INQUEST HELD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 156, 6 May 1940, Page 5

INQUEST HELD

ELDERLY MAN'S DEATH OCCURRENCE AT TANEATUA An inquest was • held on Friday afternoon before Mr G. A. Brabant, -J.P.. district coroncr, into the death of Mr Joseph Davies, aged t>9, of Opouriao, who was found dead on the Taneatua bridge at about 4.30 on Thursday afternoon. Initial evidence was given by Thomas Davies, of Opouriao. a brother of the deceased. He had last seen him alive at about 9 a.m. on Thursday and at that time bis brother had seemed to be quite well and in the best of spirits. His brother was a single man. avlio had resided with him for 38 years. Ronald Dudley Duckcr, an employee at the Opouriao factory, said that when lie Avas returning from work at about 4.25 on Thursday afternoon he saw a man walking in the direction of Taneatua. Witness then lost sight of the man when lie was on the bridge. At that time witness would be 150 yards behind ifu:Mnan; He heard a bump as though object had hit the decking of the bridge. Upon "investigating he saw deceased lying <on his back. Further Evidence. Witness could not feel any heart beats and concluded that the man was dead. The back of deceased's Iliead was bleeding. Constable O. S. Rice, of Taneatua, said he was called to the scene by the previous witness. Deceased's "head was bleeding but there was nothing to indicate that he had been struck b3 r anything The spot would be about four miles away from where deceased resided. There Avere no suspicious circumstances. Dr Fletcher Cole gave evidence and said that there were no signs of the cause of death. In his opinion death was due to natural causes, that was, heart failure. The coroner returned a verdict that death was due to natural causes, the immediate cause being heart failure brought about by the exertion a fairly long walk. INQUEST CONCLUDED SHOOTING ACCIDENT VICTIM The adjourned inquest into the 1 'death of Timoti August, aged 25, who was fatally injured while out shooting at Waimana on Sunday, April 14th, was resumed before Mr 4 G. A. Brabant, J.P., on Friday. Senior Sergeant G. G. Kelly, Arms Officer at Wellington, in writing, the results of examinations and tests he had carried out on the •shot gun used by August. He found that the gun was perfectly safe to ause. .Richard Arthur Wardlaw% farmer, of Waimana, gave evidence that he had taken deceased to the Whakatane Hospital. Evidence was also given by ,the nine year old son of deceased, who had accompanied him on the afternoon on which the accident had occurred. Nonstable O. Rice said that he ."had examined the scene of the accident. The gun was near a root* and it was possible that deceased had \tripped on this root. ©r E. Tewsley Dawson, Medical Superintendent of the Whakatane "Hospital gave details of admission, "wounds and treatment. In his opinfion death was* due to a gun shot wound in the leg with haemorrhage and shock. A verdict was returned that Timoti August died of a gun shot wound 5n the leg, accidentally received while shooting.