HIGH-HANDED PROCEEDINGS AT OHINEMURI.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2129, 24 August 1875, Page 3

HIGH-HANDED PROCEEDINGS AT OHINEMURI.

To the Editor of the THAMES Adyemiskr,

Sir,—l havo read an account in your' issuoof tbo 19th inst,, of what you very justly call singular proceedings at Ohieumuri, not tbo least singular part of the matter being that you identify mo with tho proceedings in a" way_ that must havo required a great stretch in imagination, either on tho part of yourself or your informant. It has been very justly said of some statements, that tho portion of them which was truo, was not new, and what was new, was not true, and I havo to say so of your statement in this instance. Your statement, however, being ex parte, I avail myself of tbo publicity of your columns, to give my side of it, and it is this: —On tbo 23rd of July last, I was absent from homo for a short time, and on my return was informed that the erection of a shanty had been commenced upon tho lands within the Native Reserve in Ohinemuri. Ou further enquiry, I found that the person erecting this shanty, was a man named.Cribb, who has been'pretty well known, I believe, on tho Thames; ribd who, though hailing to bo a bricklayer, has lately devoted his great energies and abilities to [carpentry. MrCribb alleged that ho was erecting this shanty for a native, when enquiry 'was mado of him os to who authorisod him to come on to the land ; but on the native, whoso name ho gave, boing referred to, tho statement was declared to be a falsehood. On tho • following - dajr, two of the native chiefs, To Hira to Tuiri, and Takerci to Putu, informed Cribb that ho was not to -proceed with the erection of the shanty. To Hira particularly repeating a statement that was mado in ! my own hearing by Sir Donald McLean, namely, that after the opening, of tho goldfields Europeans should not bo allowed to sottlo on tho lands outside tho goldfield's lino or within tho reserve. The head of tho Armed Constabulary Force here, Captain Nowcll, was also applied to by the natives, and, I am informed, cautioned Cribb not to como on tbo land or proceed- with the building. To Hira stated that the question would •bo considered at tho nativo meeting, which is at tho present timo being held here, and Cribb promised not to proceed with the erection of the building until a decision had been given; and so matters remained up to Monday last, On Sunday evening and Monday last I was again absent from home, and only returned about, four o'clock in tho afternoon of Monday. When I returned I found ihat Cribb was again proceeding with this building, which was merely a small wooden shed, or hut, removed by him from an allotment on tho Paeroa, whero ho had been tho contractor for tho erection of an hotel. As I wa3 not at home, and not present, I simply give you what I learned when I did come home. About ten or eleven o'clock on Monday morning, old material began to ho carted on to tho ground whero the erection of the building was first commenced, and Cribb, accompanied by three men, — Griffith Dixonj ifdward Verdon Dixon, and a man named McDonnell, a recent arrival from Australia,-commenced tho erection of tho building with all the rapidity that they could, ovidently making a rush for it. About this timo some natives also arrived, two men, a boy and two women. The natives told Cribb not to proceed with tho election of tho building, and commenced to carry away somo of tho timber. A scuffle then ensued, and Cribb kicked one of the natives, who, unfortunately, has a lamo hand, owing to a recent accident, and lie also assaulted and insulted ono of the nativo women, who immediately caught up a stick and dashed it through some window sashes that were lying on the ground. This was on the Monday, and not on tho Tuesday, as your

