(From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 12

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, November 12. The death of the daughter of the Rev. John WKiteley recalls the tragic and historic incident that marked the close- of the Taranaki war. On Saturday, ■ 13th February, X 869, excited by the success which had attended the aims of the rebels under Te Kooti and Titokowaru, and encouraged by the fact that the whole of the Imperial | and colonial troops had again been with- ; drawn from the Taranaki northern outpost a taua or war parts of Ngatimaniapoto, tfce section of the great Waikato tribe residing at Mokau, approached Pukearuhe, the British Tedoubt at Wh'itecHffs. The taua Approached in broad daylight and found two Europeans at the blockhouse, whom they enticed away by telling them there were pigs on the beach for sale. Milne went first, and was tomahawked on the path leading to the beaoh. Seeing that Richards, the other man, did not follow, the party returned, urging him to come anH look at the pigs. The unfortunate man descended the hill, and was killed near where Milne fell. The taua then rushed up to the redoubt, and found that Lieutenant Gascoigne and his family were absent in their field of corn and potatoes. Lieutenant Gasooigne, looking up, saw the Natives at the blockhouse, and at once proceeded towards them, carrying his youngest child. Mra Gasooigne and the other ohildren followed him. On arriving $t a little stream at the base of" the hill on which the blockhouse' stood, Lieutenant Gascoigne gave the child to his wife and went forward to meet the natives approaching him. They shook hands with him, and accompanied him to the door. Upon raising his hand to open the door, he was struck from behind and fell. Soon after Mrs Gascoigne came with her children, and she and the little ones were killed The, murderers then tomahawked the "horse, dog, and the cat. About sunset M r Whitely was seen approaching on horseback, but wa« not, recognised until he descended the hill whioh led to' an old -a. After crossing the stream arid ascending Pukearuhe, he was ordered to return, but refused to do so, and he and his horse were shot. The faithful Tyesleyan missionary, a toiler in the Christian cause in New Zealand for 36 years, was 62 years of age when killed. No man had done more for the Maoris than he. A writer at the time of his death, referring to his martyrdom, says: '"At length the good old man finished the work that was given, him to do. It was his custom to ride out to some remote poet on Saturday, sleep there on Saturday night, rise and hold early Sabbath service, and then proceed homewards, preaching at -all the yillages on his way. In pursuance of this plan he went to the WhiteclifFs. He was not unconscious of danger, for, he had written a warning letter to the Government concerning this ' very outpost, as the old missionary Tode along with the spectacle of Ruapehu in ,front and Egmont on life right, both lifting, their snowy create from the bosom of the dark forests to I the bright blue eky, little did he Jknbw that PukeaTuhe had that day been stained wi*h the blood of a young English mother of 27, and of her three babes, and with the blood of three harmless men. The missionary crossed the stream at the foot of the hill, and commenced the ascent of the steep path, whe.n, from among a war barty of 20 Maoris, headed by a chief who bad been baptised as \ believer in a merciful Saviour, and by the name of Wesley, Voices were heard caHing ' _Hokia ! Hokia ! ' ('Go back! <?o back!')- Then there was * discharge pf arms and the missionary's horso fell. Pwengaging himself from the dying beast, the aged minister fell on. his kqees ana clasped his hands in tlje attitude of pfayer-. Arms -were, fgwn difc charged, five oulleta pierced hi# body ; and bo nd passed to lys everlasting rest." With the death of Mr WhiWey the war in Taranakj was ended. The Government was unable to punish the murderers, but to a late day the blood-stained cliffs of Pukearahe were held by a garrison of the armed constabulary.* A. brick Weslojan '

chnroh now stands in New Plymouth to the memory of the missionary.