FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 144506, 15 October 1914, Page 6

FIFTY YEARS AGO.

TARANAKI’S EARLY HISTORY. (From the Taranaki Herald of 1864.) Saturday, October 15. Colonel Warro lias recommenced active military operations itoro with very good elleot. Intelligence was received in town on Friday, 7th inst., that the Puketapu section (Taminana’s) of the •Mataitawa Natives wore desirous of making peace, tnat William King’s own people, tno Ngatiawa, had removed to tuo other side oi tho Waitara, and that there would be no difliculty in taking possession of Manutahi and Mataitawa. Accordingly, early on Saturday morning, Bin uist., a force consisting of 200 of the 70tb under Major Ryan, two field guns in charge of Captain Martin, R.A., Capta.u Good’s and Captain Jonas’ companies of Bushrangers, 100 in ail, under Major Atkinson, and Captain Mace’s mounted men, started northward as we mentioned last Saturday. At Mahoetahi they were joined by 150 more of the 70th under Major Saltmarsh—the i whole under the command of Colonel I Warro, C. 8., who was attended by his j stall and also by Colonel Lepper and Mr. Parris. Tho force halted a short time at Sentry Hill, while a messenger went j on to Manutahi, and shortly afterwards j Colonel Wane ordered the advance, and in doing so addressed the Bush- I rangers, telling them that as they had j been so often disappointed ho would 1 give them the post of honour that day. though he did not expect it would be ono of much danger. Some friendly Puketapu Natives were first to see ii tho pa was evacuated, but when some of them wero within a few chains of it they wore fired upon and retired. _ Hi front of Manutahi there is a largo flat fern patch mainly surrounded by hush, and the ]ia is built right across tho back of it, whore tho open land is about 150 yards wide, tho two ends of the pa resting on tho bush, through which the road goes to Mataitawa.

Colonel Warre divided Major Atkinson’s men imo two parties, sending ono into the bush on the !elt and ono on tho right, the 70lh advancing in the open as a support. The Natives in tho pa (about 20 in number) fired briskly as the Bushrangers approached, but Ending themselves outflanked on both sides they broke and fled when tho final n ah was made, and two of them fell they ran out of the back of tho pa, a third wouuded ono escaping. The ono killed was To Roiri, a turbulent man ; tho ono wounded and brought away was To Kcpa, a halfcasto, nephew to Wi Kingi on the mother’s side. His wounds wero promptly attended to by Dr., Wadsworth, Tomlinson and Spence, but ho died nest day.

The pa was, of a very singular shape, being nearly 150 yards long, rather crescent shaped, and not more than 20 yards wide in tho middle, but spread out at tho ends. Tho ditches wore deep, tho banks high and 12 feet thick, and altogether it was very strong. IS it had been adequately garrisoned it would havo been very difficult to take.

The loas on our side was fortunately slight—Private Scanitnell, of No. 1 Bushrangers, boing shot through the upper part of tho arm, whilst looting through the palisading on bis own account before tho rush was made. Private Homy Turner, of the same company, had a narrow escape, prfrt of tho socket of his bayonet being shot of! and the end of his revolver alono preventing the ball entering his hip. Ho and a Maori had a shot at each other from opposite sides of the palisading, and he succeeded, he believes, in wounding his man. Private F. Ward was tho first in the pa, at the right hand end, mid Major Atkinson second. Who was first in at the other end we do not know.

leaving tho Bushrangers to destroy Manutahi, Colonel Warro went on with Major Saltmarsh’s party of the 70th and the mounted men and friendly Natives to Matailawa, but no resistance was attempted here. Indeed, it would havo been hopeless unless they had been in large numbers, as there are not, nor over had been, any fortifications, William King' and his people having relied on Manutahi as a sufficient defence. Tho place was destroyed, cloven horses (some belonging to friendly Natives) and fowls and ducks and other small doer brought away, and the force returned.

On Tuesday morning at daybreak another expedition started from Mahootahi, whore it had camped tho night before, to take Te Am, Hapurona’s stronghold. It consisted of 350 men of the 70th, under Majors Rutherford and Saltmarsh and Captains Backhouse and Ralston, a detachment of Artillery under Captain Martin, Captain Mace's mounted men, and about 100 friendly Natives—the whole under tho command of Colonel Warro.

The force crossed tho Wniongona and passed No. 6 Redoubt, whore a picket was left, and soon afterwards divided, one party going to the right over the “burnt** hill and the long hill next it, and the other keeping straight on till some of the leading flies were little more than 100 yards from tho palisading. As the troops advanced tho Natives were heard going through their karakia (prayers or incantations), and as soon as they had done these they opened fire and fired about twenty shots, and then retired to safer quarters. In the meantime the force on the right, led by a party of friendly Natives as guides, crossed the gully intervening between the long hill and T© Arei, and coming up through tho bush, entered the pa at the back, which was thus taken without firing a shot. If the Natives had been foolhardy enough to have remained they must have been killed or taken, owing to the peculiar construction or unfinished state of the pa. It was strong against an attack m front, having two Hues of deep trenches and a high bank, part of tho old Pukerangiorapa, but at the back it was so constructed that an assailant would have been under cover while the inmates of the pa would have had no shelter at all, or only such as the whares afforded, for there was no trench inside the fence, but a most convenient one outside. Tho defenders might have perhaps escaped down tho cliff to the Waitara, but it would havo been rather ticklish work j thev certainly could not havo held tho place. In a flat open space at the back of the pa a pole was standing, used in the rites of their new f.Mjb, with two circles round it, which their feet had mad© in tho earth in running round at their devotions. After resting a while tho friendly Natives, mounted men (on foot), and

Captain Backhouse’s company of the 70th, under Major Saltmarsh, went on for a mils and a half or two miles farther back to a village called To Peka.tu. While yet a long way from this place, it was observed by the help of glasses that there were four or five Natives there performing thoir religious exercises round another pole. "When our men got near, however,, the Natives fired their guns and retired to another little settlement (Pukemahoo), 300 or 400 yards off across a small valley, where they got into the whares and commenced firing again, but after a short skirmish retreated, taking with them one of their number wounded. They were followed by a few men for half a. mile, but without effect. From I this place some of their now karakia 1 were obtained. The village appears j to have been of the Roman Catholic l faith before it joined the New Church, j ns a portrait of Saint Clotilde, a Catholic catechism (a manuscript), and | other similar matters were found ( I here. It is in the valley of the Waii 'V.ra, not far from the confluence of j the Manganui. After burning the | whares and picking up the few unconi sidered trifles that were to be found the force returned to Te Arei, where a largo redoubt was already in course of construction. This is now occupied, we believe, by 150 men of the 70fch under Major Rutherford: and to keep open the communications No. 6 Redoubt has been occupied by Captain Pago’s company of military settlers. Colonel Wnrro, with tho Bushrangers and a party of the 70th, left town yesterday afternoon for Sentry Hill, and to-day, wo believe, will explore the country behind and in the neighbourhood of Mataitawa. Next week, it is understood, tho bush at the back of Manutahi is to bo felled preparatory to the occupation of Mataitawa. Wo sec by tho Gazette of the 7th insk. that Maxwell Loppor, Esq., late Major in H.M. 14th Regiment, has been' appointed Lieut.-Coionel in the Taranaki Militia. Colonel Lopper is therefore now in command of the Taranaki Militia and Volunteers.

A return cricket match was p'ayod on tho 6th at Oakuna between Oakum and Poutoko, tbo latter winning by 21 runs.