THE MAORI WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 305, 6 May 1869, Page 3

THE MAORI WAR.

.»-. THE RAID ON MOHAKA. The Hawke's Bay Herald of April 20, publishes the following "statement of the friendly Natives" cc-ncerning the raid on Mohaka : — On the evening of Friday, the 9th of April, the Hauhaus arrived at Mohaka, led by Te Kooti, Paora Toki, Pairau te Raiigikaitupuaki, Anaru Matete, Tiopira te J^iata, Hiniiona, Kohi, Whenuanui atid TJpoki. They arrived at Arakanihi on the evening of Friday. That nig'it they attacked Mangaturanga, and killed eight men, twelve women, and children at that village; some escaped. They then attacked the Hororoa and shot four men and six women and children and wounded three. It was at this time the people at the pahs Jerusalem and Te Huki first heard firing. The people at Mangaturnnga, we believe, were tomahawked, because those at the Hororoa heard but one report of a gun in the night, which alarmed them so that they collected into one house to consider the cause. After some discussion it was thought to be the act of some child or done by accident, whicli should be looked to in the morning, and were about returning to their houses, when of a sudden the houses were surrounded by Hau-haus and tbe massacre commenced. There were four men, six women and children killed, and three' wounded, {.ome of the inhabitants of the Hororoa escaped to the pahs Jerusalem and Te nuki and some escaped to the bush. The Hau-haus pursued to the pahs, and then the fighting commenced. It was now about six on Saturday morning. About this time we believe the Hau-haus divided into three parties. The main body attacked the two pahs; another party crossed the river and killed tne Europeans and burnt their bouses, viz , Stark's, Lavin's, Cooper's, and Hudson's. Another party went up the hill towards the Wairoa to guard against the Government natives of that place coining to the relief. ' There were about ten old men, twenty women, and perhaps forty children in Jerusalem, and six old men, five able bodied men, fourteen women, and about twenty children, in the Huki ; all the fighting men were' away on the expedition up the Wairoa. Nevertheless; the fighting wen t on between the inhabitants of the pahs and the Hau-haua until sundown. Some of the Hau-haus were killed, and one man in the Huki pah named

Matenga te Aowhio, a chief. The manner of his death was as follows. The Hau-haus threw a ropa over the pallisading of the pah, intending to pull it down ; when Matenara .-aw the object, he took a sword and jumped on to the parapet of the pah, aud cut the rope with his sword. When the Hau-haus saw him, they fired a volley, and shot him. So died tl:at brave. At sundown Kooti aaid to his soldiers, " This is the first time I have miscarried in this way. We shall not take these pahs. For fighting we must use treachery." The Kooti then called out, '• Stop fighting. Let us make peace." The firing then ceased. Paora Toki then sent Rihari Puketapu, a chief of the Ur^.weru, to Jerusalem to ask Hop hana Kerepu, Henare Pakura, and some others to go to Te Kooti and talk, for the t>urpose of making pc ice. Ropihana consented to go. But Henare and the others wouM not consent. They said no; look at Turanga and other places where Te Kooti has been. This is his st> le of work — treachery and murder. But Ropihaan would not be guided and went and met Paora Toki. Te Kooti was not present. After some conversation with Paora Toki, Paora gave Ropihana, a double barrelled gun and said — "The fighliiig has now ceased," and Ropihana returned to the pah that night, and related what Paora had said— namely, that we should all go out and see Paora and the others that night, so as to enable Paora and the others to return at once. IJut Henare and the others would not agree. After a short interval Rihare Puketapu returned about midnight — to ask Henare, Ropihana, and Rutene to go and see the Kooti. Rihari repeated his message in a loud voice — atthe same time, he said in a low voice, " Be cautions, I cati ouly control my own people." Henare Pakura then jumped on the parapet of the pah anil shouted so the enemy could hear, " I will not go out of my pah; if you mean peace, go away, then I shnU~understand that you mean peace." Ropihana and Rutene went to see the Km.tf. Whtn they arrive! the Kooti and all his people greeted them