The Dauntless Three

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Dauntless Three

MESSRS THOMAS, ROBERT AND GEORGE l lUt-T.-. VETERAN BROTHERS RECALL EARLY DAYS. IXCJDSiN'IS Ol)’ THE ,u ASS A. ERE.

Closely ii-sst{•!.• ted v/.ili the ca.lv -Jays of*Poverty Day is the uaiffi oi Price. Four lj.otii.es of tiiat ii.une were among the c.tr.y settlers he;o and at the moment, three or them are’living in Kenneoy Street, Ajangapapa. 'the fourth, Air Joseph Price, died some time ago. jho.se living hero now are Messrs. Thomas, Robert and George I 'rice. , Air. Thomas Price canto out ,rom Ireland about 1865 and landed in Am-pler-from a vessel ••Montmorency, which was burned at her audio.age on the niglit alter llie passengers disembarked. On the voyage out, -ir. Price had kept a diary and lie ojtcred this to the captain so that the latter could write up some, sort of a log to replace the papers ! »irneu vvitn the vessel. This the captain gmdJy accepted. It was a dramatic introduction to New Zealand for All'. Price. Ho .xont some time in Hawke s Bay and then came north to Poverty Bay, later returning again to the southern district whore he had the contract for the cutting of the timber which formed the first “siecpers in the, Woodvillc-Napicr railway line. This wood came lrom 1c Auto. Mr. Price again spent some time m l <>vertv Bay and then went overseas for a considerable period. Now he lias come hack to Gisborne again.

DEATH MISSED NARROWLY

Mr. Thomas Price has some very interesting memories of. Llic [is' r)!, ’ l ‘;; times of the Massacre in 1868. Ho recollects that the late Air. V, oodbant. Johnson had a remarkably nano.v escape from sharing the Tate of Maior .Biggs, the first man lulled m -he Massacre. On the night id the Iragodv, Mr AVoodbine Johnson was visiting Major lhggs and only lcIt• hw own homo at midnight after rehismg pressing invitations to stay for the nhdit. A few hours later the Natives arrived and the first murder o. the Massacre was perpetrated. One member of the household, a young lad named Sammy Tarr saw the Natives commit the deed and crept loi dc. between the kitchen and the rest of the house. When a chance • occur l ed, lie slipped down into tnc rivm-bcd and warned neighbors ucaiby then coming on into town to spread I die alarm further. Major and Airs Bigg., their children and a Airs. LaTne I aired who lived with them, "ere all killed by the Natives. ... When the Natives arrived at Alajo. Bilges’ place, they were- on then-way to attack other settlers further down and on the other side of the r,v«;, but, after their (Iced, they apparently became- too frightened to cross and continued down-stream without uoin 0 so.

“IN THE SHADOW i”

Major AVest-upp, who lived on the river-hank, was sitting up late that evenin'* at work on some account hooks,"when he noticed a, shadow thrown cn the blind- Keeping quite still, he could make out the voices oi Maoris and the burden ot their conversation was that “they would get these people on the way ha-k. voices faded away and Major Westrupp, now thoroughly alarmed, a" likened a friend, a Mr. Dennis, who had been dozing on a- couch immediately beneath the window on which tho shadow- had been thrown, and told him what the Natives laid said,. Inc two men then left the house, crossed the river and came safely into. town. A day or two previous to the- tragedy att Riggs’ place, Mr. Fiiidlay Fer-o-usonnmi another man had set out to inspect some sheep on propc-ity beyond Air. John Clark s p ace, Opou. On their way hack to Gis-ioine, they were intercepted hr a hand ol Natives on the day that Major Biggs was killed, at a small crock near Opou and were both kined.

DUEL TO THE DEATH,

This had an interesting sequel, tho truth of which, Mr. Price states, lie lias never had reason to doubt. A iclative of Finlay Ferguson who was killed, made a solemn vow -that he , would kill the. Native who had shot Fer-nison. Some time later tlie relative" learned that the murderer was a mem her of a Waikatotrihe and that he had returned-home.' ‘ Going to the Waikato, where, peace reigned at the time, ho approached the chief or the tribe to which the murderer belonged, laid the case before him. and demanded util. The chief 'agreed and called up the tribesman, explained the position to him and told him that he would have, to fight fur his Hie. Botn Native and pakelia. were given revolver's and. p aced a distance apart. At the word of tho chief they opened lire and the pakelia’s aim p oved truer the Native falling dead with a bullet through hs chest. The chief set the pakelui across a river nearby after informing if-m that if he returned to the district” again the relatives ot the tribesman would continue tuc vendetta. Needless to say, lie did net return.

