ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE OPOTIKI MURDER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1381, 1 April 1865, Page 6

ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE OPOTIKI MURDER.

(From the Southern Cross, March 23.)

The following letter has been sent to us for publication by Mr. William Winters Hooper, who, we are informed, has been a settler for the last sixteen years in Opotiki. It contains one important piece of intelligence, viz , the names of the actual murderers of poor Mr.Volkner. We prefer giving the letter in its present shape to altering its grammatical construction :—

Dear Friends of Auckland, —You will please to excuse the liberty I take in writing a small log of what happened at Opotiki. After my arriving there from Wakatane, on the 27th of February, two days previous to the arrival of the schooner Eclipse, Captain Morris Levy, which arrived on Wednesday, March 1, 1865, having on board as passengers the Rev. C. is. Volkner and the Rev. Mr. Grace, of Taupo; likewise three seafaring men,, by the names of John Moore, acting first mate, one man by the name of Owen Jones, and one l»y the name of John Thomas; also one young man, a Jew, by the name of Lewis Montague. Now, dear friends, as soon as the vessel arrived at the landing-place, where Captain Morris Levy had a brother residing there trading, the Pai Mairire natives, together with the natives of Opotiki, immediately seized the schooner, and likewise the whole of the property that was on board, consisting of biscuit, flour, rice, and sugar, and some other goods. They then immediately took charge of their prisoners, six in number—the Kov. Mr.Volkner, andthe Rev. Mr. Grace,three seamen, and Lewis Montague. These six persons were kept from the vessel to a native house, and there taken prisoners, that first day of March, and that first night. Now, dear friends, during this first night of their imprisonment the l'ai Mairire natives and the Opotiki natives made out their intention of what was to be carried out the next day, -Thursday, March 2. Now, dear friends, we must look to what happened on this dreadful day, the 2nd of March. In the first part of the morning all the natives mustered together at the chapel, and went through their pretending prayers in the religion of ('anaan. It was some time getting towards noon when about thirty natives, armed with guns, went into the house of the prisoners, and requested the Rev. Mr. Volkner to come out, as they wished to talk with him, to which he readiiy agreed. They then led him unto the church, and there told him his fate, without prciferiiig him the least trial whatever. In this state of affairs, what could he do, poor man ? lie must submit to the treachery of that savage race of Maoris. So they then led him from the church tolas place of execution, about forty or fifty yards from the end of my house, where I was in a great state of illness at the time, spitting and vomiting blood, sometimes in greai profusion. As he arrived under the willow tree the rope was placed on his neck by a great scamp by die name of Pokanoa Te Awanui. My father-in-law, a native hy the name of Kopiha Te Harare, said to me, " William, do you not go outside at this present time, for fear you should catch sight of what is going on at the willlow tree at Panapa's place." I said to him (my father-in-law), " what is the matter ?" He immediately told me that they were hanging Mr. Volkner up to the tree. He had scarcely spoken these words when who should come running into the house but this lad Panapa, for the express purpose of seeing what time it was by ray clock, as they all had agreed upon two o'clock as the specified time for pulling him up into the tree. As soon sis the hour hand arrived at the two, he (the snid Panapa) ran out into my garden and gave the fatal signal. Now. friends, what must have been my feelings just at that moment? He was hoisted up into the tree more like a dog than a human being, amidst shouts and laughter most horrible to describe, especially from the female sex, who were far stronger in voice than the men. Ihe Chief men who were at this murder are those named —Pokanoa te Awanui, of the Ngatirua tribe ; Here-

tive who cut the lio\. Mr. vo. Kft . hura, belongingtc<. t g nativeß) belonging to reopa, one of the lar M ( i .{ f one8 —the head Maketu-these four men th* °'j further down chief«tthe^TtheVl deed the coast. 0 . for t h e Bpa ce of an hour wa , s X'f d Tuy cKckf the body was taken down and a half by y nlace where his head was A 1 my™««-w «' tLFZZ n® 'r' -W could carry particulars, which ,r& ** *r ß t c Tj££ tin toOT?o?lhrwVnd'ftnir they »ent'and fetched the remaining five prisoners, and brought thrnt Sy iZo AS soon as the five were inside of the house the rebels of Opotiki immediately tied their ands behind their backs, and the doctor was sent for and served the same; then they sent out some SShSff *«ch ?« ttunuel toy. "to, «! ««Hvc. Sool'toShim, nnd te lin'ive^from the »hole of the party. Ceru.l,»ly,tt I'faTSK Sdid';" t S fon" S onb' 1«b" ut an hour, whet. one of the Pai Marire Maoris came running into the liause as if exasperated at the Opotiki natives for tying their friends the Jews. Now he went to work and untied the whole »>nd set all free. As soon as all cleared away the'Opotiki natives rushed in and P^ mv house of everything that was inside. They did not as much as leave me a pot to cook ill, oraP' to eat out of. Now, dear friends, I must return to Mr Morris Levy. His report to the inhabitants of Auckland is that he agreeed to give up the: whole of his property and also the schooner ; but I my self or any of the seamen on board, cannot see' that account to be correct, when, in the first place, tlie schooner and property were seized and taken away by the natives Now after that the-natives agreed to give him (t e said Captain Morris Levy) potatoes to py f° r oronerty they had taken, of which myself and the three seamen, and likewise Lewis well aware ; for instance, the seamen had the job of shipping these potatoes on Now, secondly, here is one particular thing that I have to spealk o , and that I wish all parties to well understand the meaning of. Times, and often, tins said Morris Levy has said to me that he was sure himself and his brother were all right, because they were Jews. Now here is one more particular affair lhave got to men-tion-that is, about a prayer-book of the Hebrew language. Jnst before the departure of this wicked mob of natives from Opotiki, he, the said Morris Levi, made this book a present to the head man of the Pai Marire tribe, by the name of Butler or 1 atara, telling him at the time that the prayer-book would be of much use to them, as they were travelling to introduce the religion of Canaan, to all the parties of natives on the coast of New Zealand. Yours, &t\,

Wiixtam Winters Hooper, Owen Jones, John Thomas.