“GOLD” AT MAHIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15564, 6 July 1921, Page 9

“GOLD” AT MAHIA.

SUPERSTITION ANI) EASY MONEY;

A CHARGE Dr-SAITSSED

! At. the Wairoa Court on Thursday • morning the police proceeded against a j native named Pi tit Poipoi on a charmt ■ of falsa pretences* in Unit he; did obtain by false pretences the sum of £1 bs | on April oOih at Mahia for shaver, in ' gold revealed to him by the High , Bower, Koliua Maori. Tim first witness was Tamr.kahu, who stated he raw the.accused on April 30th at, a meeting In,use m the valley. The ' accused waa asking the. people for money by sevens for a snare in gold ho had i’otind at '.Mahia. Witness laid ()! io guinea, in front, of accused on (he f| OOJ . ' and accused picked ii up. Bun. Kaneueput in two lots, including a Hiare" for liia dead father. Witness’ .want pip ;»i seven more- shilling:! to add f n i]ic 1 guinea of witness. The gold was to ho produced on Al ay 27th. He did mod the 1 gold had been revealed to him hv the' j “Wu," or a, High Power. He had'made; a basket, about a chain long at Maine, 'ii was made oi flax,: it had seven j handles on each side; the seven next (ho. sea represented Hie sea add.. Hokowhitu-1 n-'J’u, and the others represented the' land, or Hokowhihi-a-Wliehua. and the.’ gold would he landed where the basket’ was. There was a stump of a blook at Nuhaka with mirrors on il ; it represent-1 ed the 12 tribes of Israel, the block re-j presenting Joseph. He said the Maoris i in (.he past- could not find any gold, hut] now it had been revealed to him. j By Mr Sainsbury; Witness went to*

school at Nuhaka. also at To Ante: ho; 1 belonged to the Church of England; he j also was at, To Ban, and knew a. little j religion. Ho believed in the first case! that, Poipoi had had it revealed CP him. The education lie got was not; enough to overcome native euperrf ii.inn. I He heard nothing at fin;/ about a boat.' i There was a full house, when lie put Ids j guinea, down. Witness went, home b*-, fore the money was lifted. j I By Sergeant, Wade: There was noj mention of a boat later. Witness was a • member of the Maori Council. j Constable Torr stated that, on the 201.1) j ho saw Poipoi dressed up in military j garb before a large crowd. Sergeant! Wade told Poipoi he had a warrant for j his arrest : after saying ho had not got j the gold yet, the sergeant arrested him. The camp comprised a, number of inai- j mn.is, and one native said the thing j would go on for ever. Sergeant Wade deposed to the arrest, the native, saving they were his own' people, and he. could do what, he liked. ’ The basket was about a chain long and , eight inches deep, lmt the accused said j he did not know what if was for. The ' j camp war, in a bad state of mud and j disorder, and the natives greatly excit- i ed. The accused had £56 on him when ! f arrested. ' 5 Mr ISainshnry said there was no proof that Poipoi received the money, which j was merely put on the floor. Sergeant Wade: The money was put on the floor For Poipoi and no one else, no agent being there. His Worship said the probability was that Poipoi did lift the, money, but (hero was no proof of that. He agreed with i the police an to the probabilities, and ho i could not convict on that. Assuming | tlio truth of the police case, the accused j was playing a scandalous game. Case, dismissed. , J Sergeant Wade said there: might be! another charge, one of Tohungnism, for j which ho was awaiting permission from j Wellington, which might come any day.