•THE DAREDEVILS,”

Same 1 'ttie time after the Massac: e, Mr. Price went down to Hawke’s Hay and spent a few months there. Returning io Gisborne with a inond named Air. Tom Gdmonr and his biotlicr Robert, Mir. Price became interested in some work in s win nips out a.t Muriwni and tho three men took up residence there. At the time, tho speliVof the Massacre was still on the district and anyone who resided far

firo’n tow” was considered utterly reckh-ss. For their disregard of danct-, th - tri'' earned tlm fohr qnet of •‘The R’nreder'ls.” “We wo-e always reaev for trouble.’ sail Air. Pi-i ‘‘‘and everv night we slept with a ivfio and cartridge belt in cur hunks I —lust; in :cr.sa!” : -.r i J»ntef-the three men were GnmloycdJ liV-Mr-. Weodlfre Jobp stoned# i-'ig work, and lived in a wharogiteajsd Hip '.homestead. Here, r 1 so.y evrry-'j -thing- was kept in readiness foroß-Wkst-;’; tank and th- rriCJi gdept with tlieir pins beside them.

MIDNIGHT RECONNOITRE- ANID THE SEEDED. On one occasion, during the nign... tho dogs set uj> a furious harking and the household were up in arms in a

short space. All gathered ... the main building, rifles were loaded, and all windows and doors manned. After waiting nearly an hour, Mi. “ ° - bine .Johnstone decided to reconnoitre himself. Down ho went on his hands and knees, and crawled about a hundred yards through long grass into tho middle of a paddock. Even from there ho' could see no sign of au.V thing hostile. The others followed him and the rest of that night was spent lying in the grass awaiting an attack which never came. Morning showed that some sheep had moved down the hill in the direction ot. tho house and everybody thought it a I joke that they had turned out to stem an assault by sheep. Two days later, however, the s.ieep again moved, the dogs balked and there was another alarm. On Lie fol--I,.wilin' morning AH. Tom IT.ro and Mr Gilmour went on a tour oi inspection up the valley "hence tne had been driven. They found aciinclant traces of the Natives, numerous footprints shewing on u'l soli ground, hut to this da-, they have never ascertained the identity H' these. rocI turnal visitors and what ti.nr intentions were.

RAT RGOOTIN'I i EADS TO COOI/ RESULTS-.

AH. Price went on to relate haw, one night, he was rc.-pmsil Jo lor arousing the camp. Their wlisira was rather over-run by rats and one big chap came out on a rafter when Air. Price was in his lunik. . “I lifted my gun,” remarked Mr. Price, “and shot tho beggar. Then the trouble started and every man in the place dashedout with guns ready. Our boss "Us very annoyed about it, hut I pointed out that, as my rifle hadn’t been used for some time, I took the chance of killing the rat and cleaning the •gun too.” Next day AH. Johnstone thought it would he a good idea to clean all guns, as practically all had been loaded but unused for over a month. ITo told them ail to fire. Hammers clicked, but not a single cliargc went ofT! Had there been a sudden raid bv the Natives, the defenders would have been sorely tried, for reloading would have been' necessary before a firearm could have been used. After that,

naturally, more care ‘was taken and shooting practice -was regularly indulged in.

“PRICE IllT ANYTHING.’

Tn the course of this pr.-elite. Air. Price established his reputation as a mar •small, mii-ticiilnri’, among Alaovis in tho neighborhood.' A number of men were shooting at a tliin stick standing upright in the river and any - one who liit within a loot airouncl it was considered to have done very well. Air. Price lifted up his carpi ue and scut his first bullet through the stick, cutting it off near the surface of the water. Some triend'ly Maoris in attendance saw this and spread the word that “when Price lift gun, lie hit anything.” SIGNALS BY RIFLE SHOTS.

One evening Air. Johnstone, who had left to spend the night in town, came galloping back at about 1 1 o’clock and aroused tho house-hue., saying he had scon some Natives in the bush a mile or two from the home. All the men gut up and lay along a fence near the house. After a tunc, a report sounded from the direction of town and a general move was made tor the cover of -the hush. Air. Price’s counsel was that they should hold their positions and finally this was done. Throughout the n'got nothing happened and next day they kmrneo that the shot had been merely a signal from a redoubt near tho town. --They had a remarkable wav of v-m-rmlPng then,” raid Air Price. “All the outposts right up tho Const from Gisborne used the system. When a death occurred at one of these posts, a rifle was fired once. Posts oil either side heard t ! ’is and lv~ed twice, those a. st.-me furth v- <i"~d three t'mes, and so on rn t>« Him. Tims, 1m the number of slu ts heard, each pos f was informed exactly ’"here anv death '-/•(*" rr'/l. r or know that it was just that number ot ’visD a wav. Wbv Hr*'* did cyi’t'\\ ’ don’t know; hut it was the custom. PAYMENT BY RIFI-E.

