THE FATAL PONTOON FIGHT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1738, 1 May 1913, Page 4

THE FATAL PONTOON FIGHT.

INQUEST CONCLUDED. . (By Telegraph.—Frees Association.) Auckland, Apvil 30. Tile inquest into the death of Manuel Santos, who (lied on April 18 after a light with Harold Gladstone lirown oil Hun Harbour Board's pile-driving pontoon, conclndcd to-day. Aousta Ojala, foreman in tho board's employ, described the light and deceased's fall into tho water. Ho said that Brown teemed afterwards to bo sorry for what ho hail done. David l'enman, engineer, said that he did not bco the first blow struck. Tho combatants were separated by the man who was working (lie pile-driver, and each limn went back to nis work. A few minutes later Santos again went ,up to lirown and said something to him, and Brown retaliated by pushing Santos, who fell into the harbour. Brown merely pushed him—ho did not strike him. Subsequently, when deceased was in the en-gine-room, witness hoard him cry out: "Oh, my heart!" Tho coroner briefly addressed tho jury, and stated that the evidence absolutely reduced tho case to ono of manslaughter. The medical evidence was of the highest importance. Tho doctor had ascribed I death to syncope, following on blows on tho head and tho immersion, and tho evidence showed that those blows had been struck by Brown. Tho jury, _ho thought, had 110 option but to bring in a verdict of manslaughter. Tho jury returned a verdict that death was due to syncope, following on blows on tho head struck by ITarold Gladstone Brown, and that Brown thereby feloniously caused the death of Manuel Santos.