INQUEST ON BOY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20130, 27 December 1939, Page 8

INQUEST ON BOY

WAIMATA FATALITY

ACCIDENTAL DROWNING

MESSAGE OF SYMPATHY

The deepest sympathy of the Bench and jury was extended to the parents of Douglas James Brown, aged B',, when a verdict of accidental drowning was returned this morning at the inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death. The boy, who was the son of Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Brown, Wellington street, had been in a picnic party at the Hole-in-the-Wall on Christmas Day and had been last seen alive playing on the bank of the

Waimata River. His body was recov ered yesterday morning.

The acting coroner was Mr. C. Blackburn, J.P., and the jury consisted of Messrs. John Henry Harkess, foreman, Henry Miller Pinkerton, Percival St. G. Bailey and Gladstone Graham. The father of the deceased, Leicester Allan Brown, said that he and his wife and family and brother-in-law had 1 gone to the Hole-in-the-Wall for a picnic on Christmas Day. The children had been playing on the river-bank and at about 11 a.m. witness missed his eldest son, Douglas. He made inquiries from the other children and none could say what had become of the young boy. The witness and his brother-in-law carried out a search for two hours, but could find no trace of the child. He notified the police and the search was continued until 5 p.m. Yesterday morning the searchers were i successful, the body being found in 4ft. |of water. His son was in good health ; and of a bright disposition. The brother-in-law of the previous | witness, John, Ernest Markie, said that I the children were playing on the bank j of the river at 10.40 a.m., the deceased i being with them. They were all right ! then, but a few minutes later he could I not see any sign of his nephew. He j and the previous witness searched the river-bank and hills in the vicinity. The boy was not able to swim.

Constable George Neale said he coni ducted dragging operations in the Waimata River for the body on Christmas Day and continued the search yesterday morning. There were no marks on the body when it was recovered.