Every man it' those d.->T- s was very !'■'-n On own--'-'- a -•■n. I"' 4 ' “ 1 - sup;; was am-erently rather limited. A ATov"-’ l . -n rm-Novee ,nf . AH'. AVec.,-|b : ne To’-nste-o. ru s- cagey to 1-eve. one ’;-l-—. - • ee,~ P for h’m lei In rvvbl lilt- y.-e'-S fc’- t-n-o months, he nmnosed in Ms empm-er that. iaste-.I of money, he s'on*' 1 I’° given a ’•-Mn e-d tVy eonhl, ; t pnm, Air. Morgan-’s wish rvr.'s- acceded to.- ■

\i •V'.P.I'C'XErvR. IV.: I.T.OGK DRIVER

Aim nig bis carlv acquaint-pices,'M" a pist'-nct rcc-d’cctton -of G'dipim T r onrv JYicksnn. -the man who Lvquglß Dm fi-st ImlAvk team m-d waggon into Poverty D'"- t-ra-vo

overland from Xr.pier by way of T® lloinga. This pioneering witn bal-lock-waggcms appears to have been characteristic of this branch of the Jackson fainilv, for this man’s father was the first to make the trip from Adelaide to Bendigo, in Australia, by this means. Incidentally Mr. .Jackson, Senr., sold nis team m Bendigo, on arrival, for £3CU.

i EARLY FLOCKS OF SHEER

I Air. Price also remembers tlie arrival oi' one of the first big flocks ot sheep in tlie district. They were b: ought overland from Maungatata ! near Waipukurau, Hawke’s Bay, by : Messrs. Henry Harris and John and I Jjugald JL'erguson, who then owned what is now Air. John dark’s Opou : property. This mob were run on that ’ station,' but, unlike the present day, • many animals were lost in the bush.

HEXITING IX THE EARLY DAYS

Snort in early times consisted mainly o*f cattle and pig hunting, and the game was always an exciting one, not only on account of the beasts, hut also because of the roughness of tlie country. On one occasion, Air. Price, his brother George, and Tom Gilmour were out after wild cattle some distance bevond Aluriwai. They were on horseback and sighted a. small herd. Air. Tom Price led the pursuit and he attempted to .jump what appeared in be a small depression in the ground, filled vuith bush. Unfortunately this was wider than it appeared and was also forty feet deep. Horse and rider disappeared, but they suffered no injury and the only trouble was to get them out of the trap. This was finally managed, hut, by that time, the cattle were well away. They had some compensation, however, and on the way hack killed a heifer which had wandered from tlie heard and been left behind. To buy meat was unheard of—'it was simply a question of taking gun and horse and hoping lor

some luck in the scrub. Very rarely did one return empty-handed. in passing, it is worthy ot note j hat Mr. George Price has many recollections of shooting duck irom a Maori canoe in what now comprises the main streets ot the busy Hawke’s Pay town of Hastings.

ELECTION HUMOR

A memory of election times came to Mr. Price’s mind. 'The incident occur reel when the lute Sir James Carroll was contesting Parliamentary honors. His opponent in the election set out in a buggy to a country meeting and stopped at an elector's bouse on the way. Willie he Was inside some persons unknown removed the wheels* of tlie vehicle and left the candidate stranded. Alter a long delay, lie was conveyed to the meeting by other means. On arrival lie apologised for lvis lateness and explained what had happened, laying the blame on “some or those doughhoys.” His opponents then adopted the slogan ‘‘Remember the doughboys,” and, Air. Price considers, this had much to do with Sir James’ success.

THE MISSING SPECTACLES

“[ remember an incident which concerned Afr O. A. deLautour,” concluded Air. Price “and one which caused a great deal of amusement. One day- Mr. deLautour cocilcl not fuid his spectacles. Going into his public office, he announced that whoever found .them could have 5/-. A hoy standing by asked where tlio money was ancl Mr. deLautour smacked tw'o half-crowns clown on the counter. The youth picked up the money and pointed out that the missing .spectacles were on Air deLautour’s forehead. So struck was the lawyer hy the boy’s business instincts that he took tiie lad into his office. Later the lad was admitted to the Bar and 'became one of the most _ successful lawyers produced here.”

The first volunteer corps in Poverty IJay was the ALounted llitle A oluntcers and it was formed in 186/ - Major Westrupp was in control till 1869 and then Cant. Hardy till 1877, when it disbanded. The election of Capt. Read to Parliament in 1876 was an unexpected event, but it seems that, on that day, there were plenty of P.N’s about for o/6, 5/- and 10/-, “cashable- anywhere,” according to tho late Oapfc. A. F. Hardy. In the early days Mr. .T. A\ . Johnston ran 15,000 sheep on his property and Gisborne and district received most of its butter from Alaraetaha. At the time of the Alassaere, Airs. Bloomfield—her husband died the previous year—was, with her family, driven terror stricken from thei- Home at Waorenga-a-luka by the Hauliaus. Tlieir lives ’depended on the rapidity of tlieir flight. Almost naked and frantic with excitement, they were met on the, beach at the AA alkali a e by the Yen. Archdeacon Williams and soon found a safe retreat. Gil January 31, 1884, a school of 103 sperm whales made tlieir appearance‘at- Alabin. It again appeared I lie following month. The whalers made fair hauls.