re- ~, mained talking to him.- lie (Captain-L.) asked him to > finish the gravo, but ho refused. 'Heathen told him to get up-tho body while-he flui«hed-the grave.- As soon.-' as he found that there was, work' to he done' he left them. After he left, his .(Oaptnin L.'s) men came, 'amUhcy mmhed.tho grave.,. TJiey got,the,body u\i,j and got it wrapped in two pieces of carpet; which. Tiwai gave them, and tied it with flax, and bnried it . in the grave. He told oue "of hiametV to go'and tell , Mr. Grace that the body was buried comfoitably and - decently. lie came, and wanted to read the funeral : service; but they filled in the grave' after a good, deal of bother. Ilia biother (8. Levy) cut'a heacL. stono for the grave. They told Mr. Grace that he could come afterwaids and read the funeral service. 'After the mound was made up the btonewas placed on the grave. Ho told Mr. Grace that after the nativei, _ 100 of them, would go away, he could- read the funeral soi vice quietly over the body, which wculd do just as well. (Cheers.) He (Mr. G.) turned round to liiui and said, " 1 tuink 1 will leave it till Sunday." Sunday came, aud he (Captain L.) watched him like a cat w? telling a rat. Did they think lie ever wont near the giave? No. The beauty of it wa«, they had been tin own so much together that ho didn't think a single thing took place without witnesses to it. There was another little thing ho could give, just to show the ideal of the man. Ho made an agiccment with Tivrai. He ({SaHtain L.) told him, " God knows how many inontlis"you may be here, aud make an agreement with Tiwai for board aud lodging.' 1 He got him to draw out an agreement. A dispute took place about the payment for the board and lodging for Sunday, fiwni asked him if ho did not have kaikai on Sunday ? When he replied, "Oh yes." Tiwai said, "Well, why not pay for it?" (Laughter ) '1 hero was another time when the doctor that was down there asked him if ho could lot him have a room, lie had only one huge room in the whare in which they locked themselves up, and wanted to wiite to Auoklaiid. They had not been long in the room when a tap came to the window. It was Air. Grace. He kept tapping, and they were obliged to go out, and it was made known to the natives aiouud that they were closed up in some secret. The night before they came away, William King came up to see them aud give thorn advice, and he said he wouldwiitea letter about the matter. Mr Grace went aud told the natives that Willinm King was writing off to the Government. When he (Captain L.) was coming away, Mr. Grace thauked him very kindly, and that said when he came to ' Auckland ho would show that he was grateful, shaking both his hands. (Laughter.) He (Captain L ) told him to do three things, to go near none of the meetings, to hold no aignments with the natives, and to keep in Ins own house. lie agreed, to do so. H3 (the speaker) went down the harbour, and when they came to the Heads the wind had just commenced, so they diopped anchor aud couldn't go out that day. Tiwai asked linn to go to the ineetiug. .They went to see his biother, when they met Mr. Grace running along with liab in hand sweatiug' like a hull. (Laughter.) Heabked him what was the matter; he said they were going to kill him, and for God's sake ho Avouid give him .£2OO to take him out. Ho promised to do what ho could to allay their excitement. They went to the meeting. The natives killed a bullock, made a greal feast, and made them all jolly, and gave them beefsteaks on board the vcsbel. There was another little thing. A gieat many little things make a imickle" they say. _ Mr. Grace wanted Tiwai to go to the prophet with a let er. He offeied Tiwai £20. They told the native to get the promise of payment on paper that ho might leave it with his wife, if anything should happeu to him, to do her somo good. He went to Mr. Grnco and told him if he gave him au order for the money ho would go. As soon as he mentioned putting pen to paper for one penny piece, Mr. Giace was off. (Cheers.) There was another little thing showing the spirit of the man dining ths whole affair. They hud :<ll heard about the acknowledgment— that Mr. Grace had given him a bond. He did not give it to him, but to a thhd paity to gi\e it to him. He had it theie. Afterwards he got {lightened that it might cost him one penny. He told the doctor to prowl about and see if he could pick ib up on any of his (Capt L 's) shelves, and he would give him £10 if he could get it. (Captain Levy hure read a letter from Mr. Grace, leferring to Uie los 3 which he had sustained through having Mr. Volknerancl himself on board his vessel, and a memorandum ceitiiying that he was present when Messis. Levy gave all they possessed as a ransom for the life of Mr. Grace.) They had seen the mgratitude of Mr. Grace for everything they had done. Some persons told Mr. Grace down there that ho would be the lion in Auckland, and that they (Mebsrs. Levy) woidd be the little dogs running behind him. He told Mr. Grace the day he -was coming away, that he had left those memorandums out of their diary. Hesaid, "Oh ! thank God ! Mr. Levy, you make my mind easy ; they are things that should not be made public." He told them that all hands should stop