CORONERS AND JURIES-EXTRAORDINARY CONDUCT.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 460, 11 March 1867, Page 2

CORONERS AND JURIES-EXTRAORDI-NARY CONDUCT.

A shout lime since we had occasion to report that a coroner’s inquest had been held at Waipukurau on the body of an unknown individual, which

had been discovered in the Tuki Tuki river. We then stated that the ac count we gave was not derived from official sources, but furnished by a correspondent. We have now to mention that on account of the very extraordinary character of the proceedings on the occasion of the inquest as reported to us, we felt obliged to coutent ourselves With recording the inquest, and defer the publication of our correspondent’s letter until further enquiries should have assured us of its being in -nrict accordance with the truth, [laving made the fullest enquiries, and received the necessary confirmation, we proceed to lay our correspondent’s statement before our readers.

Sir, —A case of accidental death and subsequent burial without the holding of a coroner’s inquiry, was reoenty reported in your journal as having occurred in this district. Without offering any opinion ou the merits of the question raised upon that occasion, I beg to express my opinion that, if coroners’ inquests are to be conducted in the way in which wo have recently seen it done, the fewer we have of tlum the bettor. The case to which I refer is that held on the body of a man found drowned, a brief notice of which you have already "iven. Ido trust that this matter will be taken up by the proper authorities, and that measures will be taken to prevent the occurrence of such scandals for the future. The facts I now state can be fully proved to ‘nave occurred, and this will be done, should it bo thought necessary by the Government to institute an investigation into the circumstances. Ou the occasion of the coroner’s arrival at the house in which the inquest was to be held, that gentleman was helplessly drunk, so that be was utterly unable to conduct the proceedings, and this was left to the hand of a person who acted as his clerk, whilst he himscll left the apartment, and remained away duric-' the whole of the proceedings until the end, when ho was helped back to close tlmm. A portion of the jury also declined or neglected to proceed to view the body although bound by law to do so. and, lastly, it is a fact that, although quite a sufficient number of qualified persons to servo as jurymen reside in the immediate neighborhood (say within one mile of the scene of the accident), several of those were not summoned, but, persons were brought from the neighboring township ot Waipawa, a distance of four miles. In ;short, sir, the whole proceedings must be regarded us of the most disgraceful character, so much so as to astonish all who hear of them. I enclose my card, and should any steps be taken in the way of an investigation you will communicate my name to the proper parties, Waipukurau, Tub. 25, ISG7.