LETTER FROM PURUKUTU.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3827, 10 June 1873, Page 3

LETTER FROM PURUKUTU.

HIS DEFENCE OF HIS CONDUCT.

A correspondent of the "Herald" forwards the following communication as a genuine letter written by Sullivan's murderer, and sent in bis own handwriting : —

" Pukekura, May 2-i. — I have seen your writing where youbavejeondemned me without hearing my defence. Now, I will juat tell you my side of the story. 1 own a piece of land near where I write, which has been taken and occupied by the pakehas without my permission. I have for years warned the pakehas to desist from meddiug with my property, but no notice was taken of my warnings. I was then compelled to adopt mei'e severe measures. I killed cattle and sheep on mv land, and burned a whare used by a pakeha living on my land ; but this was not sufficient. I then forcibly drove away Europeans ditching, but still my land was occupied and claimed by the pakehas. Nor did the pakehas attempt to punish me for any of the acts above mentioned. My last resource was to kill any pakehas occupying my land. You know 1 did so. I did what was right, and approved of by Maori custom and law, and the pakeha law is not known beyond the confiscated land. Mackay is preparing a force to catch me. I am ready to be taken at any time. You need not think that the King is going to hand me over to you. The King natives will all fight for me, and with me, when required. If I am beaten you will get my land, which is not worth fighting for. Rewi with other chiefs and old men will turn Queenites for a time, and protect the rest of the hind from confiscation, and the young men will join me to fight the pakeha. I see pas being built, and night and morning patrols in your settlements watching for my coming to kill another pakeha. I will not go off my own land to fight, so you can tell the other pakehas not to leave their homes on my account. You may think that I cannot be trusted. I may remind you what I did about five years ago, when some property was stolen from Europeans at Orakau. I caused all the stolen property to be returned, and a horse as utu. The name 1 was known by then was Mohi. From your loving friend in arms. — Parakutu." [This is evidently no literal translation of a Maori epistle. Some Pakeha-Maori has exercised his ingenuity in this production. — Eix]