D—No. 16

encourage you here. I and my wife went away to some empty huts on the road where we stopped the night. In the morning' we went to the Ti, where I had left ray two children. My wife commenced to cry with her children and continued to until next morning, when the natives wished to hear her state the treatment she had met with since she had been away. She accordingly gave this statement. When I was took away I was dragged to theboat, then ducked in the water. With my clothes all wet and torn I was flung in the boat. The Native woman came in the boat, (this woman's name was Tua, belongs to the Rawhiti), her, with three men came into the boat. Henty Ngakapa then went to take the child from Jim, my husband. He knocked him down, fetched the child, gave it to me, and told me to leave off crying, they would not hurt me. He then came into the boat, and they shoved off a little way, then turned back for a dog they had left behind; they then shoved off again. I bid good bye to my husband and children. I said, I shall not be away long. We went over to the Rawhiti, where we stayed that night and next day until the evening Henry Ngakapa said to my wife, that it was through Mr. Duncan that he fetched her away. Mr. Duncan had said, you go to Jim's place ; if he does not immediately consent to give you the boat, take the woman ; I will see you paid, and the woman fetched back. I am waiting for him to come here for you; but it is past the time I told him I should wait here, so we must go to Whananaki, where next morning we arrived. We staid about two weeks there, lie making me work ; and if I fretted he said, what is that slave of a woman crying for ; she is alive and well at this place. He came to me at night, and laid his hands on me, I rose up and alarmed the Natives about. I said lam no slave, that you should treat me so. That is what you fetched me here for ; but if you are going on this way, I will make away with myself and child. You had better return me to my husband and children. It was right through the Pa in the morning, and Henare Ngakapa got reprimanded by several for his conduct. He afterwards behaved a little different, until we went to Mata Pouri, on the road to the boat. I was pulling; I took notice my child was sea sick ; 1 took it up. lie took notice. He said, why don't you pull. I said I must look after my child. lie jumped up and took the child from me, and flung it in the stern sheet of the boat. The child was wrapped up in a blanket; I was sitting on the mast thwart; the child, as it happened, was not hurt He then told me to pull, or he would throw me into the sea. I went on pulling and crying. He said I should not take the child ; he would not let me take it until we landed. In a short time we arrived at Mata Pouri. He kept me at work for about four weeks, when he said, that Duncan will never come: lam in the right in what I have done. He then offered me as a concubine to several Natives, to which I refused, and told him that he might offer to as many as he liked, I never would consent He then said he never see a woman stick out so hard as me; I will break you of that; I will let you know I will not be beat by you. We then went, after a little while, to Whangarei, where we met Te Manihera, a Native Assessor. He spoke to Henare Ngakapa, and told him that he was in the wrong; after that he behaved different to me, until the arrival of my husband, when he kept my child. I told my husband to keep quiet, there was nobody there to take his part. I said, leave the child, let me get away, then let the law decide about the child. That is all she had to state. Shortly after she went to the Keri Keri, and repeated this statement to Mr. Clendon. when he told her that he had written about the child. He then said, is it true that you came to Korarareka of your own accord. She told him that I, her husband, went to Henare Ngakapa's place and fetched her. It was a tale like all the rest. He said if he was not so busy, he would find out the authors of the tale. We returned to the Tiwherc, I remained with my wife and two children until I took a job of work at the Tareira, at Mr. Kidd's, where I and my wife and children are at present. O.i the 17th September, I, with Mr. Kidd and Mr. Jones, came from Kororareka, when we went to Mr. Cleudon's. I spoke to Mr. Clendon. I asked whether he had heard any news about my child. He told me he had sent somebody for the child, but he had not yet arrived. I said I shall bring my wife down next week for you to take our sworn depositions. He said I don't know whether I shall be at leisure, as I am g>'ing to be absent for a time. I bid him good evening, and returned to the Tareira. That is all I have to s.iy at present. I have, &c, Alfred James Holden. P.S.—These are the reports I have heard that are forwarded to the Government, and I know that 1 have a great many to fight against; but I leave it to the judgment of you and others of the House to look into the truth of my case. KEPORT I. I am not married: that I stole the woman away from another. My answer is this. I took the woman my wife to Port Nicholson, Mr. Smith was the Registrar, I married her and got her christened. The Right Rev. Bishop P. H. Viard, of the Roman Catholic Church baptized and married this woman to me. In answer to stealing her from another, I say I am, if she was ever legally joined to any other man, liable to punishment for bigamy. REPORT 11. The children do not belong to me. My answer to this is, I, during the confinement of the woman with her three children was the only person to attend upon and I do not think it likely I should carry another's children about 600 miles from Port Nicholson to Auckland.

10

ABDUCTION OF THE WIFE AND CHILD