A MISSING SOLDIER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 198, 16 May 1919, Page 8

A MISSING SOLDIER

i ■: . ;COURTQFINQI3IRY; - : ! CASE OP RIFLEMAN RUSSELL ■ ' The military, inquiry into the faots ' surrounding' the disappearance of Rifle- : -man'John."Eussell,,.N.Z.E.l , ;, from the 1 ferry steamer Mararoa, on the night of i October 24-25, 1918, was continued at the ; Wellington Barracks yesterday; The i 'members-of-the Court were Major. P. G. ! Hume;-8.N.Z.A.! (president), Major W. j G. Ashworth. and Captain AY. M. Bell. '■ Continuing his dvidenoe, Sapper Albert i Goodwin said that he went round the I ship asking returned soldiers •if ■' there I was a man named Eussell, , ex Paparoa, !on board, but could-get no satisfaction. He.,reported to, Captain' Edd on board, *and related the" circumstances On:ari rivai.at Lyttelton he watched the discmi barkation at the gangway, and also went I through the troop train. /Witness pre- ' eumed he would have no "difficulty in '■ finding, him on, board, as,he held his i railway jjass.'.' Upon receiving his. in-Petructions-from Captain Brineley, witi ness, gathered that,,his ,duty ■: was to assist, a soldier who was helpless to look after himself. His impression was that i the soldier was mentally affected. j The Court; In view of the instructions I given , you', that Mr.. Hutchison would :'hand the patient "over'to" you at the , wharf, did you consider you w.ere'carryi iiijj ; out'.your orders'by,being content to [ take him, from'-'a', steward?, ! - * : Witness: To a certain extent, yesj beI caueeif.he was handed over, .to, the fitewi ard,''the'."Btewd would , / be , ;responsible, i aid''it'yonMLJ),e. easier,'for ihe' r ;t'o get-him, i es I cfluld-'have-'awertained',..'where the ! stewaid-'hadT.pul'hinii' '.■;',.,;■, X' : '■'■•', Stance-Corporal 'Kpbert.'James Bennett, ]<f,Z.M.P.,.,said he saw Russell at the j Mount jCosik. Barracks wnen'-Russoll was ' under arrest abb'ut.,the end of .October. ' Russell said he had beon drinking heav- | ily, and he .appeared to be in much the •j same 6fcate-is'a-man.was after a heavy I drinking bout. 'Russell also said he j had a dread ~of. going to'.Hanmer, as he ! had an idea that he would not be al--1 lowed his freedom. About a week after J ! Euesell-was reported,.missing, he .saw., a [ eoidie'f.'whomne took to bo" Russell,; at I the corner: ;of. Cuba and Jfanners Streots Uftbout 4.30 o'clock one afternoon. On IJiia Teturn to the barracks he reported to Rosingrave that he had seen J the man, and thought It was Russell. : To.the, Court:. When he saw the man I whom he thought was .Russell ho did not j arrest him because he was in a hurry on a message from Headquarters. There .were no orders out for the man's ar- \ rest, and witness had only heard that jhe was reported missing. Russell had i never, suggested during the course of his j conversation, .with' witness that he con- ', temulated committing suicide. Witness I would have been quite satisfied to have taken' Russell to Banmer single-handed. I Sergeant. Frederick Riddett, Arnold, J NiZ.M.P., 6aid that in company,, with ! Lance-Corporal ' Bradford he artested j Russell in Cubsi Street on the morning of I-October 7A. Witness's • impression was I that the man was suffering from the ef- [ fecta. of : ; drink. . Jtussell did not hint i that he intended to take his life. From j. the man's condition ho would hare been ! prepared k> take him 10-Hanmer singler handed. ' I. Lance-Corpornl George Bradford, j N.Z.M.P.. who arrested Russell in com- | pany with the previous witness, ■ eaid j that the man-seemed quite sensible, but I was a little bit shaky. ' He considered ; the man to be quite sane. i Sergeant Alfred Daniel Cole, N.Z.M.P., ' said, he saw. Russell at the barracks after , ! he waa arrested.. Some days afterwards : he made inquiries on tho Maroroa, and ' was told by an officer whom he took to . be the purser, and the' nightwatchman, that they had seen Russell alone on deck. ; They said that the man was alone, and that they did ; not know of a»y escort having been with' him. Russell had been escorted to the boat by tance-Corporal Wattorson, who obtained a receipt for the man from a medical \ orderly, to' whom ho- had .been handed i over. Witness considered Russell to be j quite sane, but suffenn? very much from I the effects of drink'. He would have : , been quite willing to have taken him Jto Hanmer himself. "I' undoubtedly i consider that Russell would Tequire safe i watching on the steamer, to eee that*he ! did not get drink," added tho witness. ; "Had_ he obtained drink. I consider he : was liabje to do anything, and oven com- ; mit suicide." \ \ At this stage the inquiry was adjournI ed until 2-p.m. to-day. , ;. The Rev. Daniel, llaTtin Evans, vicai : of Folesbil). Coventry, was found by the , eexton onthe evening of February 8 lv» : ing 'dead in "ilie nave of his church.. In i the afternoon he was seized with illness' ; while conducting a funnral nt the eeine--1 leTTvbufc I ' recovered ysiifficiently to "finish i m.eiifMl: On Wcallod i Av'the'chtitoli, and it'is "supposed that rin ■ ottgot of heart trouble caused his death. ■ 3i?.. EvShfl,. who was a Welshman aud H I Jean jiad held tho vicarage of I SeJetUU for 10 year*, i