A MAORI WOMAN'S VENGEANCE

Southland Times, Issue 17427, 20 August 1913, Page 5

A MAORI WOMAN'S VENGEANCE

JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE. (Per United Press Association). PALMERSTON NORTH. August 19. At the Supreme Court to-day the only case heard by Sir Robert Stout was the charge of murder against Peti Tetua, a Maori woman. The Grand Jury reduced the charge to one of manslaughter. The deed was committed at the Maori pah, inland from Raetihi. The victim was a man called Graham, Evidence was given that Graham, who had previously lived at the pah, returned again to the Maori woman he had been living with, Il.irita Tenata. He had made sundry threats en route to the pah that he would not be seen again, as the police were after him for soiling grog to the Maoris. The Maori witnesses staled that they did not want Graham in the pah. It seems that Graham shot his wife in the. car with a pea rifle. The accused Pcti was a sister of Graham's wife. She came on the scene, and. frenzied, seized a crosscut saw and struck Graham thrice on the head as he was leaning over the dead woman. The wound, said the doctor, would have been sufficent to cause death. After exhaustive evidence. Sir Robert Stout summed up in favour of the accused, who Is a young stolidlooking Maori of tine type, stating that it was most reasonable to suppose that she feared that Graham would kill the whole family. After a short retirement, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, the verdict being popularly received.