ABDUCTION BY MAORIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1974, 19 September 1889, Page 22

ABDUCTION BY MAORIS.

Auckland, September 17. Kohimo Houngariri has reported to the police that over 20 Mahurangi Natives attacked him on Saturday and carried off his daughter, aged 19, who was stripped naked in the struggle. The only reason they gave was that the girl had spoken a bad word about some of their tribe having reference to some superstition. A dozen of the police force were despatched this afternoon to arrest the ringleaders. They arrived in the steamer Rose Casey at Waiwera at 7 30 o'clock last night, and having landed, engaged the services of a guide, who conducted them to the Maori settlement a mile and a-half inland. Here the police entered a whare, where they found about 30 Natives assembled, including the girl who had been carried off and her abductors The Maoris were holding a korero. The chief of the settlement, Te Hemara, is a Native assessor, and he was satisfied that he should assist the police in the matter. He was considering the question with the Natives when the constables entered the whare. After argument, he pointed out the Natives named in the warrant, and the four men and a young woman were thereupon arrested, and, with the girl and her father and the others, marched to the beach and taken on board the steamer, which taen came to Auckland, arriving this morning. The chief To Hemara was rather averse to allowing them to be taken to Auckland, but Sergeant Gamble showed his warrant and called upon Te Hemara, as a Government officer— being an assessor — in the name of the Queen, to assist him in his duty. That appeared to fetch the old chief, who at the name of the Queen lifted his hat. The Rodney Natives felt that they had done wrong, as they held a runanga yesterday to decide upon returning the girl to her father again, and she was to have been fcafeen back to-day.