DEPRIVED OF HIS LOVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18945, 17 February 1925, Page 11

DEPRIVED OF HIS LOVE.

YOUNG MAORI'S SUICIDE. GIRL REMOVED AND WEDDED. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WHAEATANE. Monday. A tragic sequel to a love affair was enacted at Waikerikeri Pa, near Ruatoki, on Saturday afternoon, when a young native named Joe Mahaki, aged 21, shot himself dead in a maize paddock. The deceased, a good-looking youth, had been living at his father's house with a native girl, 18 years of age. The course of true love, however, did not run smoothly, for on Friday the girl's step-father came upon the scene and took her away. Young Mahaki was very much upset owing to the disappearance of his sweetheart, and his mental balance was further disturbed on Saturday morning, when he was told that the girl had married another Maori. Apparently he brooded over the loss of the girl all the morning, and in the afternoon secured a gun from his uncle's house and shot himself in the chest. The shot was heard and deceased's father with others proceeded to the paddock to investigate. There they found the young Maori quite dead, the gun lying beside the body. The deceased had removed a boot and used the lace to attach to the trigger, the other end being tied to a maize stalk. An inquest was held yesterday. The father stated that he knew of no reason why deceased should have taken his life other than the fact that his sweetheart had bec-n taken away. ' The coroner returned a verdict that death was due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.