HORRIBLE MURDER AT HUKETERE

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 93, 5 August 1895, Page 2

HORRIBLE MURDER AT HUKETERE

A MAORI WOMEN HACKED TO DEATH IY HER HUSBAND. A murder of a most revolting cbdiacter was perpetrated at Huketero on Fmiay night or Saturday morning, when a halfcaste named Wire Te Kaahu Koroai brutally murdered his wife, Parahi Ngakirikiri, by wounding her in the head with some heavy and sharp instrument (presumably a tomahawk), and having rendered her insensible, he threw her on to the still live embers on the floor of the whare, and then decamned. Tutange, who lived in the next whare, heard some groans, and sent his wife to see what was the matter, with the result above mentioned. Tutange at once rode into town and reported the circumstance to Constable Carr at about 4 a.m , and he called on Dr Campbell and requested him to accompany him to the pah, which the doctor accordingly did, and did all that could be done for the wounded woman, and ordered her immediate removal to the hospital, where the unfortunate victim was made as comfortable as possible. Seeing, however, the very serious condition of the woman, her depositions were taken about 4 p.m., and at about 9 p.m. she succumbed. THE INQUEST. An inquest was held at the Courthouse yesterday before Mr J. A. McKenna, J.P., Acting-Coroner, and the following jury; —Messrs W. Atkins, I. Baxter, A. Howitt, H. King, and A Sergeant. Mr King was chosen foreman, and the following evidence was given : Dr Campbell, sworn, said: lam a legally qualified medical practitioner, practising at Patca. I remember the morning of the 3rd instant; I proceeded to the Maori Pah, at Huketere, arriving there at 6 a.m., and there found the deceased lying on a bed on the floor of the meeting house. I had her conveyed into an empty hut, and made an examination, and finding her condition so serious I recommended that she be conveyed to the hospital at Pat- a; To this the Maoris agreed, and brought her down in a canoe, and she was taken to the hospital. On further examination there I found the following conditions : Seven cuts on the face, one on the palm of the left hand, and extensive burns on the body. The wounds on the face were as follows: (1) A cut extending over the right eyebrow 2i inches long, penetrating to the bone, and part of the frontal-bone splintered off, and the right eyeball ruptured ; (2.) A cut an inch long in the centre of the fore** head, also penetrating to the bone; (3.) A cut over the left eyelid an inch and threequarters in length, hut only skin deep; (4.) Cut on bridge of nose, with fracture of nasal bones; (5.) Cut on right cheek an inch long penetrating to the bone; (6.| Upper lip cut through the centre; (7.) A cut extending from middle of upper lip on left side downwards and outwards for three and-a-half inches, opening through into the mouth. The upper jaw was fractured above the alveolar process, and also through the roof of the mouth, extending from the front to the back of the hard pallate, the fractured portion being suspended in the mouth by the mucous membrane. The cut in the hand was one inch long. Thj left upper arm and below the elbow was burned. The left breast, side, and back, the latter extending from the middle of the shoulder blade downwards to the hipbone, on the left thigh three bums about the size of the palm of the hand, and on the left calf a burn of a similar size. These wounds of themselves would not be sufficient to cause death, and I think loss of blood and shock to the system caused death. I was present when she was asked who did it, and was told what she replied, but I did not understand it, as she spoke in the Maori language. Though -the burns were extensive, they were not severe, only involving the skin, hut would cause serious shock to the system. To Mr Sargeant; If the wounds were inflicted with a knife it must have been a very heavy one to fracture the bones; I think the splintered bone over the eye could have been done with a knife, but the fracture of the cheek-bone must have been done with something heavier. She was quite conscious up to the end, and was able to recognise her friends. To the Foreman : I am satisfied of the cause of death without holding a post mortem examination. Tutange Waionni: I live at Hukatere ; I knew deceased; lam aware that on the night of Friday, 2nd inst, deceased and her husband occupied the cookhouse, and were the only occupants. About a quarter-past one on the morning of the 3rd, I went outside my whaie and heard deceased calling out to her sister, “ I am killed.” I then called out to my wife to go to her sister, as probably her husband was beating her ; and she went. She got outside the doer of the cook : houso and called out to deceased to come outside, deceased said, “ Bring me out, as I am killed,” meaning she was fatally wounded* My wife then called out for me, and I went to fetch out deceased. I went into the cook-house, and, thinking the husband was there, called out, “Do not beat your wife.” The deceased heard my voice, andjsaid, “Tutange, take me away.” I went inside and found her in a stooping position, moaning and groaning, and I lifted her up and saw the wounds on her face. I then called out, “■Parahi is dead !” I lifted Parahi up and brought her into the big house and laid her down, and got a horse to ride into ]£atea. I left instructions for the men to go and lo >k for Wire (deceased’s husband). I then came on to Patea to report the matter to the police, so that the* police and doctor could go there I, with Constable Hooper, went out on horseback, and Caustable Carr and Dr Campbell went out in Dr Campbell's trap. There was no dance there that night, but a meeting ou church matters ; there was no drink there at all. Deceased told me that her husband had assaulted her while she was asleep but she did not say what with. We looked for weapons but found none; I have never seen him carrying a knife; I noticed burns ou her body, and her clothes were torn about and burnt in places. There were living embers in the fireplace; I don’t think Wire had tasted intoxicating liquora for a week. The ~ deceased woman was a sister of my wife’s. The husband had never mentioned anything against his wife, but he was a jealous man. He assisted to murs der a woman at Waitotara m 1890. The hut was splashed all over with blood like a butcher’s shambles. There was no one but deceased in the hut when I fetched her out. Constable Carr, sworn, said : Yesterday afternoon, at four o’clock, I proceeded witfc a maptrate to the ftibw

to take the dying depositions of the deceased Parahi, as provided by section 167, J.P. Act, 1882. I asked her who had struck her, and she said her husband, Wire, The jury retired, and after twenty minutes brought in a verdict of wilful .murder against Wire Te Kaahu Koroai.* Suspicion points to Wire having gone down the coast, as a horse, saddle and bridle were stolen from Mr Wybourne’s at Whenuakura, the tracks of naked feetbeing visible at the gate leading into the pad deck from which the horse was stolen; while a party returning to Waverley, in the early morning from a dance at Waitotara met an individual—to all appearance a native—riding towards Waitotara; and as Wire belonged to that district, and the hour was an unusual one for Maoris to be riding about, it is thought to have been Wire making his way south.