PETITION OF JAMES MOORE, OF WANGANUI, FOR ENQUIRY INTO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS ARREST BY THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES AT WANGANUI.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1865 Session I, G-07

G.—No. 7.

PETITION OF JAMES MOORE, OF WANGANUI, FOR ENQUIRY INTO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS ARREST BY THE MILITARY AUTHORITIES AT WANGANUI.

PRESENTED TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 23kd AUGUST, 18R5, AND ORDERED TO BE PRINTED, 24th AUGUST, 1865. WELLINGTON. 1865.

G.— No. 7.

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives of the Colony of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, — The Humble Petition of James Mooue, of Wanganui, in the Province of "Wellington, in New Zealand, Storekeeper, Sheweth, — That your Petitioner lias for some time past been carrying on business as a Storekeeper mid General Dealer in the Town of Wanganui, and for several months past has been a Contractor for supplying the Imperial Commissariat of this District with various consumable articles to an amount averaging £1500 per month. That on the loth day of April last past, your Petitioner, whilst engaged in his business on the Public Wharf at Wanganui aforesaid, was taken into custody by armed men, by order of LieutenantColonel Robert Abraham Logan, of Her Majesty's 57th Eegiment, and conveyed to the Garrison GuardRoom in the said town, without any cause whatever being assigned; and there kept in custody until Monday, the 24th clay of the said month of April, without any hearing or examination, or the production of any evidence against him; and then discharged from such custody without any explanation whatever, other than a paper delivered to him in his Prison, upon Thursday, the 20th day of April, of which the following is a copy : — " Crime.—James Moore, Wanganui Militia, confined by order of the Officer Commanding Garrison, for having, at Wanganui, on or about the 11th of April, 1865, tendered a letter or letters to some of the Native Police, requesting them to deliver the same to certain rebels in the Weraroa Pa—the above being in breach of the Articles of War. " W. Thompson, Lieutenant 57th Regiment, Garrison-Adjutant." But upon which no proceedings whatever were taken and the charge in which your Petitioner wholly denies. That your Petitioner has suffered deeply from such imprisonment; and his character has been assailed by rumours and reports of the most serious kind, from which he is still suffering, in consequence of no examination of his case having been made, by which his friends and the public might have ascertained the perfect innocence of your Petitioner. That in order to establish his fair fame and to obtain redress for the cruel wrongs and injury he has so sustained, he commenced an action in the Supreme Court, at Wellington, against the said Colonel Logan, trusting that a jury of his countrymen would by their verdict remove the stigma so unjustly cast upon him, restore him to society in the rank and position he formerly enjoyed, and give him that other redress to which the circumstances of his case might in their judgment entitle him. That your Petitioner has heard that a Bill has passed your Honourable House to indemnify all officers of Her Majesty's Army concerned in the suppression and quelling of the Native Insurrection. That your Petitioner has thereby been deprived of all opportunity of vindicating his character from the charge so brought against him or of removing the stigma attached to his name, arising from the imprisonment to which he was so subjected. That your Petitioner has been injured in his credit and business by the proceedings so complained of. and has been put to expenses in endeavoring to obtain redress. Tour Petitioner therefore prays your Honourable House that an enquiry may be directed into the circumstances of the case of your Petitioner, and that such further steps may be taken in relation thereto as to your Honourable House shall seem fit. And your Petitioner will ever pray, &c. Dated at Wanganui, this 22nd day of August, 1865. James Moore.

PETITION or JAMES MOORE, STOREKEEPER AND GENERAL DEALER, WANGANUI.