Strange Sequel to Old-Time Rarotongan Romance;

English Girl Who Married Polynesian

Chief

Strange Sequel to Old-Time Rarotongan Romance; Search for an Heir

By “Cloghogue”

I.

AS this 1940 New Year came to birth.

Rarotonga lost one of its links with “the evening of yesterday”; Puri Matai apo (chieftain of the second grade) passed away, near to the age of 80 years.

He was of the dramatis personae in some old-time, interesting scenes.

Somewhere in the sixties of last cen tury, there sailed and traded through the Eastern Pacific island groups a schooner which had for captain, Emil Piltz, a robust and energetic young German about 5 feet 10 inches in height complied with all Hitler’s requirements for Aryan racial purity. He was a blonde of the truest type, and was known to the natives as Pupuri, meaning “very fair’’. The similarity of his name to that of Mataiapo Puri was accidental.

Captain Piltz soon after his arrival in Rarotonga, married a native woman of some rank, and she bore him three daughters, and died. In need of another mate, he advertised in New Zealand for a wife, and from a matrimonial agency there came to him a young English girl named Mary Porter.

She was good, and good-looking, not yet out of her teens, with a fine head of crisp red hair, but she did not suit Captain Piltz. He was of a hasty and rather bullying disposition. On her re fusal to live with him in trial marriage for a while, they quarrelled and parted.

He refused to maintain her, or marrv less at OnC6 ’ and She would not acce Pt Being without means, Miss Porter brought her case before the Avarua Court of Ankis. The native judge was Tepou o te Rangi, and the then Britt ish Consul Exham. The Court ordered Piltz to pay a fine of 400 Chile dollars (equal to £5O), and to be responsible for the girls maintenance while she was la nd, and for her transport to theTe Z6aland Wh6n Sh 6 desired to return At this period, there was living, in the settlement of Arorangi, a fairly-Well-to 2?n, Eur . opea ? J? f about 40 ’ Mr - Craig Piltz induced him to receive Miss Porter mto his home for residence, as a keeper, until an opportunity arrived for sending her back to New Zealand. In Mr Craigs establishment, Puri, a voung native chieftain, served as cook. g Miss Porter remained with Mr. Craig bv whom she soon came to be regarded as a daughter, and she led a model and Hf fld life. She is still remembered bv those who knew her, with respect and eratitude, as she was ever ready to help with advice or kindly word, and bv women especially, for teaching them to cut out and fashion garments. No scan dal attached to her name, and her assistance was welcomed in the homes of European missionaries and other decent whites, when entertainments were toward.

With her kindlv temperament, and thrown continuously into the company of Puri, it is not to be wondered that mutual regard grew between them, “for vouth with them was in its ardent bloom”. Together they took part in the local native amusements, services and church work, and the buds of love burst into flower.

Eventually, in the early 80’s, they were married, in the Arorangi Church of the L.M.S., by Rev. Isaia Papehia, the native pastor. This event—a matter of consid erable excitement locally, as may be

imagined, for the union of a European woman with a Polynesian man was a novelty. indeed —remains a vivid recol lection with a few, still living, who witnessed it.

From that day, to this, Puri’s name has been coupled, in conversation, with the fact of his marriage to a Vaine Papaa tikai (a real white wife). The married pair made their home on Puri’s land, near Black Rock, where for a con siderable time they lived happily to gether.

When about 18 months had gone by, Mary Porter (now Mrs. Puri) was due soon to give birth to her first baby. The young, lonely stranger, in a strange land, dreaded this event. There was no European doctor available, no midwife, no near-living white woman; so she made up her mind to go to New Zea land for her confinement, intending, she said, to return to Puri with the child when they were fit for the voyage.

She was not altogether happy, about that time, for husband Pun—the novelty gone—with ingrained native laxity in sex matters, had of late found new female attachments. This laxity, the result of centuries of racial customs and promiscuity, the utmost exhortations and strictest laws of the missionaries and Administration alike had been —and have been —unable to eradicate. There was no open domestic break, however, what ever may have passed privately.

Captain Piltz being about to leave the Islands for a period, Puri Vaine (nee Mary Porter) took advantage of the opportunity and the order of the Court, and secured a passage with him to Auckland.

She did not return; nor did Puri learn aught of his wife and their child, for several years. 11.

SOME years after this event, the seed of to-day’s political status of the Cook Islands fell on waiting soil.

In 1888, Mr. Craig had entered into a contract to procure for a native, Ngatae, a sewing machine, for which payment was to be completed, within a definite date after receipt. The machine —a thing for native wonder —duly arrived from civilisation, and he who ordered having broken his contract, Mr. Craig sold the machine to an Aitutaki man who sent it on to his wife in that island.

Some difficulty arose about the return of contributory payments made by Nga tae, and the case came before the Aro rangi district court.

Mr. Craig was, despite the mission ary laws, a non-attender at the local church. The court, to a man, from judge to ushers, were intense churchmen.

The court heard the case, and, not withstanding invoices and accounts, deemed the machine not worth its price and that Ngatae had already paid for it, and ordered Craig to get the machine back and hand it over to Ngatae. The machine had gone on to Aitutaki in its original packing, and none of the court had seen it.

In addition, Craig was fined their favourite fine for Europeans, 400 Chile dollars (£5O sterling) for trying to cheat a poor native.

Craig refused to comply with the sen tence, so he was seized by the judge, Tauei Orometua, a native clergyman, and Pirangi (a Rangatira, and after wards Ariki, or King, of Arorangi) next in authority, and cast into the local gaol, where his feet were kept in stocks.

This local gaol had been built some tune before for one Take, the grandson of that Ariki Rurutini who had been first to accept the Gospel. Take had murdered his wife by striking her with a gun, and had been sentenced to life imprisonment. So as to make sure of him, the stocks were inside the cell. Take did not live long in the gaol. It was a place unfit for the confinement of a European in the tropics.

