OPOTIKI

Marlborough Press, Volume VIII, Issue 30, 24 July 1867, Page 3

OPOTIKI

TWO FATAL ACCIDENTS. FINDING OF TIIE BODIES OF MOORE AND BEGGS. MUTILATION OF BODIES CF WHITE AND THE ARAWA. ATTACK ON THE SURVEYORS AT OIIIWA. (From the Auckland News.) Ofotiki, June 28. The evidence of the native who found the dead bodies of the murdered men. Mr White and the Arawa native, may be condensed into the following brief statement: — Yesterday, he and his nephew were on their way to this settlement. The nephew, whose horse was jaded, was lagging a considerable way behind. When he reached the Waiotahi, a small river about four miles from this place, he saw the footprints of a number of natives in the mud, and not knowing whether the tracks were those of friendly natives or of Hau-haus, he took oil his hat and waved it to his nephew to hasten up. When he came up, they crossed the river, and then he looked up the river and saw a party of armed natives. They saw him. too, and fired, but without effect, as they were at too great a distance from him. He came along the beach as fast as he could towards the camp, and saw on the beach, below high-water mark, two headless bodies lying on the sand, the feet pointed to the shore. He could not identify them at the time, but came on and reported the circumstance to Major St. John as soon as he came into the camp. As soon as they could be got together, about 20 of the cavalry, under Captain Gwynneth, and about 50 of the militia, under Major St. John, crossed the Waioeka, and hastened to the scene of the slaughter. Might overtook the party before they reached the place. They remained under arms on the beach all night, and at the first glimpse of dawn Captain Gwynneth took a party of his men and proceeded along the beach towards the Ohiwa. They found that the horses on which Mr Bennett White and the mailman rode were both dead, having been shot. The party then returned. On their way back they saw an owl perched on some drift-wood, and, searching amongst it, they found a head, which they knew at once to be that of Mr White. The crown of the head and back part of the skull were fearfully gashed by the tomahawks of the ruthless savages. There was a bullet wound on the corner of the left eye, which must have caused instant death ; and, from the placid appearance of the countenance in death, I think it may be inferred that the bullet wound was the cause of death, and that the butchery was perpetrated on the body when it was no longer susceptible of pain. The head was placed in a coffin, and interred this evening at 3 o’clock. July 1. The body of Mr White, being recovered, is being interred, the grave having been opened in order to deposit the mangled body in the same coffin which a few days before had been interred, containing only the head. The corpse presented so ghastly a spectacle that the few spectators who went to look at it turned away shuddering, and sick at the stomach. From the armpits down to the hips, on either side, the flesh had been cut away ; the calves of the legs, and fleshy parts of the thighs, were denuded in the same manner ; the body was ripped open, and disembowelled ; and ail the posterior parts of both bodies were cut away in the same manner. The dav after the murder of Mr White and his com| anion, Mr Henderson and his party of surveyors, who were at work on the Ohiwa, were fired on by the same party. Some friendly natives had just time to warn them of the approach of the Hau-hauji, and they ran for their lives. Mr Henderson endeavored to save his instrument, and carried itas far as he could, but was finally compelled to throw it away in order to save his life. Major St. John and the officers and men of the expedition,numberingabout 50, returned from the gorges of the Waioeka, where the}' have been endeavoring for the last three days to find some traces of the enemy. Both officers and men endured great hardships during their stay in the bush, short as it was. One poor fellow named Walsh, belonging to the Ist Waikato Regiment, was drowned in attempting to cross one of the reaches of the Waioeka by means of a rope. He lost his footing, struggled for a while to retain his hold of the rope, but was carried away by the violence of the flood despite all the exertions of his comrades to save him. July 2. The first news I heard this morning was, that there was a man burned to death during the night. I went immediately to the spot indicated, and there saw the burned corpse of a man named William Dunn, of the Ist Waikato Regiment. The coroner’s jury, after viewing the body, and being satisfied of its identity, returned the following verdict: —“ That William Dunn came by his death accidentally, by being burned while in a state of intoxication.” July 3. News came into camp this morning that the remains of Moore and Beggs had been found by a Maori. A party of twenty-five men, under Ensign Lawson, was despatched to Waioeka, to bring what was left of the murdered men, which turned out to be only the bare skeletons, all the flesh having been weeks ago devoured by Maori dogs and birds of prey. The remains of Moore and Beggs have just been laid in their graves.

The True Medium ! —An editor speaking of spiritualism, says : “We don’t believe in any medium except the * circulating medium,’ and that has become so scarce that our faith in it is shaky.” Curious Chinese Definitions of Man. — The inquisitive man thrusts his head into a beehive. The contented man cuts his own hair. The extravagant man keeps his coals in a volcano. The hasty man drinks his tea with a fork. The reckless man is like a dog in a sausage shop. The passionate man picks his teeth with the tail of a dragon. The Mauritius —The Jane Bell, which arrived at Adelaide on the Ist July, brings news from the Mauritius to the 2nd June. She reports that the fever which has for 'some time been causing ’, such ravages among all classes there, was decreasing, and in consequence business was reviving. The mortality from the effects of the fever during the month ] of May numbered G4OO. Holloway’s Ointment and Pills. —All persons afflicted with bad legs, sores, ulcers, and skin diseases, who, from want of 'means tor other reasons, cannot avail themselves of surgical treatment may be relieved from their complaints by using Holloway’s purifying soothing, and healing remedies. In every' outward ailment this wonderful Ointment brings about the most beneficial results, by checking inflamations, cleansing' ulcerations, and restoring soundness. Internal pains, rheumatic and gouty tortures, enlarged joints, scrofulous swellings, and contracted sinews may be overcome by diligently nibbing this cooling unguent into the skin. In all maladies of unusual severity or excessive duration the Pills should be taken, to root out thej last seeds of the disorder and so hasten the desired cure.