INQUEST.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4063, 30 July 1884, Page 3

INQUEST.

- An inquest was held at Mr Waterworth's Provincial Hotel this morning on the body of John M. Girdlestone, before Dr. Hitchings, local coroner, and a.jury of tAvelvc, Mr G. T. Cross foreman. The jury, haA-iug vieAved the body, the following eAddence was then taken : — C. Villers deposed he was a storekeeper residing at Petane. Saw the deceased yesterday, at twenty minutes past twelve who asked him at tho hotel for the loan of a gun, as he was going to shoot some bitterns. Ho (witness) lent him the gun, and saw him start, deceased remarking that ho purposed to return to town by the 2 o'clock coach. Offered to lend him ammunition, but deceased said he had plenty . with him. He also remarked that the gun had a rebounding lock. The usual Avay for a sportsman to carry such a gun avus at full cock, if it caught in anything it would go off immediately. Deceased understood its mechanism. Deceased then Avent up the ~ valley and he (witness) then lost sight of him. ' Never saAV (deceased) again alive. He was in his usual health and spirits. The gun produced was the one lent. Thomas Batchclor deposed he was a gardener in Mr Villers' employ at Petane. About 1 o'clock yesterday he Avas standing a short distance from the hctel, talking to a man named Groves. He saw a man standing on the side of the hill cbse to the foot of it. He would imagine he' Avas 600 yards away from deceased. Groves said tho man was ' shooting. Before they had finished speakin"-, heard the report of the gun, and saw the man fall immediately. He said to Groves he (Avitness) had better go across to the man, which ho did, Groves going to the ' hotel to tell them there. Meeting J. Pickett on the road he accompanied him (witness), as he thought something was wrong. On reaching tho place both crossed the fence, and Pickett, stooping doAvn, said the man was quite dead. A guv Avas hanging on a wire fence, with the muzzle towards the ground. The trigger was behind a catch on the wire, where the tAvo ends were tied, and the trigger had got caught in the ends. Saw the man was quite dead. Did not move the gun. They then waved their hats for assistance, and four or five men came to their help. The gun was not touched till Detective Grace came down. / The body was taken across the creek on a stretcher, and taken, to the hotel. The end of the Avire Avas three or four inches long. John Pickett corroborated tho evidence of the previous witness. Identified the deceased as Mr Girdlestone, whom he kueAV well. Had seen tho deceased-previously Avith Mr "Villers while he (witness) was in the stable, but did not speak to him. Mr Girdlestone ' seemed in his usual health and spirits. _ Serireant C. E. Walker deposed to having proceeded to Petane yesterday at 2_ o clock Went thero in consequence of hearing that Mr. Girdlestone had been shot. On arrival at Petane went to the pavilion, where the body was lying, in company Avith Detective Grace. Examined the body and found a gunshot wound on tho right side. There was a hole in the coat from the result of the shot Found in the pockets' twenty-three cartridges loaded with shot, also watch and chain and sundry other articles Then went to the spot -where the fatality occurred, and found the gun (produced) hanging on the fence. The gun was hanging by a pieco of wire, where the ends woreprojecting at the end of a splice, which had "caught the right hand trigger ancl the ba'rrelhad been discharged. The left barrel iad not been discharged. The cartridge case was produced in the discharged barrel, and the unexploded cartridge found m the left ban-el. The gun was a breech-loader. Tho fence Avas a five-wire fence. Tho wires that were entangled belonged to the seconel wire. The wires were loose, and would have allowed deceased to go through them. It had every appearance of boirig the result

of a pure accident. The Coroner said the evidence Avas quite sufficient to justify the jury in bringing in a verdict of pure accident. There could be no other impression from the evidence. Mi 1 Carhcll (one of the jury) said he (deceased) was a most reckless man with a o-un. On ono occasion he had nearly shot him'(Mr Camcll), and in his jovial manner had remarked, "A miss was as good as a Tho jury returned a unanimous verdict of " accidental death."