MAORI CHARGED WITH ASSAULT.

Northern Advocate, 21 September 1910, Page 4

MAORI CHARGED WITH ASSAULT.

AFTER TWO YEARS

Before Mr Scott-Smith, S.TM., at the Magistrate's Court, on Tuesday. Joe Taranati (Mr Steadman) was charged on the information of the police with assaulting and causing actual bodily harm.

Robert Hewson, a half-caste residing at Pakatoi, said h<3 was present at a tangi held there in September, 190?, on the body of John Morgan. was at the tangi, and a boy now dew ceased named Hautakeri, also RehansT* Poa, another boy. The accused tried to get these two boys to fight with boxing gloves. Hautakeri refused to put the gloves on, and picked up a stone and pelted it at the ether boy. This made Poa wild, and tiie accused slapped Hautakeri across the mouth with his open hand fairly hard, causing him to fall to the ground. Hautakeii's nose commenced bleeding, and witness saw no othei effects except that the boy was not iible to rise from the ground. The accused then kicked the boy twice while he was lying on the ground, sufficiently hard to hurt him. Witness then went away, but before going he saw the accused strike Hautakeri twice with a stick. Witness knew the boy before he was assaulted, and did not know him up to that time to have had anything wrong with him; but he was a weak-lookine; boy. Since then the boy had died. Witness had seen the boy about a week after the assault when he was going to school, and since then he had frequently seen him, apparently well.

By Mr Steadman: Witness was only three or four yards away when the assault took place and did not foel called upon to interfere, or to lay information with the po-ice afterwards.

Jacob Morgan, a Maori boy, aged 15, gave evidence practically the same as that of the last witness, and added that while Hautakeri was on the ground suffering from the effects of the blow, Mrs Rickard and Mrs Mene came to his assistance and took him down to the creek to wash him. Each took vn arm and led the boy away. At this time Hautakeri was bleeding from the nose and in witness' opinion could not have stood without assistance. Hautakeri was often ill before the assault, but went to school.

Abraham Morgan said he was pre- ' sent at the tangi held at the death of his brother John. Hβ saw the accused there, and the tw> hoys previously referred to. Witness then went on to describe the assault on Hautakeri Vy the accused, his version of the affiir being as far as it went, very similar to that of the previous witnesses. Witness had known Hautakeri from birMi, but could not say whether he was a strong boy or not. His mother had had fourteen children and only t /o were now living. On the day of the assault Hautakeri appeared to be well and witness had never seen him ill, ' not even after the assault. There was a meeting held after the police iad begun investigating this case, at which witness and accused were present The accuser , , then told thosp witnesses who had made statements to tti? polic* t<: adhere to those statement.-;. He made no threats, to v.itness' knowledge.

Emma Hua Poa, tli.3 mother o£ Hautakeri, said that on the day of tile nssault she was called by some one outside. The person Called. o:it, *'H::a, your boy is being killed." A\ r itn<jss went out of the whaie and saw the boy on the ground. The accused had hold of the boy's arm and ;was asking him to stand up. Accused was also kicking the boy. Witness, feeling faint at the sight, inside. The boy's mouth was smeared with blood. Soon after the accused came into the kitchen and witness reprimanded him, and told him that the boy was unconscious, to which he replied, "What do I care?" Before the assault the boy was subject to illness. He was not laid up in bed immediately after the assault, but he later caught a severe cold and blood came out of his mouth. About three months ago the boy went to Waipu and died there.

Further evidence having been takan, His Worship dismissed the information without calling upon the defence