after the Maori fashion. The Kooti gave Ropihana a coat, and six pounds in gold — five for himself and one for :;utene, a scarf and four bottles of rum. Ro.ihana and Rutene thtn returned to the Huki. Kooti said he wishe 1 t > go into the pah to sleep but the people would not consent. Henare told me that if he had known that at the time he would have consented to have kept, the Kooti prisoner. On the morning of Sunday, the Kooti, Paora Toki, and about fifty followers came to the church in tho valley below the pah, and sent Rihari to fetch Ropihana and Rutene. who went with him into the midst of the Kooti's people, Kooti calling out *' welcome, welcome." They all rubbed noses, and greeted after Maori fashion and talked. Te Kooti and his people then accompanied Ropihana and Rutene back to the pah Huki, bringing some food as a present. They went straight to the Huki. If they had come towar-s Jerusalem we were prepared to fire at them. Considerable confusion now took place in the Huki, the people demanding that Te Kooti and his followers should remain outside — Ropihana and Rutene urging that they should be allowed lo enter. It ended in the Hau-haus being allowed toi enter. Te Kooti then greeted the people, and when he had finished he demanded the arms to bo given up. Two guns were handed over. When Heta's rifle was demanded he refuse! to give it up, and held it full-cock pointed towards Te Kooti. Retene pushed Heta'a rifle on one side, but Heta brought it back pointing towards Te Kooti. Kooti then said, " Friend, would you shoot me ?" and called out " fall in" to his people. Heta answered, '** I will not give up my gun ; you intend murder." Te Kooti then fired at Heta with a pistol and missed him ; Heta then fired and Kooti fell— we believe dead. Kooti's people then fired and killed Rutene and some others. Confusion now ensued. Six men were killed. Eight women and children and five wounded escaped, one of whom w«s Ropihana, who has two bullet wounds in the stomach and one in the arm. Fighting now commenced again at Jerusalem, and continued all that day and during the night and on the following day (Monday) uutil about 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, ihe Hau-haus then retired to Arakanihi, where We heard them going through their incantations on Tuesday niyht. Our women and children fought all the time. The children who were not tall enough to look over the parapet got boxes to stand on, and those who had no guns continued shouting at different parts of the pah, so as to make it appear that there were many people in the pah. We could hardly speak through shouting and singing when relief came. The enemy continued taunting us and calling on us to surrender as we were only women and must be beaten. We answered by telling them to take better aim as their bullets passed over the p ih. During the time this scene was passing at the Huki a force arrived on the hill in the direction of the Wairoa under IhakaWhanga, Mamana, and others, with whom were about twenty-five of our people. As soon as they appeared in sight an engagement commenced between them and the Hau-haus. Our relatives arranged with lhaka that they would rush through the enemy and get into the pah. While lhaka was engaged with the euenij on the hill our friends rushed through the enemy aud got into the pah safe. lhaka was driven back towards VVaihua. The Kur ■- peans arrived to our relief from Napier on Tuesday morning. What makes us believe that Te Kooti is dead is that he fell at the Ilcki when Heta fired. Afterwards we taunted the enemy, and said we had killed Te Kooti, and they answered, " What signifies ? Who made him a chief ?" Before they left, a party of Hau-haus went out to sea in a boat, and threw something into the river, and fired a volley. Many wounded were also taken up the river. The Hau-haus killed eighteen men and twenty-five women and children of our people, forty-three! in all. and eight wounded. We have seen six dead bodies of tho Hau-hau, and they carried away quite fifteen, perhaps twenty, which we killed in fair fight. The enemy have murdered our

