MATENGA'S REAPPEARANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 14

MATENGA'S REAPPEARANCE.

! Nothing was heard of Matenga until February of this year, -when he appeared ton _the- Bay of. Plenty ooast, .near the Linouth of ,the Motu River. Here he n&r- ! Towly escaped being captured. A' theft was reported and the local police got together a ' party and quickly followed the trail up the Motu' B.iver, when they -•came .6n -. the_- Maori'e camping ground. ""But ' Jh'e bird, had once more , flown. " For some ' months' after this' Matenga remained very muclT~ in retirement, and -there was much speculation as tq where' he would next turn, up. Nothing wa« , reported ■during the winter, t>ut in September a. ■theft of a kind suggesting that Matenga was the offender was committed in the Motu district.

A well-known Gistorne surveyor named Rasmuesen, who was following tiis calling 1 in the Mangatu tush, one pi&ht came home with Ms party to find that his ca_mp had been ransacked. A gun, ammunition, axes, slash hooks, clothing, and a large quantity of provisions had beer, carried away. MORE ALLEGED ROBBERIES. On tike 12th October the camp of AM, Brothers, situated in, the bush some miles from Rasmussen's abode, was visited and a silver watch and chain, some wearing -apparel, and a quantity of food stolen. Finding footprints indicating vi what

direction the person supposed to be the thief had taken, Mr Brothers next day got a party together and followed the trail, j Well on in the afternoon, after covering ' miles of country, they suddenly heard the : sounds of somebody chopping wood. Cautiously surrounding the spot they found, a Maori with long hair and beard and a wild appearance in the act of' lighting a> fire to boil his billy. The Native approached' within 10 xvards of one member of the party, who jumped up and presenting his gun the "'wild man," called upon him to surrender. ' He responded by darting into the bush, and once again was lost. Close to where he was lighting hia fire the party found the articles {with the exception-! of >the watch and chain) that had been stolen on the previous day. ■ Nine days later the bush camp of William. Dooley, situated some miles away, was ! entered and a double-barrelled gun and' a quantity of. provisions were stolen. " .j