THE WHAKATANE MURDERS. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2676, 13 February 1866, Page 5

THE WHAKATANE MURDERS. EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED.

The examination of the nineteen Maori prisoners charged wibh the murder of Mr. Fulloon and the crew of the 'Kate,' at Whakatane, was resumed before Mr. Beckbam, E.M., at the new gaol, at 9 o'clock yesterday morning, and wa3 continued till half-past 5 in the evening. The gentlemen cond acting the trial were the same as on Wednesday last. The first witness called was Hetaraka Tarawehi, who deposed : I belong to the Ngatiawa tribe, and reside at Oh ope, near Whakatane. I recollect theday on which Fulloon waskilleri. T was then at Whakatane. There were a good many jieople collected on the shore. When I arrived, Te Mfctimati was speaking to Te Hura and his companions. I heard Te Matimati say, "If our pakehas are killed, we two (meaning himself and Tira) must be killed also." While Te Matimati was speaking I saw persons who went to kill going to the boat. Tira was pushed back by Paraharaha, and neither he nor Matimati got into the boat. The boat pulled towards the vessel belonging to Bennett White and James Fulloon. The vessel "vas at sea at the mouth of the river. The map produced gives a good description of the place The cutter was lying where the mark is. I know some of those who went in the boat towards the vessel. Those 1 recognised were ffoani Poururu, FTekara, Himone, Heahea, Tukino, Hoki Waihou, Hunia. Raniera te Werotokotok", Panap* Rangirewai, Te Aka Tau, Hoaui Hupe, Te Meihana, Paraharaha, Utuku, Mikaere Kirimangu, Hoaui Tuarikino, Tio Wahu, Tanatin, and Hare. (Witness identified the prisoners named.) Wiremu Kepa te Amapu was also on board the boat. lam quite sure that all those I have named wo.ointhe whaleboat going to the cutter. After the boat went— a short time aft-r — I heard filing from ihe seaward. Each of the men who went in the boat was armed with a gun. Cross-ex imined by Wiremu Kepa te Amapu : Did you distinctly see me on board the boat ? — Yes. Wetini Tainui depose*! : I belong to the Ngaiterangi tribe, and live at Tauranga. Ido not recollect the date when Fulloon was lulled, but I recollect the fact. At f-unrise on that day I arrived at Whakatane. I saw Bennett White's vessel out at sea. All the prisoners were at Whakatane, and Te Hura and his companions. I recognise all the prisoners as having been there. When they saw the vessel a boat went off, and shortly afterwards returned again. Besides those who went off, Tira and Te Matimati craie back in the boat. When the boat came on shore Tira and Te Matimati sat on a log on the beach. Hekara spoke to them. He said "Welcome, my son ! Welcome, my elder brother ! Come, you will die on account of the calling (or under the orders) of your God ! James Fulloon, on board there, is the representative of Kngland." Te Hura then said the same, with the exception that he did not say anything about the Parliament of England. I understood, by the saying that the men were to die under the orders of their god, that they meant death to James Fulloon, and the people on board the vessel. After Hekara and Te Hura had spoken, Te Matimati said, " If James Fulloon is to be killed, I must be killed also.' 1 Then orders were giv^n for the people to be killed. The prophet Horotnona wa- the first to give orders Then Mikaere Kirimangn said, " Give me 20 men." The 20 did not come forward then ; but on the third time he demanded they came forward to him. The 20 men went on board the boat. I also went with them. Those who went in the boat were Mikaere Kirimangu, Hoani Poururu, Hawera te Hihira, Hitnone, Hunia, TJaniera, Hoki Waihou, Haki Tukino, Hekara, Hoani Tuarikino, Tikaro, Heahea, Utuku, Hoani Hope, Te Aka, Tio Wahu, Paraharaha, Tanatiu, Hare. Tamati o Ngatihoko, and myself. Of these Hoera is dead — the Arawas killed him in battle. Hare, Tanatiu, Tikaro, Hoani Tuarikino have escaped. With these exceptions, the others I have named are all present, and are the prisoners. Wiremu Kepa te Amapu, Panapa, andTe Meihana were not on board the boat. When we got into the boat the prophet Horomona jumped up and said, "Kill all thepakeiias except Rennptt White's son. "We then pulled off to the vessel, aud when we got there we asked for food and rum. We were all armed with guns, Fullonn was in the cabin when we got on board, and the others were on deck. Bennett White was on deck first, and then he went down to get some rum for us. We had a glass each of rum given to us. We' had not sufficient to make us drunk ; we had^only one glass. We had some food given to us, which we boiled. While the pot was boiling we were waiting until the three pakehas would stand close together. When the three pakehas on deck got together in a clump, Kirimangu, who was in command gave orders to us to kill them. At this time Fulloon and Bennett