ARRIVAL OF THE MUREWAI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1705, 10 May 1869, Page 7

ARRIVAL OF THE MUREWAI.

IMPORTANT FROM WAIROA. (From (he Hawke's Bay Herald, April 13.) The Murewai, schooner, arrived from Wairo* last evening, hfiviug loft yostrrduy morning brings a lirge numbar of women and children, refugees from Walroß, and other pi-eengors. Amoi;:* the number are Mrs. Onnoni and (anvly, Mrs. VVorguu and family, Mrs. Doighton and faaiily, Mrs. Curtor and child, Mrs. Qrey and child, Mre. Ferguson, Mre. Hlauk, Mrs Taylor and family, Mra Jnmießon, Mrs. Steward Mrs Sargent, and Mr. Burton. By this opportunity we haye- he following important information. ; The Wairoa expedition returned to Clyde on the morning of Saturday last. 'Xhey had encountered a cteUohtncnt of To Waru's people, about 20 in number, killed seven of their number, and captured six rifles, and a breechloader, believed to hare been the property of Karaitiana, who was murdered. Threi native* were killed on the aide of the colonial forces. The expedition had not long retained on Saturday morning,' before Mr. Lamplough rode in with the intelligence that the Hauhaui had that morning made ft raid upon Mohaka. General credence was not at once given to this, and Mr. Lamploueh, aocompnnied' by Mr. Barton, proceeded to Mohaka to ascertain the fact. On arrival there, they found the Hauhaus entrenched between the tiro pas, and despatched an orderly hack with a request that aa large a force as possible should be immediately sent. The two gentlemen we have named, with three others who had followed them from Clyde—Captain Withers, Mr. Worgan, and another—held a hill olose r by all that night, aa sentries. Next (Sunday) morning, 100 men arrived, chiefly natives, under Ihaka, Whanga, and Humana. On reaching the hill before referred to, they saw the friendly natives in one of the pas beckoning for help (the other had been taken), and they at once descended, making for it. On. nearing the pa,lhaka'e men took, a position to open a oross fire on the iJauhaus, while the Mohaka' n.itives entered to relieve their friends, which was done successfully. Heavy firing onaued on both eidos. In the forenoon, one body of the Hauhaus were observed making'a circuit inland with the view of cutting off communication with Wairoa. Seeing this, Iliaka retreated a littlo to keep the road open, and Mr Burton rode back to urge the sending of further reinforcements. At Wnihua he met a hundred irion, Kuropeana and friondlies, who-went on und drove back upon the main body the detached party of the ehenjy already" referred to. Further particulars are not known. Mr. liurton went on to Wairoa, partly to arrange for the women and children being sent away, and partly to open communication by sea with Napier, there being no certainty that tho intelligence had reached the authorities by land. / THE MOHAKA TBAGEDY. We give the following further partinularr of this horrible affair from the Sawke's Say Herald of the 20th instant. That journal : — • The arrival, on Saturday lait, of Captain Tanner's troop, put us i>l possession of further particulars of the dismal tragedy at Mohaka. The following has been kindly handed us by a member of the troop : — It would appsar that the ffauhaus crossed the rivor and attacked Mr. IJavin'e place about 8 o'clock in tho tcorning, after they had completed the destruction of the friendly natives'settlement in the' neighbourhood. Mr. Lavin's children were down at the river, sailing a little boat at the ford. They raiiet have Been the Hauhaus oroseing, but could not huve 'suspected what they were tiU they got close enough to dismount and give them chase. The ohildren wore bayoneted and tomahawked as they ran, but not shot, tho Hauhaus apparently reserving their fire for tho adults. The youngest child was overtaken about 30 yards from the river bank.; and 101 l with hia face towards the houte, tho next boy, about ten yorJe ahead of him, wae lying in the same position with seven bayonet wounds throughhisbody; und tho eldest bny, about the same distancein front, had nearly ronched Sir. Ctfoper'e gate before he received his death blow. The screams of the children would havo alurmod Mr. Cooper, who ran towards Mr. Lavin'e house, about 100 yards distant, to give thorn the alarm. He must have been fired at as he ran, and mortally wounded, as he had not got far up the j hill at the back of Mr. Levin's house before he full dead. Mr. and Mrs. Lavin, in nil probability, heard 'the shots fired at poor Cooper before he reaohed thom, as they had clambered over the paddock fence and got about thirty yards beyond him into, thick manuka scrub before they fell. Mrs: Lavin. had a new poir ot boote in her hand, which in all probability iiho snatched up, thinking ehe might have to travel some distance through the bush. She had alao her gold watch, purse, and a paoket of deeds. Poor T.avin hud hie loaded revolver at his eide. It doee not appear that the Hauhaus followed them over the fence into the scrub, aa the dead had not been plundered or their bodies touched. Ihe savages, not knowing their victims had succumbed so soon, were apparently afraid to follow into the scrub leet they might be fired at, but' returned to the houses. After taking everything, they burnt thoai to the ground. Poor Lavin and his wife must have afforded an easy mark to the Hauhaus as they ascended the slope and climbed over the fence. They had only got about fifteen yards into the scrub before one, if not both, must have felt, they were djing, and laid down on the ground. They were lying side by side—poor Lavin with his arm affectionately round his wife's neck.. The sad ppedacle deeply affected the men as they stood round. As the day was fast closing, there was only time to bury the qhildren, but the parents were buried early the next morning by some of the troop, who returned for the.purpose. Mr. Lavin and Mr. Cooper were both old settlers. Tho former was namod John Philip Merin Lavin ; his wife, Jane ; and his children—Hawles, aged 11 ; Miles, aged 8 ; and Honry Herman, aged 8. He was a native of Penrynn, Cornwall, and his wife wae a nativo of Penzance, Cornwall. .Her maiden name was Jane Oarbie. The unfortunate oouple have been living at Mohaka about 18 yeare. The late Mr» Lavin ha« a liater living in BaUaiat, Victoria. ■ ■ :|