Account shows it to bo, and was fully I twenty-four hours beforo tho pulling down 1: of tho building. Tho nativos finding that 1 tho four Europeans wero too many for f thorn,* thero being really only ono man of ( tho nativos, tho other nativo being,'as I ' have already said, lame of ono hand, they 1 told Oribb that ho had tho best of it then, c but they would go for their relations, and i (jomo back tho next day. I bog you to t bear in mind that' all this tirno Mr 0. P. t Mitchell was engaged in looking after ( somo mining business in tho Waitokauri, f and as Sir Boyle Roach has said that only | a bird can be in two places at onco, and f as Mr Mitchell is not a bird, ho was not < present on this occasion. '1 ho nativo who i was assaulted on tho Tuesday morning early, without any ommunication whatever with me, proceeded to Mackayt&wn, ' and endeavoured to obtain a summons j against Cribb for tho assault. Ho also < endeavoured to obtain the protection of | the police against Oribb iu tuo creotion of j tho building, but Captain ffowell , positively declined to intorfero. The | nativo then said ho would tako Maori law ( for it. Immediately after this, I saw i Captain Howell pass my houso aud j having heard that the natives wero about to demolish tho buildiug, I strongly urged upou him to send a sufficient force of tho Armed Constabulary to proventcilhor tho buildiog from being proceeded with, or the natives from pulling it down. This Captain Newell said 'lie oould not do. Beforo ho had been gone ten minutes, I saw a considerable forco of natives crossing_ tho river opposite my store. Tho natives carno in front of my store, said prayers in tho most orthodox way, laid aside their pipes and tobacco, and proceeded to the building. I was watching tho proceedings at a distauco of about threo hundred yards, lixcopt Cribb and his mon, there was no European on tho sccno. Tho natives carried away tho timber, after some scuflliug with Cribb and Griffith Dixon, and when tho buildiug was about half down, tho wholo of tho other material for tho building having been carried to tho river bank, where it now lies, a perflon camo along from Mackaytown direction. I heard Cribb cry out " Ha, ha, I have you now, hero is a policeman," mid I thon walked towards tho people and tho building, I heard a voieo.crying out "I am no policeman," and I saw tho person to bo McWilliams, tho bailiff of tho Court at Mackaytown. During this time .tho women had done tho work, both of removal and demolition, but just at this time, Sergeant Stanger in ciiargo of tho Armod Constabulary at tho Paeroa, camo upon tho scene. This soemed to givo new life to tho whole affair, for thon tho nativo men themselves .commenced to take a very.active sharo iu the work of demolition. Sergeant Stanger asked tho ' uamo of ono of tho natives'who was principally active in demolishing tho building. Threatening that if thonamo was not given, ho would tako tho nativo into custody. I advised tho nativo not to give his'name, but if tho constablo wished to tako liim into custody, to go 1 quietly with him. Tho native, who is the ; son of tho principal chief of tho Ngali- • hako tribo the ownors of tho laud, consentcd to this, but Sergeant Stanger declined to interfere, as I informed him that I had appealed to tho officer in command, Captain Nowell, who refused to interfere. I remained to tho closo of tho proceedings, which wero again enlivened by tho native who profossed to havo let Cribb tho land, appearing on tho sccne, >' This nativo an ancient friend of mine, ' Hopihona aud his wife Ana to Mayan, a ; Ngatihaua woman from Waikato, I attempted to carry tho timber back again, i to where it had been, but as cach picco 1, was brought back to the site of what had . boeu so lately tho building, it was quietly ? taken up by tho other natives and carried r to tho bank, This continued for about i fivo minutes, and was accompanicd by a , considerable discussion in Maori, which [ I did not understand. It was terminated, i however, by Takcroi to Putu, tho nephew , of To Hira, who had been specially left > in charge by To Hira himself, to seo that j tho buildiug was not proceeded with, f giving directions to soo that any timber i brought back was to bo chopped up, and 1 if tho man who carricd it back came in i tho way of tho axe, that would bo his s look-out. Mr Hopihona at once dropped p tho piece of timber ho had in his hand, f aud subsided. All ended, iu tho timber > being left ou tho bank of tho river, whoro i Cribb had first landed somo of it. I may > say of tho transactions, that there was a i perfectly - impartial eye-witness of tho , wholo affair, who stood in a position lo ; command a view of tho wholo proceedr ings. You allege that a messenger was 1 sent to my house for a rope, and that tho } unfinished building was dragged into tho . river. That is simply a lie. Neither tho j unfinished building nor any portion of tho , unfinished building was dragged into tho , river, or thrown into tho river. You t also stato that Mr Oribb informs you that i the natives allege that Mr Mitchell r has no claim at all to tho land l on which tho houso was erected, , that it was outjido his boun- > dary._ I claim tho land, and tho ) land -is insido' my bouudary. Has tho ) Government appointed Cribb to succeed . Judge Fentonp Your correspondent, in r his letter of the 19th, slates that somo of i tho owners hod leased tho land to Mr i George Cribb, who commenced to build a i house. You stato in your issue of tho , 19th, also, that tho houso was being I erected for a native. Which is tho true , statement here ? The houso is throughi out simply Oribb's carpenters' hut, which [ was removed from the allotment of tho i Criterion Hotel at the Paeroa. You i very justly remark that tho proceedings • bear every appearanco of a high-handed i assertion of claim, but might it not havo [ struck you also that ontering upon these ; lands by main forco—and this entry has , ; throughout been ono of main fofco and i main prise—was not also high-handed ? I I appeal to the law; tho natives appeal i to the law. The natives, being left uni protected, took the law into their own i hands. Mr Cribb, you state, has applied [ to Mr Puckey and to Mr Bullcn. I havo ! given tho facts for the consideration of ; Mr Puckey and Mr Bullcn. and for those , also who aro charged with tho maini tenance of tho peace and good order of ; this district; and I Bay, in the most om- ; phatic manner, that it is scandalous to i any Government that, anarchy and oonfusion of so dangerous a character should bo for ono moment tolerated. The natives : aggrieved aro not men who will bring ; their wrongs before a Court, and Mr Puckey at least ought to havo authority to intorfero to prevent men like Cribb entering upon tho nativo rcservo and erecting buildings thereon by main forco. As tho question is now the subjcct of legal proceedings, and is likely for somo time to continue the subject of legal proceedings, we may leave to the law Courts to settle the law of the case. 1 give you the facts.—l am, &c,, Chimes F. Miiciibi.li. To Huruhuru, Ohinemuri. [We think that Mr Mitchell has dono wrong to send his " caso" for publication I

beforo having it heard in But wo havo published it in tho liopo that it will lead to somo notico being taken by • tho proper authorities of tho disturbances at Ohinemuri whioh havo arisen through Mr Mitohcll'? "claims" to certain lands, Whother Mr Mitchell incited tho nativos, or assisted them to pull down tho building, docs not much matter. It was through his claim to tho land that tho troublo aroso, aud it is dcsirablo that his claim should cither bo reoognuod or sot aside altogether. If ho can show any good claim to tho land, ho will no doubt get a proper litle to it ( but if not, Mr Cribb has just as muoh right there as Mr Mitchell.—Ed. T. A.]