FALSE ALARM AT NAPIER.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 426, 11 December 1868, Page 2

FALSE ALARM AT NAPIER.

An alarm was created at Napier on the night of Saturday week. About 10 o'clock, a trooper named Grrooin, who was on his way to the North on official duty, upon reaching Mceaueo Spit found the inhabitants there in a great state of alarm, in consequence of large numbers of natives having assembled at a small fishing whare about half a mile from Beukers. They were believed to be Hau-haus. Benkers, .his wife and family, came over with all his boats, and together with Grroom returned to town. He galloped up Shakespeare road, and informed every one that 400 or 500 Hau-haus were on the spit, coming to attack Napier, that he bad himself seen them there, and that, therefore, there could be no doubt of it. The effect of such an alarm may be easily conceived. The streets were at once crowded with women and children, who flocked to the Militia office and other central places. Mounted orderlies galloped furiously between Napier and the Spi', and Militia and the Volunteers, together with Captain Turner's mounted troop, might be seen in all directions hastening to the parade ground, although an alarm-gun was not fired the effect of which would have been that the women and children and thirdclass Militia should at once repair to the baraicks. There was an excellent muster of civiliau soldiers in a very short period of time. Captain Withers estimates the number at 300. The men seemed in good spirits, and prepared to meet the foe with courage and determination. The several companies were formed, and were despatched in various directions. The cavalry were employed as scouts, and proved themselves to be a most useful arm of the service, and just the thing for an emergency such as had apparently arisen. The 18th, too, with the exception of 20 men left to man the barracks, were out within a quarter of an hour of the alarm being given, taking their stations at the Mill, quite prepai-ed to give the enemy, if they appeared, such a reception as they did not count upon. The big guns, it turned out, were never fired. It was proved, after a short but painful period of excitement, that the party that had caused so much excitement, consisted of Mr Morris and a number of Tangoro natives on theirway to town, and that their number did not exceed 30 or 40.