COOK'S STRAITS.

New Zealander, Volume 2, Issue 102, 15 May 1847, Page 2

COOK'S STRAITS.

Despatches have arrived for the Governor from Petre, Wanganui> to which we have no access, hut a 'gentleman of this place has received intelligence, in a private letter, from a correspondent at Wanganui, of a heart-rend-ing affair, the particulars of which will he better given in the following extracts, with which he has kindly furnished us :— " Petre, April 21, 1847. " On Saturday evening, Mr. Gilfillan came in from liis country section with a frightful gash on his neck.— He had escaped from six Maories— and under great appichension for the safety of his family. " Next morning at daylight, the police and a party of civilians set off for Mr. Gilfillan's house, — they there looked on a fearful sight:-— The house burned down,— Mrs. G. dead, shockingly mutilated — a young girl of M', a boy of 12, and a boy of 4? years, all dead [— a yowug girl of 15 years severely wounded, and not expected to recover. " \ boy of 8 years, a girl of 6 years, an infant— an infant son of Dr. Alton's— were alone found alive and uninjured. ' " Our friendly Natives had started in pursuit of the supposed offenders during the previous evening, (Sunday night,) and at about 2 o'clock on Tuesday mowing: we had information of the capture of Jive natives up the- ) iver. " Police, civilians, gun-boat, and soldiery, started innnedutely, and .it 9 wo had these five in the stockade. "Being clothed in Gilfillan's pi opcity, their blankets and tomahawks smeared with blood, nil bore testimony against them. In addition to this was Gilfillan's identification ; and subsequently llicir own confession. " On Monday and yesterday an inquest was held;— though lengthened, it was so satisfaciory as to guard •><Mitii f c .vil by pseudo-philanthropists. A verdict of Y» ilnil Murder w.is recoidcd against four, the fifth cannot esc-tpe the military comniibsion, and the sixth is so well known that we hope to have him within one week. " Martial Uw being in force here, the military inquiry will commence to-morrow, and probably next day will see these fellows done justice'to. They are all youngone is but a boy." In the preseut state of our information it would be idle to speculate on the causes of this shocking murder. We learn that it was committed by comparative strangers, for they are •• up river natives, coming from the far interior, who only occasionally visit Petre to barter. Much credit is due to the friendly natives who started immediately of their owu accord in pursuit of the murderers. It is conjectured, in the absence of any assignable cause for this outrage, that it has arisen from an accident, in whi"h a native was dangerously wounded some little time since, by the going off of a pistol in a gentleman*! hand~-in which case the savage law of the untutored native, of having blood for blood, has been literally acted on.