CORONER'S INQUEST.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 282, 1 April 1879, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest, to enquire into the death of William Black, was held at the Immigration Barracks, Akaroa, yesterday, at halfpast eleven, before tbe - Coroner, Justin Aylmer, Esq., R.M., arid a jury of thirteen, of whom Mr G. Welchraan was chosen foreman. After the jury had proceeded to view the body the following evidence was taken t— J. R. Newton, dairy farmer, deposed that on bis way to Mr C. Haylock's station on Sunday morning last be found deceased lying dead across the track near, the Shakespeare bush. Deceased was lying partly on his face. ' From thought he bad been dead two or three days. The body wag completely exposed

to the weather. Found his saddleiabout three-quarters of a mile nearer Akaroa. The girth was unbuckled on the near side. W. Johnson, hotelkeeper, Akaroa, stated that he knew deceased. Last saw him alive between three and foar o'clock on Thursday afternoon, the 27th March. He came to Bruce's Hotel about that time, and had one or two glasses of brandy.' After'getting on his horse, deceased asked for a flask of brandy, but witness had none; Deceased was "jolly," but witness did not consider, him in an unfit state to go home. He started alone.

John Manning liad seen deceased on horseback about four o'clock on the same day. In answer to a question, deceased said be was going home. Could not Bay whether deceased was worse for drink or not. He sat his horse like man. Thomas Beaufoy Green, a legally qualified medical practioner, deposed to having .. made & post mortem examination of deceased. Found the body well nourished, and with no external mark's of violence. Found both lungs highly congested, and the right side of the - heart, gorged with venous blood. The membranes of the brain were congested ; all the other organs appeared healthy. Deceased died-from some form of asphyxia'or suffocation, which might have been brought on by the position "in which he appeared to have been lying.' Exposure to bad weather would not have, brought on suffocation unless deceased had been below par. He appeared to have.been a fine healthy man.. Exposure would" account for the congested state of the lungs. J. R. Newton, recalled, said .that on Thursday evening last it began to; rain about dark. Between nine and ten it began to rain very heavily, arid canie" oh to. blow hard from the south-west about mid-> night. Did not think it would have been possible for anyone o*n that night to have walked down the spur to Mr Haylock's. jlt would take about an hour to go at a walking pace from Akaroa to the spot where the body was found. After a brief deliberation the Jury re-., turned a verdict " That the deceased, William Black, on the 30th March, 1879,' on the run.of Charles Haylock, at Akaroa, in the colony of New Zealand, was found dead, and that the said William Black had no manner of violence appearing on his body, but by the visitation of God in a natural way, and not by any violent means whatsoever to the knowledge of the said jurors did die."