POLICE COURT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8829, 12 July 1890, Page 2

POLICE COURT.

(Continued^ from column 6.) On the Court resuming, Piriph, an aged Maori, gave evidence as Mere Ripo stating that she was going dow* to Bangitikei to pick out the > person' who assaulted her. The " youth .in Court was the son of Apariri George, and was known to accused as the young Aparini, who was generally known by that name among the Maories. The person in Court (the father of accused) was generally known among the Maoris as *' Young Apariri." If we were asked for young Apariri we should know it was a son of the elder. [This witnessed evidence was mainly on the question of what the Maoris meant by young Apariri]. Mary Jane George, called by Mr Koy, •tated that on Monday last she gave evidence about Mere Kipo going- to her house, and having a conversation about her being assaulted on the road. She gave particulars of the conversation to the police on the Wednesday following the Monday on which the assault took place. Mere Kipo spoke in broken English to witness who perfectly understood ' what the Maori woman said. Mere Ripo had been in the habit of . visiting her house for years. Mere lived ■at Batapihipihi the gi eater part of ' her time. I have always been able to make myself understood to her, and understood what she said. The conver- . sation that day was that she (Mere) had said that she had been assaulted in the road . by a man who was out shooting pheasants. ; She asked Mere what sort of man he was, and she held up her hand, and said he was " too long;" meaning that he ' was tail, and she also made a motion of her hand round her body, and said that the person was stout. She also said that his hair was red. Witness then asked Meie if she knew the man, when Mere replied that she did not. Mere did not describe the man further. Witness then asked her if she would know the man again if she saw him. She understood Mere to reply that she did not think she would. She did not recollect any further conversation taking place, except that Mere alluded to Arnold's elder brother Percy, who had lost his arm, and added that the man who assaulted her was something like him — tall and stout. Mere said he was "all the same, too long," which which witness took to be the build. Mere also said that she heard a shot tired down in the gully, that she then lit her pipe behind a furze bush, and was moving on when the man appeared who ' assaulted her. [ Witness gave the Maori expressions used during the conversation.] (Proceeding as we went to press.)