The local head of police, one Tapai Orometua—another native clergyman who had travelled somewhat, to Samoa and to other places in greater contact with the white man—at last caused sufficient tremor in the minds of the church despots as to get their consent to freeing Mr. Craig at the end of two weeks incarceration.

Mr. Craig, justly incensed at his treatment, especially the confinement in stocks, day and night, without exercise,

drew up his complaint, which was for warded on by first opportunity to the Naval Authority at Fiji. mvior nQn , n r rnp T ion in the p ?h a t paw of the Bntrsh Lion m the Pacific, responsible for Commodore J jj; 6 ’ . W ®J„ stre f ch^ d . ' Hyacinth arrived at Raiotonga, com manded by Captain Alexander, to right wrong and see justice done, on Novem ber 18, 1888. This gentle paw-pat even tuated in British sovereignty, and the Group became part of New Zealand, Early next morning, after the ship’s arrival, an armed party was sent, ere the culprits could disappear, to fetch them i n for trial to a naval court of the ship’s officers held on the beach opposite the c.I.T.C. and hotel, while a boat’s crew lay c i ose by, in the harbour. Fear and excitement, as well as a crowd, were their companions on the way. Both sides had their say in full, and the court

was dismissed, sentence to be notified later by Consul Exham.

Ere noon, Exham arrived at the vil lage on the heels of the returning crowd and gave out the sentence: “Tauei Orometua and Pirangi Rangatira to pay each 100 Chile dollars damages to Craig, and the District of Arorangi to pay to the warship 100 sacks of coffee berries, within 24 hours, from noon that day.”

Hardly had the sentence been read out, when the warship appeared off the village, with its two big guns trained on the houses. The guns were plainly vis ible from the shore, and they, and the events of the morning, spread con sternation and terror.

Immediately, all hands able to pluck berry off bush, rushed away to coffee picking. Those left behind wept; and the members of the court scattered in

land, as far as possible from sight of the ship.

It was beyond possibility to pick, husk and clean the required quantity of coffee berries in the allowed time. In despair, a hurried meeting was called and a volunteer, who could speak English, was called for, to go as envoy to the cap tain.

Puri, not of the guilty ones, and with a fair knowledge of English, gleaned from Craig and from his wife, was selected. The captain received him hos pitably, but gave no definite reply to his request for more time, merely telling him not to go ashore till permission was given.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a boat came along side with two sacks of coffee berries.

These were not of new picking, but were

gleanings from household retentions for domestic use.

The ready compliance and the good coffee pleased the captain, and he then granted the extension of time, but Puri must remain aboard as hostage.

Having been allowed more time, the aronga mana (those in authority) of the settlement went to Chinese trader Ahsin, in the village, and contracted with him to supply from his accumula tion, sufficient money and coffee to pay everything in full, within the time allowed.

The people of the district were work ing as Ahsin’s slaves, virtually, for a long time afterwards, to liquidate that debt. One elderly lady complained bit terly to the writer, recently, that they took her pig and horse as part of the repayment to Ahsin.

The fine paid, as demanded, Puri re turned ashore, after two memorable and happy days on the ship, the proud pos sessor of a huge joint of salt beef and half a sack of biscuits.

Soon after, the Cook Islands became a British Protectorate, with a Resident Agent in lieu of a Consul, and ulti mately was ceded to Great Britain and passed under the control of New Zea land. 111.

AT no great length of time after the visit of the “Hyacinth”, came again Captain Piltz to reside in Rarotonga, bringing from America with him a lady he had married .there. She remained with him until her need was as that of Mrs. Puri, when she returned to U.S.A.

Piltz stayed on after the departure of his wife for some years, till, at last, changing conditions and shrinking pro fits rendered advisable his withdrawal .from the scene. His daughters remained on the island, where they married. One is still alive. He and his later family at first made their home at ’Frisco, later moving to Honolulu, where he died and was buried in 1927.

When Captain Piltz arrived from America, with his wife, he brought word to Puri that a son had been born to his wife, Puri Vaine, in New Zealand. This boy was met with, and spoken to, on several occasions, by Rarotongan resi dents who visited Auckland.

A rumour got around that Mrs. Puri had died: but there were no details made public as to time, place or cause.

Puri, on September 18, 1890, married again. There were no children of this marriage; and now, unless their son, born to the former Mary Porter, still lives, or has progeny, a line of Raro tongan chiefs, of ancient and honour able repute, will come to an end, for Puri was the last survivor of his line in the island.

Never, after he knew his son was born, could Puri engage in conversation with one of his white neighbours with out bringing up with pride the subject of his own white wife and his missing son by her. Ever would he endeavour to learn how he might proceed in a search to find his boy. Denied this life-long desire, he passed away, after a lifetime of labour, in which romance and pub lic service had shared, almost alone, and almost uncared-for by children adopted, whose interest seemingly cen tres in their individual possibilities from the now unclaimed intestate estate.

Should this meet the eyes of descend ants of Puri and his wife, Mary Porter, or of anyone knowing of them, com munication should be made to the Reg

istrar of Land Court, Rarotonga. A title and estate await them.

Mr. Craig, later, after a trip to Scot land (his native land, where he found no living friend) returned to reside in Mangaia, as storekeeper of a branch of A. B. Donald Ltd., and there he died. -The writer, with one or two excep tions, has met and known all these people. But they, and those times and days, have ended; the ancient glories have departed; the mana of the chiefs has gone; the native courts are but a joke of the past; religion, with its offi cers now relegated to a proper place on the public perch, no longer rules the roost; conscienceless commercialism rules our lives; and adventure is no more . . .

Aue, Aue!