White were in the cabin. When the order to kill the pakehas was given the men got up to kill them. They then shot them. All the three pakehas weie shot. I know the men wlio fired the guns that killed them. Himone, Ie Aka, and Tanatiu were the men who fired at the three pakehas. Those were the men who killed the pakehas. One gun was fired without effect by Paraharaha. I saw Heahea trip up one of the pakehas, aud then Te Aka shot him. Immediately after the filing Bennett White came on deck. Hiraone aimed at Mr. White, and the cap exploded, but the gun missed fire. I knew that Fulloon was killed by what Hekara said on shore. Hoani Hupe on board paid, " I have caught Fulloon." He'had just returned from killing him. 1 was then at the jibboom with Tio. Utuku te Hangi also shot at Fulloon. I know that because he said, "This will be our man." to Hoani Poururu. All the prisoners were present on board the ' Kate ' when Fulloon and the others were shot except Wiremu Kepa, Te Meihana, and Panapa Rangirewai. We all went on board the ' Kate ' for the purpose of killing the pakehas. After killing them we took the vessel into the river. The bodies of the pakehas shot on deck were put in bags when the vessel got into the river. The bodies were buried. I recognise this place as being the pictuj© of Whakatane. (Witness pointed out where the three pakehas were buried, at the burial place in the sand-hills ) I helped to bury them We caved in a portion of the sand-hills, and let the sand fall on them. Paraharaha, Hapata, Toahaire, Hare (of the TVhanauapanui), Tio Wahu, Haki Waibou assisted me to bury them. Fnlloon's body was given up by the people to Wepiha for burial. Cross-examined by Hekara : Have you forgotten the circumstance of White supplying Fnlloon and the rest with, liquor ? Was there not a continual supply up to theHame that the pakehas were killed ? — I have already said that when we got on board we asked

for liquor, ami obtained it. Wo got a glass each. Tlieio was not a continuous supply, and 1 did uofcsee James FnUoon get any. Hckara to wit.iess : You wore there. Yon wore mispeuted, and ifc is very well for you to make such statements. Cr. SN-exaniined by Kiumangu : Did you not hear mo make use of expressions asking the men to save the pakehas ?--I heard you say that if the men on the ye el belonging to Te I "ulii were savj<i, the mpn on Dennett's vessel should bo saved, and were to be killed if the others were killed. Did y< u not understand that that was an anrrmeut against Te Uura and I c Horomona when they toA us to go and kill the people ?— I understood you to mean that you wished the crew on boiird the vessel to be saved ; but all you said in favour of saving them was counterbalanced by what you said afterwards. Did you think that I was calling to go and kill when 1 called out to give some people to me ?— I think you calling out in that way was asking them to come and kill pakehas. Cross ex .mined, by tfimone : Did you see me kill any pakehas ? — I will say nothing but what I saw, and I saw you distinctly killing a pale ha. Himone then said : I was the man that killed a pakeha. Cross-examined by Hoani Hupe : Ara I the only one amongst us who committed the ciirne ?— You certainly are a very great sinner, because you are the man who killed James Fulloon. Who was the origin of this? Was it I?— You were not the origin — the man who was the origin was the prophet from Taranaki. Cross-examined by Te Aka o Tau : Did you distinctly see me killing the pakehas ? — I will answer you as I did the last. I will not go out of my way to say auy thing that I did not see, bub I distinctly saw you killing a pakeha. Did the others take their guns and do nothing ? Am I the only one who killed ? — The others had guns; I only spoke of those who fired their guns. Did you think from my language that I was dtiink ?—lf? — If I had been on board the first boat 1 would have known, but I did not know whether you had liqiior or not. Te Aka then said : I quite agree with what the witness has said. It is what I would have said myself. Te Wetine, the witness, then explained by signs to Heahea, the deaf and dumb prisoner, what he had been saying about him tripping up the European. Heahea appeared to understand, and pointing to himself, made signs as if he were seizing a man and throwing him down. Wepilia Te Poono deposed : I belong to the Ngatiawa tribe, and live at Whakatane. I recollect the killing of Fulloon. I was on that day at Te Kaha, a day's sail from Whakatane. On the night of the day that Fulloon was murdered I left Te ICaha, and arrived at Whakatane next morning. We went into the river, and I saw a cutter there. There was a boat on the opposite side of the river, and some people were burying the dead. 1 saw some people on board the cutter hoisting a flig, called liki, the Hauhau nig When I saw the flag hoisted, T telb convinced that I and my companions