FOUND DROWNED.

Evening Star, Issue 4055, 24 February 1876, Page 3

FOUND DROWNED.

TheJ acting-coroner (Mr I. N. Watt) held an inquest at the Hospital this afternoon on Richard Woodward, whose body was found in the Bay near Logan’s Point yesterday. The following evidence was given : Hy. Woodward, fourteen years of age, son of the deceased, said'thathisfather, who was a gardener. arrived here in the ship Olive, from England, eight or ten day s ago. Witness lastsaw him alive at 8 o’clock yesterday morning. He was th-n at the Gridiron Hotel. He was atwoik the day before, and having hurt himself, he said he would go for a<walk instead of going to wo.-k. He was not subject to fits. :Geo. Samson, quarryman, employed at Logan’s Point, saw the deceased on the railway line yesterday, just as the 11.30 was going up to Dunedin. Witness called to him and he stepped off theline till the train passrd him. He again got on the line and beckoned to witness with the straw-hat now produced, saying, “Here’s a hat for you; it’a_ no use to me.” He also said that he picked it up in the water, and it was quite wet when he gave it to witness. He had another hat on Ms, Road. He asked him howfar it was to PoptChalmera and witness told him to take the main road, as he was not allowed on the line, and it would be shorter.’ He appeared to m«ke for the main road, and witness lost sight. of him. When witness next saw him, about threequarters of an hour after, he was ly’ng dead on the -water's edge, liaciug been tat en out of. the water about 250 yards neaier Port Chalmers thin where witness lift saw him.

tb-mzer Steele, stationer, was walking along the Bavensbourne road towards Dlined n about 12.30 yesterday, when he saw a hat in the water. While he was going to get it, witness’s daughter cried out, “ J here’s a man m the waterand witness seeing the body got some of the quarry men to help him to take the deceased out of the water. He was lying within six feet of the water’s edge, and the water was only eighteen inches or two feet deep. The man appeared quite'dead, and was making no movement in the water. The, Coroner: I think you would have done much be’tir, seeing the body was only 18in. in the water, had you taken it out at ouce instead of going for assistance. Vv itne-s: I did it all for the best.

. The Coroner; Very likely; every man has not presence of mint at such a moment. :Dr Brown bad made a post mortem examination .of deceased’s body. He was a wrilnourished man, and apparently about, forty-five ye rs old. There vre'e no marks of violence. DroWning was the immediate cause of death, piobably preceded by a fit. The appearance of the brain would favor this supposition. ; Sergeant Hanlon proved the removal of the body to the Morgue. • ■ “ Found drowned” was the verdict returned.