CORONER'S INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 661, 4 March 1869, Page 3

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest on the body of Joseph Robinson, then and there lying dead, was held at 2 p.m. on Monday last, Ist March, at the Commercial Hotel, Eastern Spit, before Thomas Hitchings, Esq, Coroner, and the following jury :—William Denholm, (foreman), William Mooney, William Burton, William Larkin, William S. Baxter, Thomas Peddy, Thomas Meehan, John Brunskill, John Purcell, Edward Cook, Henry Harvey, Charles Symonds, and Andrew Sehon. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken:— William Burton, sworn, deposed:—l am a laboring man in the employ of Messrs Watt Brothers. On Sunday, 28th Feb, I was working with deceased in trying to recover wool from the wreck of the Ida Zeigler. About 11 a.m. on that day a bale of wool rolled towards the beach. It was j still in the surf, when we —that is, deceased, his step-son, a man named Hill, and myself —succeeded in fastening a rope round it. Before, however, we could get it up on the beach, a sea struck it, and the drawback was so strong that with the exception of deceased, we all let go to save our lives. We called to deceased to follow us, but he stuck to tho bale, and was carried out to sea. He did not speak, or call for help. When I last saw him he was two rollers oif. I stayed there for an hour after to see if his body would wash up, but it had not done so when I left. There was a very heavy surf on at the time. Deceased had hold of the bide itself; the remainder of us had hold of tho rope, which was a very short one. I think deceased must have slipped, or had his hand caught between the bale and the band which goes round it. [ do not think any blame whatever attaches i:o any one. I think deceased was very rash in what he did, for we had more than once cautioned hiui not to go so far down in the surf.

After waiting a considerable time for the appearance of a material witness—Thomas Willis step-son to deceased—the Coroner decided upon taking the evidence of one of the jurymen (the first witne3S also being one of the jurors)Thomas Meehan, who, being sworn, deposed : —I am a waterman, residing on the Eastern Spit. On Sunday, 28th February, I went over to the Western Spit, for the purpose of having a look at the wreck of the Ida Zeigler. About 2 p.m. I saw what looked like the body of a man lying on the beach, about half-a-mile on the Petane side of the wreck. It was covered over with some cloth. I removed the cloth, and recognised the body as being that of Joseph Robinson. He was quite dead. I saw a mark on his temple which looked as if caused by a blow from a spar cr other piece of timber. There were plenty of people on the beach besides myself who saw the body.

The Coroner did not think it necessary to take any more evidence ; and the jury then returned a verdict of "Accidentally Drowned."