THE ESCAPED MAORI REBELS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18459, 24 July 1923, Page 4

THE ESCAPED MAORI REBELS.

T> bir,-i was very interested in M r M B. Morton s article and Mr. Jakins' kit. in reference to the escape of rebel Maori! * from Kawau in 1864, as their conned " with the early days of the (AlbortliSli eett ement is a master in which I h»«sf; lately been making inquiries. I- nada!'' ' stand from various reports that closed 20° .natives escaped, and after>caiapiSM' on the jEast Coast for some time, a( j? their way over to the /native settlement of -Putdu, _ at the mouth of the Bow River, Kaipara Harbour. The - putati "> natives being inclined to sympathise II the rebels, accompanied them to tha Oruawharo settlement, to endeavor V''i gain assistance from the . natives fthlJpP About Christmas, 1064, they set out from Putahi in five or six canoes, and landed at the southern end of the : Albortland r M settlement, Te Wheja, Wharehine. ' Their 'i'- : arrival here oaused great consternation among the defenceless settlers. Th«a ™"V- ---. settlers still; living who well rsmeab&W-' this incident. Without molesting : anyone however, they crossed over along the survey line between the 'Opou blodc in d ■' Wharehine to the Oruawharo River. -'"On their : way/ they passed two white men at work neap the. track, one ?. of whom related, a few years ago, how the Maoris grimaced and made hideous faccs at tlfero, 1 On arriving at the river, the natives found that one of : their party - was miss-' ing, so returning, they accused the pakehas of having done away with him. Matters were . beginning to look sinews,; >'•» when luckily the missing man. turned tip t In a book written by Mr. E. S. Brookes! ' one of the settlers, he states that while watching the natives on the beach tha leader came to him ; and requested* him I ■' to put. them through their drill, which''' he did. He also mentions that most of them had arms and ammunition; many of the rifles he recognised as having been s purchased from the settlers by a European some ■ time previously. After.: drill, M ing, they crossed .over to ths Maori - settlement, opposite the township of;Port'-f Albert. A few days later some stnwrfen i passed through Wharehine. and threatened the life of Mr. Brookes.' A mee% of the young men of th© distinct *as wiled to ; consider ; whether .to build -# ' block-. house . for defence, on an .ancient Miiotl 1 pa; but owing to their shortage oti stows ;^ 4 : and arms,and on the advice of ths !ftev. Win. Gittos, they d(aided id observe neu. , . trality. "A ' rumour, current among the natives; that 4000 of the Bay of Islands ! Maoris were on their way to join the > rebels, . hatised great uneasiness. When : the J; rebels first arrived at the Port Al- V bert . sfttlisment Mr. Gittos was away,'; and , old , residents of Port Albert relate!; how they i spent several • sleepless nights; , listening to the warlike sounds, jest ' across' KifJ the _ river. • However, the and ! - . Otamatea natives—thanks; to the Wachiag || ,of Mr. Gittos— intensely loyal to the r settlers. i: A few months previously" the* *' had ; published; a letter' in the Albertland || Gazette, affirming : their :loyalty and friend-.:: ; ship to the pakehas. i Mr. . Gittos having returned, and. the Port Albert. Maoris proving quite • unsympathetic v ::toS.tKi?l|i cause, the rebels returned, ; disappointed,-|| to Putahi, and from there ■no • doubt? nsadn their way back to their homes. " This is'» the most feasible account I can compile |§ out of much conflicting, evidence, 'and if' M I err in any detail no ' doubt isonni oif yourftg readers can; set 'me right. I;■ would welcome any further information on this subject, as I am not certain of several, ptointo of interest. Now - that our. pioneers of , stirring days are growing few in 'i number, I would urge that sach experiences ; and occurrences should be'= pat t o»»-' (s ; record . before >. they ? are completely gotten. Albert ;/ Lakh. 1 ■ ' :•:: : v:-:'- '-h

Sir, The account given by Mr. H, B. Morton :/ is :; correct; s that some ; 219 ; pri- ? soncrs .of -war from .Waikato -"escaped lifom ' Kawau in September, 1864. But "Sixty-,; ~, three" : t is - not correct in his : statement Jg ; that i : the Maoris cut down half the bush on the summit ,of OtomaraAv; br;<th#|S "Dome''. as ;it i was' called; •?being like?ajf| : camel's hump with two peaks. I was there at the end of 1864 to see the J but r they : had- v gone. ' Neither :do I thint ; i that Mr. Jakins;i was correct re 30 ' ,Maor®|| 1 swimming ashore. ' It might ; be. so, bat I- think, that ; the whole of the escaped - prisoners left : Kawau ■in < boats. /:■ Their-, swimming across the ' Maniikan is h&icfr/-. correct,,, and if . they went v, to Kaipara : |; Flats', thtsy fed not left Waiwera in Ds-Jf cember, 1864. , I went up to - Malakarav; : shortly after arriving 'in . October or November, v 1864. ; The ;skr,}-4-g per of the cutter was named Sankeyjjl^ think, lie told2 thel Maori : prisoners' this |? if they < injured man, woman, or child of ;|g the 1 pakehas they ; would shoot them down :f, like wild dogs, and no doubt other Maori- -:g speaking pakehas spoke .in - like way.-iN. This had a sobering effect on the escaped : men. There was ;-a- small scare ;at tin start, but during the weeks I spent closai.;.: under the "Dome," . <tr Otamirna, motto of the pakeha wis "business M •; usual," and l think : some of .' the storekeepers did pretty . good business . wit-h thß,gv| • Maoris.. They put up a » "pa" on -yfep marua and defied the Governor i and th# ; : troons. Sir George Gray, I think, went - ; r to their stronghold and saw them, with* in out much to show for the visit. It was generally '- thought/ at the,; time that the Governor rather / connived rat the escap* „ or was not sorry that it had ~ taken plaf^ Some of ; us : made an . expedition these ; men >at their "pa., but ; were to» ; late. Along the track were variou!Up^;||§ moes where guard had been kept onjt^g;;| summit. • Sufficient bush had beeii for a site for a' pa and its palisadi'g- , was';: scorched : and partially burnt,;: but being green ; stuff V did .not burn •ij®ji||p Whether this had ' been done by a ]® I y • of settlers before us ior • bv, ' the ! fs| when they left their so-calfed stronghold is not' how. knbwa—but Mr. / Jakins misinformed if.. ha thought the went: from ,'.'Kawau by his: place and on 1 to - Kaipara Flats and- swam: the Manuka'!.... an' their way to Waikato.'' • They we . re^p'p neighbours : s for several weeks.' and •it nearly Christinas when 1 started t» vals. .; from Matakana to : Auckland.-.'^' tier took me across in his - boat > ro ®/*- Mahurangi Heads >to ■ Waiwra • B-'acn, yj .where he landed me üßconcernealy the " middle , of ;; some 200 or mora MW -hrg prisoners and, their t friends •'.' galloping. ° || horseback "as, if at a scratch rate Being ? a new chum '= I felt a - bit &earfitl _ this first : introduction to .the prisoners and their; friends, and I WPMeM hand on 'I my revolver las I walked j £ them. '::h They took no notice/ok me, I was hot : sorry. I:. (tramped ». w]' ;. ~, Maurice Kelly's, : at' the ••Wade^t^^.^gpfe These Maoris just filtered thiWCTA^^. Auckland and, Tamaki district . , , i No attempt was ; made vto j step the episode t'ended Some looted and >. come sheep andbut no injury was done to