THE PAREWERA TRAGEDY.

Waipa Post, Volume II, Issue 92, 8 March 1912, Page 2

THE PAREWERA TRAGEDY.

Details of the Parawera tragedy reveal a very pitiful and pathetic story. The murdered woman, Wikitoria Kurukuru, was lawfully, married to Kereama about five years ago and they had lived at Parawera ever since. She was about 35 years of age, and her husband about SO. Wikitoria, who originally came ' from Hawke’s Bay, had previous to her marriage lived at Rotorua with a native of the Arawa tribe. A recent visit of the woman to Rotorua, after an absence of twenty years, was responsible for

the re-kindling of the old flame, with the result that after her return frequent letters arrived from the Arawa native urging her to return and live with him. Gra-

•Jiam was well endowed with the world's goods, but the influence of the old love was too strong anc Wikitoria made up her mind tc respond to the call. The resull was a fiei-ce altercation between Wikitoria and Kereama, which ended in the woman being murdered by her husband and his subsequent suicide. Before taking his own life, Kereama appears to have sat down quite coolly and written the following letter in Maori: — “ This is to show the law that this action is .not that of my people but mine alone. That is sufficient. To my people salutations ; do not grieve ; it is right. “ Wiki ” and Te Arawa are satisfied. They sought our women and I was grieved at the wrongdoing of Wiki to me. Good-bye to all of you. The shame cannot leave my body; but if it is for the good of my people that I thus fall. Sufficient. Good-bye. —Kereama.”