THE MASSACRE AT THE WHITE CLIFFS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1027, 2 March 1869, Page 3

THE MASSACRE AT THE WHITE CLIFFS.

We give the following fuller and later particulars of this tragedy from the Taranakl Herald ofthe 20th February :— So sudden and startling was the news brought into town by Mr. W. Webster on Monday last, and so appalling was the intelligence of the murder of the Rev. John Whiteley and those residing at Pukearuhe, that business since then has been entirely suspended. Just as the s.s. Wellington was on the point of taking her departure for the Manukau, at about 4 p.m. on Monday last, the news arrived ; and no time was lost in signallingfrom the flag-staff for her to stop. Mr. W . D. Webster was the bearer of two letters, one for Mr. Parris, and one for Major Stapp, which had been sent by Mr. Good at Urenui, in which he informed them that some natives had massacred the whole of the settlers at the White Cliffs, and that he feared the Rev. Mr. Whiteley was amongst the number. It would be difficult to describe the appearance of the town at this juncture. Knots of people gathered about the street, and crowds colleoted together at each of the corners eagerly inquiring the truth from one another, but few seemed to have any particulars further than we have above stated. A council consisting ofthe Civil Commissioner, Mr. Parris, his Honor the Superintendent, the Provincial Secretary, Major Stapp, and one or two other settlers immediately assembled to decide what should be done ; being in doubt whether it was a general rising of the natives. Often has this unfortunate settlement been subjeot to trials, and many of its settlers murdered, but never has it been our lot to chronicle a massacre of so awful a character as this, done as it was without warning of any kind. The first steps taken by the authorities was to charter the s.s. Wellington to take arms and ammunition down to Urenui, and a Quantity was immediately sent on board, [is Honor the Superintendent then made arrangements to proceed to Urenui ; and about 7.30 the steamer took her departure. Major Stapp also ordered Cornet Bayly, with thirteen mounted men, to proceed to Urenui and report the above to Captain Good. The state of suspense the settlers that night were in, may be better imagined than our pen is able to desoribe. Nothing was heard but exaggerated rumours of the occurrence, of which at that time no one knew the true particulars. CALLING UPON VOLUNTEERS FOB ACTIVE BEEVICE. At about eight o'clock a notice was issued by Major Stappr Commander of the Militia, calling for fifty men to volunteer for aotive service to proceed to the White Cliffs to fetch the bodies of those murdered. This was also proclaimed throughout the town by one authorised to do so ; and at the same time notices were issued to the members of the Taranaki Light Infantry, and Taranaki Cavalry Volunteers to be in readiness to proceed on the morrow to the White Cliffs. A MESSENGER IN WITH NEWS. At about 7 a.m. on the next morning (16th)> a horseman at full pace came into town. It proved to be Mr. McDonald, from the district close to where the murders had been committed. Early as it was in the morning, numbers of the settlers speedily made their way to the Militia office eager for information. After giving the particulars which have already been published, the narrative proceeds :— AEEIVAL OF THE FOECES AT WAIITI. The mounted troopers all reached Urenui at about 4 p.m. on that day (16th), and afc once pushed forward for "Waiiti gap, QiQ qh&i <&gc«<j<£ go. &c tha ftra« ««a<> fey the s.s. Weilington to land at,- and arrived at half-past 6 p.m. The steamer cast anchor at 5 p.m., about a mile and a quarter from the shore. The Militia were landed first in oharge of Captain M'Keller, and afterwards the Taranaki Light Infantry Volunteers under the command of Reginald Bayley. The mounted troops proceeded at once with Major Stapp to the White Cliffs, the Volunteers aoting as a covering party a short distanoe along the road. The reason the party went so late in the evening to the spot was to assist, if possible, any that might only have been wounded. They found the body of the Rev. Jobn Whiteley lying just at the rise of the hill near where the blockhouse was. Th© bodies of fths tally o£ G&B<Kjlgus were discovered buried a few yards from where their hut stood. Not findinganyone about, the force returned to Waiiti again, arriving there a little past 7 p.m. They all camped for the night at the whare of Mr. D. Bayly. Pickets were stationed around the place, and no one was allowed to pass without an order. At about 6 a.m. on Wednesday (17th), the forces started for the White Cliffs, for the purpose of disinterring the bodies and bringing them to town. The boat was sent on under the charge of Captain Holford, Harbor Master, and a crew of the Lighter Company's service, and arrived at about a quarter past 8 a.m. The body of the Rev. John Whiteley was first seen. He was lying on his face, a few yards from his dead horse.