TRAIL OF HIROKI.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 175, 23 November 1881, Page 3

TRAIL OF HIROKI.

tmiTBD PBESB,JLSSOCIATIOir.)- ', JfBW Not: 21; Hiroki was brought up at the Pb--lice Court this morning, upon tW charge* of having niurdeir6d ?i Jbhii' M'Lean; ■.'■■•'■ " /;•■?.■' -v- ■"■ Charles Messenger, deposed; : I ttm a licensed Na&ve;interpreter^anxl lieutenant m the New Zealand Mifitia. For several yeara I have been m the habit of attending Native flieefingß held at Parihakaiv X was at a meeting on- Oct^ V 7, tB7S. » I remember hearing of the murder of A man named John M' Lean, at Momahaki. Shortly^ after that ■Qceurfentfie I visited Paritiaha. ., ; rlj know> the prisoner Hiroki; 1 fi#st saw him at a meeting at ParSialkVm ! Glibber, 1878. That wan snortly affervMri "Williams, Native interpreter, had been at Parihaka searching for Eiroki. I had attended aevferal toeetings before." that time, but clict did not see Hirpki at Parihaka helore. Some Natives directed my Attention to Hiroki, and m consequence of what -the^N^we* isaid* I up to- bftnv I'said' to some of Natives m tne* heaering' of the prisoner that I .had heard Hiroki Iras not wounded. Hiroki iinme. fliately showed me % wtuiJi ite the,, groin on ! his right side. The wound was at that time open, and had' not lealed up. It; afppe&redt i& have been made by a ballet, atitf «{ the lime I saw it it appeared to have Ibeen only recently received. I asked Hiroki^about the murder of M'Lean. He said the ■urveyors had been m the habit of feffin^hi* pigs r and : he lad! warned themiieverar times about it. On this day x^the day of tne murder), he heard Borne- dogs again at the pigs, and whew njee gbt u!p to where M'Lean .was, he* Mcf some Words with him , jabout killirig ihe yigs. Hiroki JBaitf; that Mf Lean threatened to shpot him, and if he Bad not ehotM'Lean, M'Lean would have shot him; I saw Hiroki with a clouble-barrelletf fowling piece at Parihaka. He 1 showed. tn# gun at two meetingsv also a pistol m his belt. He paraded the gun before the Natives who w-er.e assembled k* the "marae." None of the other Natives had their guns at the tame time. Hiroki was told he could examine Witnesses. ..._, ...... ..'. , ....' ' J Mr. Messenger (W Hiroki) : I did Bave a conversation with you at iParihaka. ; . * Hiroki: I did not speak to* you at Parihakaf. > Archer* Cfha's. drof t .deposed : lam % duly-qualified medical practitioner,, toaiding, at Patea-. I rememßw a coroner's, inquest being held on the" body of John M'Leatjibefdre Captain Wray. It was held about three jrears Bince. I made a. post mortem jUamination of th* pf M'Lean before the inque>t was held at Watferley. M'L^ari: appearec^to lid about 3s year* of «gej^ or; pbssiHy, r younger. 1 found' a lagged wound about the: centre of the twelfth rib on the left side/ 1 dilated' the wound *ith a pair of forceps. I found. three dr four ribs splintered m small pieces, Blood had^ fl o^wed> fm& the' wotJPrid. I observed also tnat hlood hadT trTcSled' from the right ear. I saw a swelling on the temple about tßre* size of a JMall walnut, 1 ©xamihed tne swelling, and^it was * moyabre; «hd I thought that it might be -i bullet. ■'. I cut down- upon it, and extracted a 'bullet. I believe the bullet produced v the same thart I extracted 1 from the ■feody. I placed the bullet oh the table . before- the Coroner. I opened the body m order W frace the passage of the bullet front tfie external wound m the rihß to the ear. I findi- iha% %%9\iXl liftd Iractur^a ttiree^ribs^ atfd then made a furrow on the surface of the liver. It then kadtorn the large arteries at t^e-Base of the heart,, having first passed thrbiuigk the diftw; pit agin; The»next trjice^oi th<§ Bullet wa» underneath theWlart»on<^ and tlten psssed along^. the superficial muscle* on> tfce ngfit sfdfe of the fcecteofpito' ther-Fightr templevbone* Profit tE©-cottwie the bullet had taken • 1 before MeL^^u^haje b>en m m «tooping posi^oh a* ;*ny ifciine- W iras shot. He i?»asn«t f roof behind and below Hint. McLean eoftlrf not have been- dead' more 1sh&& fe»r*yeight hours wleji I elimfiied him. Th« w>nnd he receiyed must have fr>dacediiwtatanec*i death. I had tue body mripped and thoroughly examined it. I discovered no of her Wounds. Hiroki (to wltnes*) : Have^you any Mea of who it[; was killed the mm? Witness; 0% dear/nov fi - Mr Btandia|i at this stage/ asted lor m remand until to-morrow at 11 a.m. This concluded to business.