women and children, burnt all our houses,] and destroyed our crops; but the descendants! of the Kahu o-te-rangi have not succumbed. There is a slight difference about the shooting of Te Kooti and Rutene. The man who stood by Heta says that when Heta was asked to give up his rifle he refused, and kept it pointed towards Kooti ; Rutene pushed it on one side, and Heta brought it back to its place again. Te Kooti then said to Heta, " Friend, is it for you to shoot me?" at the same time calling out to his men to fall in, and prepare to fire. Heta an wered, " No, I don't want to shoot you, but I will not give up my rifle. You intend murder." Rutene then stepped up to Te Kooti and called out, don't friend— don't, friend ! Btop 1 Te Kooti then fired at Rutene and killed him, upon which Heta fired at To Kooli, who fell, after which a volley was fired at the friendlies, killing Heta and others. The Hau-haus burned ll eta's body. The following particulars concerning the the Mohaka tragedy have been furn'shed to the Hawke's Bay Herald by a member of Captain fanner's troop : — It would appear that the Hau-haus crossed the river and attacked Mr Lavin's place about 8 o'clock in the morning after they had completed the destruction of the friendly natives' settlement in the neighbourhood. Mr Lavin's children were down at the river, sailing a little boat at the ford They must have seen the Hau-haus crossing, I ut could not have suspected what they were till they got close enough to dismount and give them chase. The children were bayoneted and tomahawked as they ran, but not shot, the' Hau-haus apparently reserving tbeir firo for the T rtdultß. Tlie youngest child was overtaken about 30 yards f ro n the river bank ; and fell with his face towards the house, the next boy about ten yards ahead of him. was lying in the same position with seven bayonet wounds through hi* body ; and the eldest boy, about the same distance in front, had nearly reached Mr Cooper's g ite before he received his death blow. • hu screams of the children would have alarmed Mr ''ooper, who ran towards Mr Lavin's liouse, about 100 yards distant, to give them the alarm. He must have been fired at as he ran and mortally wounded, as he had not got far up the hill at the back of Mr Lavin's house before he fell dead. **'r and Mrs Lavin, in all probability, heard the shots fire 1 at poor Cooper before lie reached them, as they had clambered over the paddock fence and got about 30 yards beyond him into some thick manuka scrub, before they fell. Mrs Lavin had a new pair of boots in her hand, which in all probability she snatched up thinking she might have to travel some distance through the bush ; she had a'so her gold watch, purse, and a packet of deeds. Poor Lavin had his loaded revolver at h_3 side. It does not appear that the Hau-haus followed them over the fence into the scrub, as the dead had not been plundered or their bodies touched. The savages, not knowing their victims had succumbed so soon, were apparently afraid to follow into the scrub lest they might be fired at, but returned to the houses. After taking everything, they burnt them to the ground. Ppov Lavin and his wife must have afforded ar. easy mark to the Hau-haus as they ascended the slope and climbed over the fence. They had only got about 15 yards into the scrub before one if not both must have felt they were dying, and laid down on the ground. They were lying side by side — poor Lavin with his arm affectionately round his wife's neck. The sad epectach_£deeply affected the men as they stood rounjyi As tho day was fast closing there was only ti r.e to bury the children, but the parents were buried early the next morning by some of the troop who returned for the purpose. Mr Lavin and Mr Cooper were both old settlers. The former was named John Philip Martin Lavin; his wife, Jane; and his children— Hawles, aged 1 1 ; Miles, aged 8 j and Henry Herman, aged 3. The troop arrived at Mohakft on Tuesday, at 1 1 a,m. They there found Captain Towgood, who had reached there at daylight, and who informed Captain Tanner that he had sent out Mr Davis and ten men as scouts, to see if the enemy remained in the valley. The party returned at dusk, saying that they had seen a flag some distance off, and heard voices. The same night Colonel Lambert arrived. Next day he went up the valley with some 40 troopers, but of course the enemy had gone. In returning, the remains of Mr Cooper and of Mrs Lavin and family were discovered, as described above. The watch and other property found on the person of Mr Lavin were brought to town by Mr Carver, and left at the militia office,- ;