- His coat and waistcoat were gone, and one leg was doubled under him. He had five bullet wounds, and must have been killed by a volley fired from some Hushes to his right, as he was going towards the blockhouse. They next disinterred the family of the Gascoignes. Lieutenant Gascoigne's face had marks of bruises on it, and his head had four deep tomahawk wounds on the back of it. Mrs. Gascoigne 1 had two tomahawk wounds at the back of her head, and the left side of her face much bruised, as though she had been beaten with the clenched fist of a man. The skin was off her knees, showing that her body must have been dragged along the ground. The third finger of her left and had been chopped, and the wedding ring taken therefrom. The body of the eldest girl, Laura, had a mark as if something had been drawn very tightly round the body ; and two wounds at the back of the head. The boy Cecil John Gascoigne had three wounds on the back of his head, and the baby, Louisa Annie, had its head nearly severed from its body. While these bodies were being, disinterred, Major Stapp, Dr. o 'Carroll, and others, were looking about for the bodies of the murdered men. Dr. o 'Carroll went into a whare near where the redoubt formerly stood, where he saw the remains of two cats and a dog. They were all tomahawked. He then went to where the redoubt stood, but could discover no signs of any bodies being buried there. On his going down the road which leads to the beach, he saw the body of a man. He then informed Major Stapp, and having got a covering party he went further on and found the bodies ofthe two men, lying dead — one a little in advance of the other. The one nearest the redoubt was Edward Richards, who appeared to have been hit by a long tomahawk, as he was in the act of running away. He was dressed, but his cap was off his head, and was lying a few feet from him. About eighteen yards from him the body of John Milne was found, and underneath his body was a part of the handle of a tomahawk. Dr. O'Carroll then Went on the beach where, he says, he saw several naked footmarks in the sand. j

I hi—— ——i mi mi i — m DESCRIPTION OF PUKEABUHE. The redoubt at Pukearuhe is situated about thirty-six miles from New Plymouth. It commands the approaches from the Waikato country; the only road being one leading from the Mokau river. To the south it looks over the country for at least a couple of miles, but from the eastward it is commanded by a range of hills not more than 400 to 500 yards distant. A deep gully, however, intervenes as an obstacle to any sudden rush from an enemy, which would be impossible at night, and impracticable during the day, provided there was a small force in the redoubt to repel them. It is unapproachable from the beach from its height above the level of the sea, therefore the redoubt could not be assaulted , well from that side ; the only entrance being a footpath rising about one foot in six from the sea shore. There were several whares in the redoubt, and a bullet-proof blockhouse in which the arms of the military settlers were usually kept. The blockhouse was burnt down, also several of the whares. In one of the huts not destroyed, near where there doubt stood, several hams and some bacon were found hanging up, also salt and potatoes. A sow and a litter of pigs, and some fowls were alive, and wandering about loose. In one of the huts a book was found on the floor, the title of which was "Hector O'Halloran." It appeared as if it had been suddenly thrown down. BRINGING THE BODIES INTO TOWN. bodies of those murdered were put on board the cargo boat at nine o'olook, and then left with a fair wind for the Mimi ; took in Mr. Messenger's furniture and then sailed for New Plymouth. Unfortunately the wind died away, and the boat made but slow progress. The s.s. Phoebe called into our roadstead on her way to the Manakau that afternoon, and on T. Henderson, Esq., the owner, hearing of the massacre, and that a cargo boat had gone to fetch the bodies, he kindly volunteered to look out for it, and to tow it back to town. His Honor the Superintendent, previous to Mr. Henderson's departure, thanked him on behalf of the Province for thus kindly rendering such important service on the occasion. The steamer's flag was half-mast high during the time she was in port. The s.s. Phoebe left about 5 p.m., and about six o'clock met the boat. She then towed it baok to New Plymouth, arriving at about 8 p.m. It was a strange sight to witness