would be killed. We went alongside of the cutter. The people on board shouted in an unintelligible language, and pointed their guns at us. The other persons in the canoe continued to paddle. T looked to the vessel, and felt sorrow for the death of my younger brother (Fulloon). I came from Ohope, a place between Te Kaha and Whakatane, in consequence of hearing that James Fulloon had been killed. Having passed the vessel, we went on shore. I sa.v my father and mother on shore crying. I saw the dead body of James Fulloon in a boat. I did not see who brought the body on shore. As I was going to the boat a number of people fired guns, and I went to them. Hekara spoke to rue. He said, " Come, my child ; come to your younger son, who is lying there by the instrumentality of God. It was not the hand of man who did it, but the hand of God. There lies the body of the representative of England to be dried by the sun ! " He meant the Hauhau God. I then said, " Was it your God, or was it youiself who did it?" Te Hura said, '* Come, my child, see your younger brother! It was not I who did this, but the God." I and my younger brother went to get the b^dy. We lifted the boat with the body, aud carried it to the burialground. I then ordered my three aunts, Ramari. Mati'i, and Miria, to examine the body, and s-c whether he had been shot or hppn UilW Vw the god. I then went to the Hauhau pa. I saw Hoani foururu there, and I asked him what they had done to James Fulloon. He replied, " What would you think we did to him ? " Then I asked whi shot him, and he said, " The Ngaitirangihouhiri killed him" I then returned to Fulloon'a body, and we buried it alongside of his mother. lam quite sure the body was that of Fulloon. Cross examined by Hekara : Did this crime originate with the Ngatiawa?— lt was instigated by other people. Was it the hands of us prisoners who committed the deed, or what was it?— l do not know that it was instigated or done by you, but I know that you had something to do with it. You were the principal instigator ; you drew them into it. Was some of the plunder not divided with you ?—? — The piisoners divided the pioperty, and a p-rtion was allowed to me. Re-examined by Mr. Brookfield : I offered to buy the ring and watch and documents, because I was the relative of Fulloon. Ramari te Wai deposed: I am the wife of Te Kepa Tamarangi. I belong to the Ngatiawa tiibe, and live at Whakatane. I was sent by Te Wepiha to see a body in a boat on the 23rd of July last. Maria and Miria went with me. lam James Fulloon's aunt. It was James Fulloon's body that was in the boat. We examined it; there were three gunshot wounds — one through the right hand, one in the left shoulder, and one in the chest. The shirt was not his, as ib was very dirty, but his boots were on him. He had no trousers on nor drawers. The body had not been mutilat-d, beyond the gunshot wounds. We took the dirty blanket off and put a clean one on, and left the body for the men to bury. Hekara said : If this were the day of the regular trial I would ask something, but I have nothing to say now. Mr. Btookfield said that this witness concluded the case against the prisoners on the charge of mur<?er. STATEMENTS OF THE PRISONERS. The prisoners, after being carefully cautioned, were asked if any of them wished to make a statement. Hekara said : Listen to my first words ; this is the beginning of it. I am of the Patntatahi tribe. These are the persoua who were engiged in this crime, eleven in number of the Patutatahi tribe. Henare (pointing to Mr. Clarke) knows us of our place. The man who created this evil amongst us was Hororaona, the prophet. The cause why we followed him was through fear of his saying — for fear we should lie destroyed by his god. That is why we entered into this crime. That has been the cause of the death of some of us, our land and our goods also, through his having decoyed us. We did not do the like of this before when Thompson and others were fighting against the Government. Bennett was our permanent European at that time — the Patutatahis' own European. Bennett was not injured by us at that time. So we have arrived at the present crime. That is all. Wetine (pointing to the witness) has seen our crime, and it has been repeated to you Europeans by him. That is all I have to say at present. Soani Poururu said : This is the beginning of my words. I am of the Patntatahi tribe. Theroot of their crime is through Horomona. The ohiet who consented to this order was Te Hura, and the cause of his consenting was their want of clothintr. When we, Hori Kawakura, and we of the Patutatahi tribe had been 16ft as the parents for the Europeans of Whakatane, that was why the thoughts of Horomona and Te Hura said, " What is the good of us maintaining the attitude of war, while others remain idle ?" At that time Horomona took the arrangement of affairs, and established the ankati (Hauhau boundary line, over which nobody was allowed to pass). The aukati commenced at the Te-Awa-o teAtua, thence to Moutohora (Whale Island), landing at Te Kohe. The object of the line was to separate between relations, and those who passed the boundary were killed, whether Maori* or pakehas. We were staying at Whakatane. Hekara stood tip, and said what Wetine has repeated in his evidence. What Wetine has said about Mikare is also correct. I did not go under his orders The person who was sent to see the death of tlie Europeans in the vessel was Paraharaha. The boat pulled away to the vessel. When we arrived at the vessel's side we found three Europeans, whose names I do not know, and Bennett White. James Fulloon was below asleep. "We all got on deck. Bennett aud I then went down into the cabin, and Paraharaha, Hawera, and Raniera foMowed. Bennett then gave us aglassa piece. Three went up on deck, but I remained in the cabin with Bennett. My work there was to awake James. He did not awake. We heard the noise on deck ; it was the noise of voices and stamping. I then desired to go on deck. When the upper part of my body got on deck I Raw Ufcuku, who came to me, put bis hands on my shoulders, and pressed me down, telling me to kill Fulloon and Bennett. I then replied, "I do not like to do so." I then got up on deck, and Utuku •went

below. When I got on d< j ck I saw Hoani ITu;>e also go 111 1 clow. When I yot to the galley I heard the report of the gun of Ufcukn: Beunett then showed his head up from the cabin. Himont's gun was levelled at Bennetts head but missed fire. [Hoani Ponruru was here tolil (hat he was n»t wanted to mike any statement about other* ] if I tell only about mjself I did nothing at all Himone said: I belong to the Patutatihi tribe. PToroiiiona got me into this cume. Te Hura, He'<ara, Mikaere, Paraharaha, also sent me. I was the same as a dog, which was being set on. That was why I went to kill Europeans. That was why my hand caught and fiied the gun at the European. It was through the orders of the chiefs Horomona and Mikaere, who came trom Taranaki, and Te Hura and Hekara. Te Aka o Tan said : I belong to the Ngaitirangihouhiri tribe. When the sun was nearly setting we went to Whakat.me. Horomona ordered us to go to Whakatane. When we got to Te Ripo at night, Horomona was at sea. He had six companions. When Horomona arrived at the mouth of the Whakatane river, he sent a messenger to us at Te Ripo. Two tribes then went, the Patutatahi and Ngaitirangihouhiri. Towards morning two votes (assemblages of Pai Marires) arrived at Whakatane. Shortly after this Kawakura arrived, and said "What is this?" We were called to the post, and became porewureioa. Shortly after this we saw Bennetts vessel, and the prophet told us to go and kill the Europeans. He ordered us thiee times. Mikaere Kirhnaugu then rose and said, "If thii vessel be destroyed, so shall the other ; and if this be saved, so shall the other." The prophet then bhook his head and became:; angry. We then became frightened at the shaking of his head, and got on board the boat. fIWTe pulled to the ship, and went on board. I was leaning thus on my gun. Shortly after we shook hands. James Fulloon then came on deck, and sat on the cabin top. Paraharaha then began to talk, and became porewaiewa, and crossed his gun. lira got hold of if;. Fulloon gave me a pannikin with spirits in it, and then gave me a coat, which Matimati now has. Fulloon was lying down in toxicated. Paraharaha told the Europeans to go back, or the prophet would kill them. Shortly afterwards we went on shore, and the orders we»e given. The prophet gnt angry because he thought we had saved the vessel. The prophet gave orders, and Te Hura consented for the soldiers to go. Mikaere then spoke, and said, "Give me twenty men." We then started off in the boat, and I became insensible. We all went on board. I then saw Aleck, and asked him for some clothing to sleep in the bows of the vessel. I left my gun alongside the windlass. I lay down, and shortly after orders were given. We then began to surround the Europeans. T then «aw Heahea catch hold of one of the Europeans. I jumped up to help to throw the man down. The other two Europeans were also being fired at ; but T was so blind with drink that J could not see who did it. James was not dead yet. When we threw our man, the witness Te Wetine got up, took up his double-barrelled gun and shofc a European, and then with the other barrel shot the man we had thrown. The ball went through his chest. I then took up my gun, but staggered considerably, and in turning round shot the man we had been contending with, through the arm. I intended to shoot my native companion, but he warded it off and the bullet struck the pakeha. It being now half-past five o'clock, it was decided to conclude the case this Tuesday morning, after which the other charges will be gone on with.