EVENTS AT WANGANUT.

Wellington Independent, Issue 2178, 11 March 1865, Page 6

EVENTS AT WANG AN UT.

Though the news from the Front is simply confined to the record of military movements, the events which have taken place in the neigh- [ boyhood of Wangamii and up the river have , been both interesting and important. Sad , enough it is that the present war has had its beginning signalised by the murder of a res- [ pectable and well known settler, Mr J. D. I Hewett, a member of the provincial Council for . that district, while a lniliiiiunan named llobson ' has also been waylaid and slain. The friendly natives up the Wanganui river have also done ' good service, and after fighting against the rebels in a series of skirmishes which extended over manyduys, theysucceeded in taking the po- . sition of the enemy, killing fifteen and taking upwards of eighty prisoners. To resume, however, the details of our narrative, we take some further particulars of Mr llewett's murder from ( the Wanyanui Chronicle of lOtli February. 3IUKDKU 01' J. D. lIEWEXX, ESQ., M P.G. ; An unusual gloom has beeu thrown over tbo town tli is morning by the intelligence that Mr , J. D. Hewett, of Pakeicre, was mimiered at his own place last night. A man came in this morning to Stewart's redoubt, who said that lie had gone out this morning from town to MrHewoll'.-i ' . j and on entering- the house found that it had ■ been plundered, and that no one was there, lie , I immediately made for the redoubt, where hu arrived between four and live. A party of lilies which hud gut ready to proceed with the lancers I to Woodall's, was immediately sent by Captain Porter to Mr llewett's, under command of I Lieut Wicksteed. On appioachiug the house, ; they found a body lying on the road with the i feet in the direction of the town. It was headI less ; the head and neck having been cut oli' close to the collar bone. The parly found that j the house had boon ransacked by Maoris. j After the rifles left the redoubt, a servant of Mr I HeweU's arrived there breathless in hi? shirt i and trousers, who bind that last night Mr i Jlowctt and he were alone in the house. The 1 .'' ■:(:-■! u to bark, and Mr Hewett remarked Wi.) must be barking at oUle ; tfiesctvant " Xo, it must be Maoris." On this Mr

Hewett went out on the verandah in front of j the house with a revolver, and seeing a Maori, fired two shots. The Maori fired at him, and the servant says he was shot in the abdomen, and he heard him say " I am done for," and saw him fall. The servant, who was still in the ' house, on this made for the bush, where be bid himself till this morning. This is all that is as yet known of the matter. Mr Hewett was much respected in this district for his many excellent qualities, and his loss will be widely and deeply regretted. He has left a widow and four children. An inquest was afterwards held on the body, and they returned the following verdict : " That the deceased was murdered by some person of the aboriginal race to the jurors unknown, and that said person was aided and abetted by certain other persons of the aboriginal race also to the jurors unknown." MURDER OP A MILITIAMANAbout the same time a militiaman was killed by the natives. The name of the unfortunate man was John Hobson. He was a tall man of fully six feet, and about 35 years of age, and unmarried. He has a brother in Tasmania. He had been ailing for some timp, and was not ! able to keep up with his companions when given chase to by the Maories of whom there were a considerablo number. They were above a mile from the redoubt, and having only one gun, bad nothing for it but to run. The unfortunate man was overtaken by the fiendish Maoris after having had his right arm broken by a shot immediately above the wrist. They then dispatched him with their tomahawks. A heavy blow has been given on the left shoulder, and several on the right side of the neck and the back of the head. The lower part of the chin is nearly cut off by one stroke and the upper lip by another. Across the eyes and the forehead the face was quite battered in, SKIRMISH BETWEEN THE FBIENDLT AND EEBEL NATIVES. — FOTJK EEBELS KILLED. " Our Special Correspondent's" letter from Wanganui of Fobruary 16ib, contained the following intelligence: — Great news this morning from up the river, more fighting and four rebels killed, loyal natives unhurt, but fighting still going on when Mr Booth left. This gentleman arrived in town at 6 o'clock this morning, having travelled all day yesterday and last night from Pukieka. Itappearstbat old Pebi bad a large pah at Ohoutahijust opposite Pukieka, and the loyal nativeo have for some time occupied Erua Aramoho, which is some three-quarters of a mile losver down the river, and from which they determined to stop any attempt on the part of the rebels to force a passage down the river. About halfway between the two positions is a fence, which constitutes the boundary, or native Rubicon, the passing of which would be the signal for war. Close to this line, on the friendly side, is a small outpost of the loyal natives under John Williams. On Saturday last Hori Kingi sent a letter to Pehi, advising him to give up the " Pai Mairiri" creed and become a loyal native and make peace. Pehi would not answer Hori's letter personally, but ordered a slave to do so, which, as Hori is a great chief, was done for the purpose of insult. Pebi said, that the only terms upon which he would make peace, were, that Hori Kingi and all other natives from there to the sea should come over to the King, and desert the Queen and Pakebas. Not satisfied with this, Hori Kingi went bimself with a flag of truce to the boundary, and asked for an interview with Pehi, Topini and Tahana; but it was of no avail. On Tuesday morning John Williams found 4 rebels close to his out post, but as General Cameron bad forbidden them to commence, the men were scut back uninjured. Ten men were fouud and treated afterwards in a similar manner. Then commenced a series of movements on the part of the rebels who tried to cut off the outlying positions from the main ones, but the loyal natives having good leaders, not only did the same so as to render the rebels' altemptsfutile, but bare actually surrounded one of the outlying rebel posts from which there is no escape, except by night. It was during- the collision of the sentries of the out-flanking parties that four rebel natives were killed. This is all that is known at present, but the fighting was going on all yesterday.