CHARGES AGAINST RUA

Nelson Evening Mail, 27 May 1916, Page 5

CHARGES AGAINST RUA

JUDGE REVIEWS POSITION

Lengthy reference to the charges pending against Rua Hepetipa, the Maori "prophet," and five of his followers, including his son, Whatu Rua, was made by His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman in the course of his address to_ the grand jury at the opening of the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court at Auckland. ...

His Honour said the jury could not have failed to have read or heard about the case of Rua. The specific charges against him. and his. associates were of a. bad nature, and. when they were.gone into it would be found that they involved the history of. Rua's. peculiar doings. Rua was a middle aged natiyej arid for some time he had), .been hailed 4 a prophet among acertain section Of _his, own race. It was; of course j noncriminal) offence foe a' man—Maori Or p&keha- ■ to pose as an inspired prophet. Rua had gathered to himself a large crowd Of followers. A little community had been' formed in a hill district, where Rua arid his associates; had; led a comparatively*: peaceful existence up to a certain period.

"BECOMING WEAK MORALLY."

Then trouble had arisen; chiefly owing to the fact that grog-sellers had got into Rua's camp, Fromi that time onward Rua-had commenced to grye.trouble to the authorities. He was irLterviewed 6n< sundry occasions by certain high dignitaries of New; Zealand, including" an exl Governor, Lord Islington, and; on those; i occasions "Rua Stated that in New Zea : ; land there was ohe : law iforf .the white s man and another! for the ,Alaoii, this 1 re ; mark apparently having been caused- by s the fact that licenses; to. sell liquor; were; issued to Europeans'and hot to Natives.; That showed, said His Tfdhourj that Rua ' was becoming weak morally.

WILD. UTTERANCES'

One of the charges against Rua was that, in February last, he had_ been guilty of a seditious utterance. He used language to the effect that the King of England and the English people were n« good. The Germans' were going td win the war, and when the Kaiser became King of England he, Rua, would be made King of the Maoris. He also stated that he had 1400 men with him, and he was not going to allow any of them to enlist to go to the war. "That sort of wild nonsense," said His' Honour, "is of no importance at ordinary times, but when it occurs at "war time, when there are stringent rules against ' interfering with, recruiting, or interfering with the freedom of His Majesty's subjects voluntarily offering themselves, for active service, it becomes mischiev- I ous, especially when it is addressed to ignorant people."

THE SELLING- OF LIQUOR

Sedition, went on His* Honour, was little short of treason, and it was for the jury to decide whether a prima facie edse had been made against Rua on the charge of usings editious language. Contemporaneously with the incident, the police were obliged to take'some action against Rua because he was; illegally selling liquor. The police were bound to enforce the liquor laws of the country. Rua was subsequently convicted on several charges of selling grog without a 'He was fined, and he also served a shbrfctei-m of imprisonment. On another similar charge he was convicted and ordered to come up for. sentence r when upon. ■ He continued to sell liquor, however; andthe police then called him up for sentence. He refused to submit himself td ; arrest, and he was again interviewed by certain officials. It was eventually found necessary, however, to send up an armed police expedition to secure him. Police were gathered from several centres, and, as is known thai 'Riia and his followers were anrled, the Police were also armed, some with guns and some with revolvers'. Commissioner J. Cullen was in. charge of the expedition, and when he 'arrived at Rua's stronghold he asked for Rua to be pointed out td , him. The commissioner, requested 'Rua,. in pacific terms, to cdme_. forward. Ik-1 stead of doing so, however, he endeay-i oured to effect bis escape. A constable closed with him, and then. Rua allegedly mad© use of-the words inciting his followers to resist, and oh which one indictment was based. 'Rua struggled violently, but was eventually -arrested and handcuffed and laid on the ground. Then it was that the first shot was fired. There was no evidence- to .show -who fired Jt, but it was -presumed that a Maori did so. Certain of Rua's' followers were observed to be deliberately aiming and firing at the police. The police retaliated and as a result of the firing four constables had -been wounded; two very seriously, while two Maoris had been killed arid Others injured. No person was charged with firing, which, went on continuously for several minutes. Five of "Rua's followers were, charged with offences under the Crimes Act. Apart from charge of sedition against Rua, the offence with, which he was charged was of a> type not unknown to the Court —namely, inciting and resisting the police, (