BATTLE OF ORAKAU

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 77, 1 April 1914, Page 3

BATTLE OF ORAKAU

"AXE! AXE! AXE!" A COXTBOVERSY. (fil TILEUIUI'H Wtxm TO THE POST.) AUCKLAND, This Day. In connection with the Orakau celebrations to-day, considerable controversy has raged in local papers as to whether the olt-quoted words of deliauce "Ake ! Ake ! Ake !" were uttered at the Battle ot Oi'akau by the Waikato Chief llewi or by another Native. This point, like the hha.kespeare-Bacon aigumeni, has not been cleared up by the / coullicting accounts, given, but has rather made confusion worse confounded. Another matter on which there is a. coniiicl of opinion, and which has given rise to some feeling, is the matter mentioned in a letter from Mi. W. L. C. Wiilianib, of Cambridge, which appears in the Herald. This correspondent, inter alia, &ays :—"ln: — "In order that Kewi. might Ivive a better chance of escape, a considerable party left the swamp, and crossed an open ridge in ordei to draw the military Mro on themselves. The brave tellows were 'all slaughtered, &ho!» in the back. In the rubh for shelter, only one capture was made— a half-caste gill whose life was saved irom the fury of the military by a colonial ' standing over her with his levolver, threatening to shoot anyone who attempted to molest her, the cry of the boldicrs being, 'Destioy the women, so that there shall be no more of the bleed.' Let everyone who does not know the story put it in his own language." This statement is hotly repudiated by bergeant 11 Hutchinson, a veteran of the war, who belonged to the 18th Royal Irish, one of the attacking party at Orakau. To a Star representative the sergeant, has related his experiences of the conflict, which widely differed from many current tumours of the engagement. "1 was present at the Orakau engagement from start to hnish," he said. "We were encamped under the command of Geneidl Caicy a few hundred yards from the pa where .liewi was entrenched. The Natives held a strong fortification _ there, and we knew that it would requiie considerable skill, and perhaps loss of life, in order to get them out of the pa. Finally, a, portion of the 18th "Kegiment, numbeimg about 2UO strong, under the command of Captain lling, was tent out to attack Rewi, who was ambushed with about 3UO Natives. We advanced to about lOu yardb fiom the pa, and then opened fire. The Natives responded by firing on our storming party, causing several casualties and killing Captain King. They were aimed with double-barreSed guns, while we only had muzzle-loading rifles. So bitter was the attack on us thai, with our poor ammunition, we were compelled Ui retire to the main body. General Oarey then ordered several companies from various regiments to advance on the }w. and surround it. For three dayb in all we continued our attack, but t>o well were they entrenched in their stronghold that we gained little headway. On the third day, the Natives ran out of ammunition. After firing stones "and blank shot on us, the 'cease fire' wns called, and Major Mair, acting as interpreter, advanced into the pa undei a flag of truce. He ordered Rewi so either" surrender or send out the women and children. , Rewi replied that he was prepared to fight on for ever. At this stage the women came forward, and declared they would remain in ,the pa, saying, 'What is the use of going out and leaving the men behind to be killed?' Seeing that his mission of peace was fruitless, Major Mair returned to the main body, and the engagement recommenced, a. portion of the 40th Regiment being sent out to assist the storming of the pa. Major Mair had previously warned Rewi that unless he suirendeied we should run a powder charge through a sap which we were building, and then blow up tho pa. When we leopened hostilities the Natives bolted to the swamps in the rear of their toitih'cations. and several of them (including Rewi) escaped. Several women and children were necessarily killed in the pa, and perhaps some may have been when we attacked the swamp and finally compelled _ the Natives to surrender. But that is the whole affair as I saw it."