the landing of the bodies. It was a beautiful evening, and the moon, whioh was about five days old, seemed to throw a melancholy light upon the sands, where there must have been over a thousand persons assembled. The bodies were conveyed to the shed next to the CustomHouse, where they remained until after the inquest. THE INQUEST. ' The jurymen summoned for the inquest were in attendance at the Institute, at 5 o'clock on Wednesday evening (17th), but owing to the bodies not having arrived, they were dismissed till the next day at 9. At that hour the following fentlemen assembled and were sworn : — Fright, Ruffier King, Thomas Smith, David Callagban, John Brooking, Robert North, Keeling, Darius Shuttleworfch, Hector McLean, William Beale, Simeon Howell, William Gaylard, John Moverly, Thomas Barnabas Lethbridge, James Divine, Angustus Weyergang (foreman). The Coroner, J. Flight, Esq., briefly addressed them, and then proceeded to view the bodies. After that they returned to the Institute, and the following witnesses were examined : Frederick Trent being sworn, deposed .• TknewJohn Whiteley, Bamber Grascoigne, A.TO&i# <a&swagT>t>, Laoxa- Cf&scds2ub, pm\ J*>ha Grsz^aoigzzej JLouiss. Auaw otassgigue, John Milne, and Edward Richards. Those are their bodies which the jury have this morning viewed. Yesterday morning in company with others I went to the site of the late block house at the White Cliffs. The first body I saw there was that of the Rev. Mr. Whiteley. It was lying close to theredoubtintheroad. Hishorse was lying beside him on its back. The horse had neither saddle nor bridle on. The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Gascoigne and their three children were lying where a hut once occupied by Dr. O' Carroll had stood, about 35 yards from the redoubt. I also saw the body of John Milne lying in the same road leading to the beach that Richard's body was in, but further down towards tho )?eaoh, Tho bacfes <$£ the above persons were put into a boat and I accompanied them to town. On arriving at town I saw them deposited, in the room in which the jury viewed them this morning. — Cross-examined: I have had frequent conversations with Mr. Gascoigne as to the safety of his abode. He said he thought it was perfectly safe, and that if there was any danger ample notice would be given them. Mr. Gascoigne told me about two months ago that Mr. Parris or the Superintendent had promised that due notice would be given of any danger, and on the strength of that he felt perfectly satisfied and thought there was no danger there. Charles Stapp, sworn: I am a Major in the Taranaki Militia, living in New Plymouth. The White Cliffs block house has been garrisoned since the occupation ofthe block by settlers. The garrison at first consisted of fifty men, but was afterwards reduced to twenty-five. Captain Page formerly commanded, and latterly Lieut. Gascoigne did so. The officer in command received the full pay of his rank. The garrison was discontinued on the Ist March, 1868, by order of the General Government. I have heard that the block house has been since kept by two natives employed by Mr. Parris, with the concurrence of the Superintendent, for the purpose of keeping a look out. I have heard that the natives were the two Epias, both chiefs of the Onaeros. The White Cliffs is the key of the northern part of tho settlement; Ten or twelve men might keep that block houso for a short time if attacked, twenty-five men ought tp do so. The block house was bulletproof. A party of bushrangers have ■ recently been formed for the protection of the Province, that is, since the disasters at Patea. Those bushrangers have not made periodical visits tothe White Cliffs. Before thattime Sub-Inspector Newland had been ordered to patrol between that and Warea. I am commanding officer of the Militia and Volunteers and Bushrangers of this province. My opinion was not asked as to the safety of withdrawing the force from the White Cliffs. Thomas Edward Rawson, sworn : I am Colonial Surgeon. I have examined the bodies of the deceased this morning. All except the Rev. Mr. Whiteley have been , killed by tomahawk wounds on the skull and face. 1 could not discover gunshot i wounds about those bodies. Such wounds , were sufficient to cause death, and must have been inflicted by others than themselves. There are no tomahawk wounds ; about the Rev. Mr. Whiteley, but there ; are five gunshot wounds each sufficient to i cause death. One wound passed through . the left end of tho stomach, coming out i . behind, another in front under the right ■ collar bone passed through the chest. ■ There were three gunshot wounds behind : in different parts of the chest. lam of ■ opinion that these wounds would cause death instantaneously.

