A MAORI MARRIAGE

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144860, 11 December 1915, Page 6

A MAORI MARRIAGE

QUESTION’ OF THE GIRL’S AGE. ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. In the Magistrate’s Court at Now Plymouth on Friday afternoon,’ before Mr. A. Crookcq S.M., tlio case Wiis continued in which a Native named JLingi Barikopa was charged with unlawfully carnally knowing a Maori girl under the age of Hi years, and another .Maori, Raugi K. Tohu. was charged with abetting the alleged ofiencc. This was alleged to have taken place at Ruihaka iiclwecii November 3 and '27. Sub-ih.-pcclor Fouliy conducted tlie case lor the police and hotli the accused were represented hy All. A. 11. Johnstone. (’he girl, in me course of her evidence, said she did not know her age. She had heui living with '‘Pane'’ up lo the lime ‘•he returned tr» her father’s house. ••I'aue” was tin* name by which Tohu was also known. She was married in Kaugi Barikopa at Barihaka, hut she could not sav wlien. Sic* had never been to school and did not know tlie names of tin..* months, and so she could not .-ay how hmg she had been married. At the marriage there was no clergyman present.. an<l no entry was made in any hook. The first lime witness heard she was going to he married was the day slm was married. It was •'Pane” who told her she was going to be married. Cross-examined, witness' said she had only been at. mIioo! for one week, but could not >ay when that was. As lung as Witney could remember she had lived witli Tohu. Other witu -ssos with corroborative evidence closed the case for "the Crown. .Mr. Johnstone submitted there was no ease against Tohu. y who acted perfectly bona (ide and did not aid or abet any olicnce. The Magistrate, however, said he had no option but to commit the men for trial. The accused pleaded not guilty, and were committed lo the Supreme Court for tidal.