The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-17 00:00:00

ANOTHER MASSACRE.

The Maori rebellion in New Zealand has spread, and
once more assumed a formidable aspect. Te Kooti, the
leader on the east coast, and Tito Kowaru, the leader on
the west coast, have both reappeared in the field. The
colonists have sustained two distinct disasters on
the west coast. A body of constabulary has
been attacked, and out of ten men but three escaped.
Worse still, another body of European settlers, including
one clergyman, has been massacred. This catastrophe
occurred at a place called Pukearuhe, near the White
Cliffs, about thirty-six miles from New Plymouth, a town
situated on the west coast, and very nearly opposite tc.
Poverty Bay, on the east coast. The Taranaki !Praia
gives the following account of this affair :
" In 1865 a military settlement was established at this
place, and a blockhouse garrisoned ; thereby stopping up
the only road at that time known by which the natives, who
were hostile to us at the north, could come down ; or at
least making that way much more difficult for
them to traverse without being seen. The country
that has been occupied as military settlements
may be thus roughly described. From the mouth
of the Waitara, running inland about eight miles, and
northward along the coast, twenty miles ; the two points
conjoined by a belt of rugged hills across the land, formr,
a triangular block. It was at the furthermost point that
this massacre occurred, a place almost isolated from the
rest. About twelve months since it was the act of the
present Government—the Stafford Ministry—to remove
the garrison from the blockhouse, and most of the
settlers who were there have since then gradually
left it. A few, however, remained, and it is those who
were massacred. There can be no doubt that the Govern.
ment are responsible for these murders, for they have been
repeatedly warned of the danger, and have been requested
to replace the men they had taken away ; but, with their
usual inertness where real clanger menaced, they neglected
to attend to the advice so frequently given, and the con-
sequence has been the massacre. On the 13th of
February a party of the Ngatimaniapoto tribe,
headed by a young chief, named Hone Weteri
(John Wesley), arrived in the vicinity of the White
Cliffs. Having chosen a picked party of about twenty
men, leaving forty or more on the beach, he went
up to the blockhouse, and meeting with John Milne, he
told him the natives had some pigs to dispose of in the
gully leading to the stream (the Wairoa), on the north side
of the redoubt. Milne went with him, and when a little
way down the winding path he was treacherously toms.
hawked from behind. Seeing that the other man--
Edward Richards—did not come, a native was sent
back to tell him they could not agree about
the price, and requested him to come and settle it.
The poor fellow went unsuspiciously to his doom,
and when a short way down was likewise tomahawked
in the same way as his comrade. The murderers then
went to the blockhouse, and Lieutenant Gascoigne, who
with his wife and children were strolling in a paddock
which was attached to their house, seeing the natives there,
went towards them to ascertain what they wanted.
The wretches appeared quite friendly, and shook
hands with him, asking at the same time for a
light for their pipes. Lieutenant Gascoigne had his
youngest child in his arms ; so, to oblige the natives, he
handed the baby to Mrs. Gascoigne, and walked ahead
towards hiedwelling. He reached the house, and was
just in the act of opening the door when he was cut down.
The door being on the opposite side of the house to that
at which Mrs. Gascoigne was, she did not see her
husband's fate ; under some pretence a few of the
natives met her, and getting behind, tomahawkeu
her, as they had done the others, at the back.
After this the hellhounds brutally tomahawked
the poor helpless children, mutilating their bodies fright.
fully with their weapons. About the dusk of the evening
the venerable missionary, the Rev. John Whiteley, was
seen riding towards the place, and on reaching the summit
of the hill on which the blockhouse was built, he was
stopped and ordered to return immediately to town ; he
remonstrated and rode gently forward. The miscreants
then fired, killing the horse the rev. gentleman
rode, and as Mr. Whiteley was in the act of rising
another volley was fired, killing him likewise. The
weather on the Sunday was very boisterous, and it was not
till late on the Monday that a settler, having occasion to
visit the Gascoignes, came upon the dead body of Mr.
Whiteley. Information was at once given to the other
settlers residing in that district, who immediately left the
place ; and as soon as word was sent to town of the occur-
rence, a volunteer force, with very little preparation,
started at (nee to fetch the bodies of the victims into
town. They were interred in the Cemetery, a procession
of over one thousand persons following them to the
grave."

The Rev. John Whiteley, it is added, was a minister of
the Wesleyan order, and had been in New Zealand since
1333. For the last fourteen years he has laboured amongst
the Ngatimaniapoto tribe, a division of which perpetrated
this massacre. The Governor, in reply to a deputation
`from the settlers of the district, said that 200 of the armed
constabulary should be sent to the New Plymouth
district.