Patrick Joseph o 'Carroll, sworn : lam a medical practitioner practising in New Plymouth. I have examined the bodies which the jury have this morning viewed. I concur with Dr. Rawson in everything he has said in his evidence. The tomahawk wounds on John Milne were, one smashing through the bridge of the nose, and also the cheek bones, another cutting through the integuments of the mouth and crushing in the teeth, one in the forehead above the left eye, and another one in the back of the head. The brain protruded from the wound in tbe back of the head, which must have caused instant death. Richards had been tomahawked in the face and the back of the head, where there were four wounds which must have caused instantaneous death. There were marks of bruises about the face of Bamber Gascoigne, also four deep tomahawk wounds in the back of the head which produoed death. One of the wounds was much larger than the rest, as though made with an American axe. Mrs. Gascoigne had two tomahawk wounds in the back of her head, which caused death. The leffc side of the face was very much bruised as though it had been beaten with a clenched fist. The skin was off the knee, showing that the body had been dragged along the ground. On the body of Laura Gascoigne, there is the mark of something having been drawn very tightly round the body. There were two tomahawk wounds on the back of the head, apparently inflicted with a shorthandled tomahawk when the child was in a horizontal position. These would produce dea,th. ,On the body of Cecil John Gascoigne there were three wounds on the back of the head caused by a tomahawk, and sufficient to cause death. The. child Louisa Annie Gascoigne had a severe tomahawk wound on the back of the head, nearly severing the upper part, causing immediate death. The gunshot wounds on Mr. Whiteley's body appear to have been all inflicted by rifle bullets such as are used by the militia. On Tuesday last, the 16th February, 1869, I accompanied an expedition to search for and recover the bodies of the Rev. Mr. Whiteley and others. On the following day I accompanied Major Strapp and other to Pukearuhe redoubt. Wear the redoubt I saw a dead horse with the branch of a bush beside it. I discovered Mr. Whateley's body under the branch. His coat and waistcoat were both off. There was no bridle or saddle on the horse. Mr. Whiteley's braces and trousers were unfastened. On going towards the redoubt I diverged to the right near a whare, and saw the bodies of two oats and a dog which had been tomahawked. I then went into the redoubt, but found no bodies there. I went down a new road towards the beach and found the body of Riohards, which appeared to have been struck down when in the act of running towards the beach. All his clothes were on him with the exception of his cap, which was lying near. About eighteen yards nearer tho beach I found the body of John Milne. He was dressed completely, excepting his cap, which was lying near him with a cut in it. Underneath the body of Milne I found a part of the handle of a tomahawk, which I gave to Sergeant Edward Humphries. I then went to the beach and saw several naked footmarks in the sand between the stones. They appeared to be going in a north-east direction. There wereagreat many footmarks. I can't say whether they are fresh marks or not. On my return I found that the family of the Gascoignes were being disinterred. Bamber Gascoigne was underneath, then his wife, and on them were the children. They were on the floor of the whare, and the earth thrown over them. Gascoigue had his clothes on. Mrs. Gascoigne Mto toft tihMTen bad th&ir night clothes oa, Mvs. Grascgigae had her petticoat on over her night gown. By the jury : I believe the Gascoignes were all killed at ono time. I think Mr. Whiteley was shot an hour or more after them. His body is not so much decomposed as those of the other persons. In one of the houses near the redoubt there were several hams and some bacon, also salt and potatoes. I also saw a book in the same house, lying on the floor as if it had been thrown down. There \ were stools on each side of the fire place. The house was Milne's cook-house. I noticed that a napkin was wrapped round the youngest Gascoigne's body. The wedding ring finger of Mrs. Gascoigne was cut off. There was no ring on her hands. There were no marks of any struggle haviag fc&fcsa pko<s, The inquest was then adjourned till Monday next, to enable further evidence to be procured. THE FUNEEAL. At about three o'clock, the time appointed for the funeral, the settlers met at the foot of Mount Eliot. The bodies were prepared for burial immediately after they had been viewed by the jury. The following is a list of tho names and ages of the deceased, as they appeared on the plates fixed to the coffins : — Rev. John Whiteley, aged 62 years. John Milne, aged 40 years. Edward Richards, aged 35 years. Bamber Gascoigne, aged 38 years. Annie Gascoigne, aged 27 years. Laura Gascoigne, aged 5 years. Cecil John Gascoigne, aged 