BODY FOUND AT LITTLE OMAHA.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 448, 17 June 1871, Page 2

BODY FOUND AT LITTLE OMAHA.

Op June 12th, an inquest was held at the native settlement, before J. M. Murray, Esq., coroner, on the body of a man who had been found washed .ashore in a sandy bay, near the entrance to the harbour, by the natives, who took the very wise precaution of covering up the bady with earth, to secure it from dogs, &.c. The jury, on being Bworn. proceeded to view the body, after which the following evidence was adduced:—David (a native) deposed that he went down to the beach on June Bth, between seven and eight 6'clock a-in., to get some firewood, when he saw ■cjmetHng white on the sand, and on going near it he saw it was a body, which he supposed had washed ashore from some vessel ; be immediately came back and told Tenetahi. The re was no clothing on the boAy, exoopt a small piece round the wrist, as seen by tbo jui-jr. Tenetahi (a native) deposed to having seen the body, and he immediately caused it to be covered with, earth. He reported it to the settlers on Saturday ; lie could not inform the settlers earlier on account of the wet weather. The body was found at spring tide mark, and had evidently been there three or four days. Peter Antonio deposed that from certain -marks he believed the body to be that of one of the crew of the schooner Julia.—The jury returned the following verdict, " That the body now viewed was found drowned, but that how it came into the water there is no evidence to show. The marks on the body, and tha fragments of clothing, corresponding as they do with those observed by one of the witnesses, Peter Antonio, on the man Jack, who sailed from Big Omaha in the schooner Julia, afford strong presumptive evidence that the body now viewed is that of the man Jack reported drowned. The present decomposed state of the body renders positive identification impossible."—lhe remains were placed in a coffin, (which was provided by the jury,) and buried decently near Ihe place where he was found. Mr. Picken read the service..