with him and Ucep him company ; that if one stopped all should stop. When Mr. Grace offered him £200 the day he came away, he told him he did not want money for that matter. (Unptain Levy then read extracts fiom Mr. noopei's published letter). Ho had.i row with Hooper for allowing Owen Jones and John Thomas to sign the paper without knowing the contents of it He mentioned the vaiious articles that had been given to William Hooper, who had on two occasious a fne passage by the vessel. He (Capt. Levy) was sleaping in the same house with Mr. Grace to keep him company when the vebsel was lying at the heads. He was woke up by tne native Heiemeta, who told him that a steamer was coming close to the ihoie aud seemed frighteued, as he had never seen a vessel so close before. Ho awoke up but did not «co it. Breakfast was leady. He went on tho roof and saw something of a vessel. Ho told his brother aud Mr. Orace that the ' Eolipse' was coming down. Mr. Giaee and Tiwai wanted him to stop and take breakfast. Ho (Captain Levy) said, "1> the breakfast; it is timo to bo moving ; thcro is some work to be done to-day." He .and \m biother got into tho canoe, leaving the otheis behind. He lchted how Moore and he -succeeded in lescuing Mr. Grace, which appeals already in his diary. When Moore weut to him, he wanted to know by whose orders ho was to be taken away. On leaving he desired Moore to stop and carry his parcel, which consisted of a dirty shirt and a razor. ( Laughter ) H e had n othing else left. W hen safely in the boat, Moore and he (Captain L.) tool; tho oaia and pulled to the steamer. He (Captain L.) swoio a little when going down. (Laughter.) The man-of-war captain and tho Bishop expected to see Tiwai and King. Mr. Grace hopped on boaid, and never said a word from that day to the present. The Bishop thanked him (Captain L.), but Mr. Grace never thanked him. Ho (Captain L.) told the Bishop '• That ungrateful wretch does not know the work C have done for him, and never will." That' was the last word he baid to Mr. Grace when ho left, ne was open to answer any straightforward question. Several questions were heie asked and answered, during which the proceedings were assuming a rather noisy character, some persona shouting out, among other uuseemly expressions, "You men of God is not to have it all your own way." The CiiAirtsrAN succeeded m restoring quiet by announcing that the native, Tiwai was' about to make his statement. Capt Levy said Tiwai had worked night and day for them during the whole of the time, and had , left his pioperty and his wife .behind on that account. Tiwat, tho friendly uative, addressed tho meeting through an interpreter, aud was proceeding to givo J , a detailed account of tho whole affair -which has '■< already been so much before the public, when The Chairman said that all- tliaLwas necessary <„ was for him to confirm tho stafcenieutiof'Capt. Levy or otherwise. /> » " > '-' Tiwai said that tho sayings of Capt. Levy were , eorreot. , * * > - , - John Moore, seaman, - corroborated , Captain , Levy's statement, and observed that he opuld swear', 1 " to the gi eater part of it. p| - ' N , ' ,' -^ ~■> ',VJ l Sauubii Lbvst aUo confirmed Tiis brother's state-; ment. ,--_"-.-'>.., '-_,'*' / "t-*'v^«J'L" t -*'v^«J'L 7 Some questions,! were "here.pnt^tb^CaptMa-'Lovy:^ with reference to' the statement,* Wabih.e;had'givea?S

a Hebrew Bible to the fanatioi, telling them.that it .would be useful for them when thoy went down South. Captain Lrvy snid he had not a Bible, It was aprayer book which he had given to the natives, a facsimile of which he produced. Mr. Wynw here vacated the chair, and Mr. Osmund Lewi* was called thereto. _ Mr. J. M. FRKNOir, in a feY appropriate observations, moved the first resolution, as follows:— •', That tho heroic conduct of Mr. Levy, the master of the lohooner c Eolipso,' in effecting tho resoue of th 6 Roy. Mr. Grace from tho power of tho Pai Mariro fftuatiss at Opotiki is deierving of the highest commendation, aucl meriti tho strongest estoem of tho inhabitants of Auckland ; and tho citizens now assembled hereby tender to that gentleman their best and warmett tbuiks for his recent noble and gallant services in delivering a tcllow-being from an lgnomiuioiu death." Mr. Eastwood seconded tho resolution, wluob. was carried unanimously. Mr. Turnkr proposed the next resolution : — "That a copy of tho resolution just agreed to bo forwarded to Mr. Levy, and that the saino bo signod by tho chairman for and on behalf of the meeting." The resolution was seconded by Mr. Sanderson, and carried. Mr. Bbame, a recent arrival, proposed the third resolution :— " That tho cordial thanks of this meet ing arc also due to the aboriginal native Tiwai, and also to the crew of the ' Eclipse, 1 for the very valuable assistance they rendered in tho rescue of Mr. Grace, and the inhabitants now assembled heichy tender to them their most sincere thanks for the noble services they performed on that occasion." Mr. Hartley seconded tho resolution, which was unanimously carried. On tho motion of Captain Lew, n vote of thanks was accorded to the ..Chairman. Three cheers weie then 'given for Captain Levy, Mr. Levy, and Tiwai, after which the meeting quietly dispersed.