3 years. Louisa Annie Gascoigne, aged three months. The bodies of Milne and Richards were put into the first conveyance, and covered with the union jack. The chief mourners, Skinner and Gutterinan, were comrades of the deceased. On the next carriage was placed the family of the Gascoignes, followed by^.Major Stapp,, Captain Messenger, Ensign Ifursth'ouse, and AssistantSurgeon P. J. O 'Carroll. The hearse containing the body of the late Rev, John Whiteley then followed, the chief mourners being Dr. Rawson and other male relatives of the rev. gentleman. The procession then fell-in, inthe following order, viz :— The Civilian Settlers, the Taranaki Light Infantry Volunteers, the Militia, the Taranaki Cavalry Volunteers, the 18th Royal Irish. There must have been over a thousand persons in the procession, which reached from Liard street to Brougham street. The body of the Rev. John Whiteley was taken to the Wesleyan Chapel, where the commencement of the burial service was read by the Rev. Mr. Thomas and the Rev. Mr. Waters ; after which a hymn was sung. The corpse was then removed to the hearse, and the procession proceeded on to the Cemetery. On arriving there, the corpse of the Rev. John Whiteley was interred first, the Yen. Archdeacon Govefct reading the remaining portion ofthe service over the body. The other bodies were buried iv a different part of the Cemetery, the Rev. Mr. Brown performing the last duty over their graves. Tho public offices and tho bank, besides the stores in town, were all closed; and the ensign of the signal station raised halfmast till after the funeral. SUPPOSED AUTHOES 01? THE MASSACEE. We learn, through the agency of Porikapa, that More, who is now down south on one of his peace errands, stated on learning ofthe massacre that on one occasion when passing through Ngatimaniapoto, Reihana, leader of a large sectionof that tribe, gave him to understand he disapproved of his work, and would stop his road; and he thinks that the outrage

was committed by him. Dr. Pollen thinks that Tapihana of Hangatiki, a leader of another section of the Ngatimaniapoto respecting whom he lately gave a warning, has been the instigator. When he wished the King party to rise in the Waikato, the reply ofthe King was, "that if he wished to fight he must go to Titokowaru." He therefore infers that as he could nob bring on fighting in Waikato, that the next best thing was to begin at Taranaki, which it is supposed he has done by committing the murders at the White Cliffs. Patara considers it is done to spite the Taranaki natives because they would not make common cause with the Ngatimaniapoto in the desire for war. Or it might be iv revenge ' for the Chatham Islanders taking possession of the land north of the Urenui, which they consider is theirs by right of conquest, and for their refusing to join them in their opposition to the pakeha. Michael Murphy (late of the 57th Regiment) was brought before the Resident Magistrate yesterday on the information of T. Kelly, Esq., and charged with having been concerned in the late murders of the Rev. John Whiteley and others. Owing to the absence of a most material witness the prisoner was remanded until this day at 10 o'clock. THE LATE REV. JOHN WHITELEY. The biography of the rev. gentleman whose brutal murder we this day havo to record, is one we would have wished to have given exceedingly full, but for reasons which we announce elsewhere, are obliged to content ourselves with the following brief particulars : — The Rev. John Whiteley was born at Eddingley in Nottinghamshire, in 1806, and was ordained to the ministry of the Wesleyan Connexion in Lambeth Chapel, London, in 1832. He was soon afterwards appointed to the mission work amongst the Natives of New Zealand, and sailed from Dover on tho sth of November, 1832, under the auspices of the Wesleyan Missionary Society. He arrived in New Zealand in May, 1833. He was appointed to the Hokianga Mission Station, but was obliged to land at the Bay of Islands, in consequence of stormy weather, and to proceed overland to the future scenes of his labour. At that time New Zealand was not colonised. Mr. Whiteley remained at Hokianga several years ; at the end of which time he was removedto Kawhia, where he continued his missionary labours with great zeal and self-denial for sixteen years. Mr. Whiteley was appointed chairman of the Auckland district in 1855, but a year afterwards he was stationed at Taranaki ; being the oldest and most influential missionary. During the early part of Mr. Whiteley's missionary labours amongst the natives in this province, the different tribes were at war with each other, and Mr. Whiteley frequently, at the risk of his own life, interposed between the contending parties, and used every effort to conciliate them and prevent bloodshed. After his arrival in Taranaki, Mr. Whiteley was appointed by the New Zealand Government a commissioner for native lands, along with Messrs. Parris and Outfield, but never received any salary.