REBEL MOVEMENTS.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 385, 24 October 1868, Page 7

REBEL MOVEMENTS.

The following narrative bearing upon recent events in the Patea is from the Taranahi Herald: —

Honi Pihama (the native mailman) arrived in town late on Saturday evening, bringing intelligence that the road between Patea and New Plymouth had been closed by the rebels, and that this man Creed had been stopped and detained a prisoner by Tito Kowaru, but has since been released. We gather the following particulars of theaffair, which may be relied on as authentic :—Creed and another native were going to Patea to fetch the New Plymouth mail from that place, and when they reached Manutahi they fell into an ambuscade of the rebels, who made them prisoners. Creed and the other were then told to dismount from their horses, which they refused to do; so the rebels seized them and by main force dragged them off, and took their horses away. They then marched Creed and his mate into Tito Kowaru's camp. A council was held as to whether they should be killed or spared, and after some korero it was decided that they should be spared. The same day the rebels attacked a convoy of Europeans going from Manawapou to Patea, and succeeded in driving them back to the redoubt at Manawapou. At day break next morning the rebels went to attack the redoubt, but on arriving there, found it evacuated. Inside they discovered the body of a dead European, who had been imperfectly buried. On Thursday last, Honi Pihama finding Creed did not return with the mail from Patea, sent his brother and six men to look for him. On their arriving at Manawapou, they saw the redoubt in flames —no one being near it. After passing this redoubt they fell into an ambuscade of the rebels, who suddenly confronted them with their guns ; on finding that one was Honi Pihama's brother, "they did not, fire, but called on them to come and partake of the flesh of the pakeha. Patohe replied —" That's your work, not mine. I'm looking for Creed, have you seen him ?" To which they replied, " We caught them yesterday ; they are not dead, they are at the camp." On Saturday, Creed and his mate were liberated, and on the former leaving the rebel district, Tito Kowaru gave him two letters one for Honi Pihama, and the other for Natanahira. The contents of these letters was an

invitation for them to join Tito Kowaru who stated that on the first October he had closed all the roads, and caught his carrier. That ho had punished some with death, but had spared others. Ho had received information that a war party of two hundred of the Wanganuis had arrived at the Waitotarn, " But what was that to him ?"

Creed says when Tito addressed his men, he stated to them that he intended they should plant their crops for this season in the farms close to Wanganui town near to St John's Wood.