Local.-News of the Week.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 12, 5 March 1857, Page 3

Local.-News of the Week.

Coroner’s Inquest.—On Monday, at two o’clock, a jury assembled to view the body of Henry Irvin, a boatman, whose corpse was found, at seven on Sunday morning, floating in the vicinity of Victoria Pier. Its appearance was such as to awaken in the minds of several jurymen the suspicion that their had been foul play. Nor did the evidence remove that suspicion, as the jury, after a patient and protracted investigation, returned a verdict of Found Drowned, but whether by accident or otherwise, they were unable to determine. As regards the somewhat mutilated and bloody appearance of deceased, the coroner made many valuable observations. He said, in effect, that profuse bleeding, sometimes from one ear, sometimes from both, sometimes not only from ears but eyes and nose, was by no means peculiar to cases of death by personal violence, as asphyxia, or violent suppression of the breathing faculty consequent upon drowning, although not always, was frequently sufficient cause of such phenomena. He thought, therefore, that the copious discharge of blood in this case was not in itself conclusive as to the manner in which deceased met his death. Many witnesses were examined, amongst others a female to whom deceased was about to be married; James Jackman, who discovered the floating body; and also the “ mate” of deceased. Sum ot their aggregate evidence was that deceased parted from the female in question a little before nine, on Saturday evening, at the Harbour Pier, where she waited some time expecting his return from the boat, into which she saw him get, but, waiting in vain, she went home, concluding that some unforsecn business prevented him from coming back according to promise. His “mate,” who left him at six o’clock on the same evening, could give no account of the cause of death, as, when they parted, deceased was perfectly sober, and, when he saw him again, he was lying a corpse in the outhouse of the Caledonian Hotel. Early on Sunday morning this witness had made inquiries, but without effect.