THE HARAPIPI MURDER CASE.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 271, 7 April 1898, Page 3

THE HARAPIPI MURDER CASE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I saw in your valuable paper of the 29th ult. a letter oa the above subject, signed " "Waikato Settler," in which the writer very well puts the case. And I suy yes ; had those settlers at the inquest any idea of how it would end, and that one of the foulest fiends that ever disgraced God's earth, with his hands red with the blood of an innocent man, should by a quibble escape the hangman's rope, they would have strung him up there and then. There would have been no such thing as saving him from an outraged Waikato public. Yes, they would have made him tee stars so so6n as the verdict of the coroner's jury was made known, who found him guilty. " Waikato Settler " voices the whole of this district in suggesting a vigilance committee to assist the authorities, as two policemen stationed 12 miles away canuot watch such gentry as we have to deal with. It is my opinion a smart detective might be very usefully employed for some time in looking up a party that I have my eye on. There are two hoodlums in this neighbourhood who are well worth police surveillauce. One of them is already well-known to the police. There is such a thing as being an accessory. From what I hear the result of the Harapipi murder case is already bearing bad fruit. In this and another district about 10 miles off several of our leading settlers have been threatened, three in the Harapipi district and two in the other. This sort of business should be put down at once and stamped out with the iron heel, before we have cause once more to lament our culpable negligence. It seems it must be grappled with ; if so the sooner the better. Had this been done in Pohleu's case we would have saved a valuable life. No doubt there would have been a howl raised about poor old Pohlen, etc. I oidy wish if Pohlen has any sympathisers that they were compelled to be a neighbour of his for twelve months, by the end of that time they would find it was not poor old Pohlen, but the Devil they had for a neighbour. I also noticed in Saturday's issue an effusion over the signature " Common Justice," to which, with your kind permission, I shall reply at a future date. Thanking you in anticipation for space in your valuable papsr. I am, etc., Another Settler. Harapipi, April 4th, 1898. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—My attention has been called to a letter in the Akgus, on Saturday last, the 2nd inst., sijraed " Common Justice." The writer's identity is as wellknown to me as if he had signed it. I must crave space in your paper—in the cause of humanity and of the dead man and his friends—to refute the charges therein. In his letter " Common Justice " says it must be remembered Pohlen was about 80 years of -ige, and at that age a man should be respected, and not hunted with spades and insulted. Had Pohlen been worthy of respect, he would have got it freely, but he has been such an abusive man, none of his immediate neighbours would speak to him. The worst poor Corcoran said was '• Go home, keep away." The writer wants to make it appear that Pohlen had no road to his land or access to his orchard. The truth is he had too many, the place is all roads, and only himself to use them. The County Council mads him a good road right into his place, as level as a billiard table, but he never used it. He said at the time it would never be used, that if he wanted to go by that road he could have done so without assistance from the Council. I need not go further into the question of roads. I will now say a few words about those reserves of which we have heard so much about from time to time. Shortly after Mr Corcoran came to Harapipi Pohlen appealed to the Roud Board to call tenders for the lease of two reserves of eight acres each, and told several people how he would impound Corcoran's stock if any of them went into the settlement if he got the reserves. Corcoran heard all this and tendered for them and got both, because he gave most for them. " Common Justice" speaks about obstructing roads. Now, anyone pa'sing along the main road can see that Pohlen had nearly half the settlement fenced in, together with several roads, and none of his neighbours bothered about it, " Common Justice " speaks of posts and firewood having been wilfully burnt. I never lean! of it. No doubt if it took place he is just the one to be in the secret. He says the place has been in a state of lawlessness for years. So it has, I hear, for upwards of 30 yeavs, and rendered so by whom ?—Pohlen, and no one else. He has been the evil genius of the place, the only black spot on the district, and it will be so until the name ceases to exist here.—l am, etc., James Reilly. Harapipi, Oth April, 1897-