INQUEST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 753, 22 September 1876, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was held on Saturday, the 13th instant, at Moore's Junction Hotel, Clyde, before W. L. Simpson, Esq,, district Coroner, and a Jury of 13, (Mr G. Fachc, Chairman,) on the body of Charles Sohutz, which had been recovered from the Molyneux on the day previous. Heny Schutz, sworn, deposed—l recognise the body as that of my brother Charles, lie was'a native of Memel, Prussia. I last saw my brother alive on the evening of Friday, the 4th of August last, when he left our hut at the Bannockburn to attend a Good Templars’ Concert and Ball, to be held at Cromwell on that evening ; before leaving he wished me good-bye. We lived ami worked together as miners. My brother not coming home on the Saturday, on Sunday morning I went to Cromwell to make enquiries about him ; on arriving at Grant's bridge across the Kawarau, the gatekeeper told me that my brother Charles, on tho evening of tho 4th of August, crossed the bridge, and wishing him good-bye, said ho was going to Dunedin. On arriving at Cromwell I heard the same from Mrs Williams, on whom my brother had called. When ho wished me good-bye 1 asked him where ho was going : ho replied, never mind. 1 thought it strange he should wish mo good-bye. I telegraphed to my friends in Dunedin to look oht for him, and ro-

cbiving a reply that they had not seen him, I gave information to-the police that ho was missing, I heard nothing of him till I SaW his body outside. For some time I httVe thought his manner strange. Tea or eleven I years ago ho was placed in IMhatio Asyluili, Dunedin, and three or four years afterwards in the asylum at Nelson. His trouble was caused through unfortunate mining speculations, and as a rule occurred in the winter season, but never lasted above four Or five weeks. About a week befbre my brother was missed wo had a mining dispute in the Warden’s Court in connection with a waterrace, our property. This I blame as having upset my brother. Since the case, he once remarked that as he could not get justice in this world he would try another. We were together at the Palmer diggings, and for the benefit of, his health took sea voyages to California and other places. When he left home ho had on him a L5-note, a Ll'note, and Shine silver in a small leather purse' ; he had also a silver lever watch and a gold cliaili. The trousers on the body are the same trousers my brother left home in. The last time he was seen alive, I believe, was about one o'clock in the morning when ho left the ball-room.

William How Johns deposed to having, with the assistance of a constable, recovered, by means of his boat, the body from the river.

Dr Allen deposed to having examined the body, which, to all appearances, must have been in the water five or six weeks, and that the marks on’ same were post viorlem ones.

Constable Pierpoint said he searched the body, and found in one of the poukets of the trousers a purse containing a L5-note, a Llhote, and 4 shillings in silver. The body had neither coat nor waistcoat on. Cross-examined—There was no watch or chain on the body. Received intimation of the body being in the river frbm Arthur StroKach, one of the survey staff, who said he first saw it about a mile above Clyde.

The jury, with little deliberation, returned the following verdict, “ Found drowned, but there is no evidence to say how or by what means the deceased came into the river. ”