AN INQUEST

Hokitika Guardian, 2 March 1932, Page 3

AN INQUEST

HERMITAGE FATALITY. CORONER HEARS FURTHER EVIDENCE. TIMARU, Feb. 29. The adjourned inquest into the deatj of William Edward Wogan, barman porter at the Hermitage, Mount Cook who was found dead in his bedroom oi the night of November sth with a gun shot wound in the head, was conclude! to-day. Further evidence was given as follows: Gun Expert’s Evidence. Thomas J. Smallwood, in evidence, stated that he resided in Christchurch, and that he had about fifty years’ experience in the use and manufacture 01 firearms, during which time he had considerable experience with shotguns, rifles and revolvers. He had himself also done a considerable amount of shooting. The rifle in Court was a .22 calibre Browning automatic. The trig-ger-pull was about 41b pressure, but .should be 5 lb. He had made -tests with this rifle, and presented two sheets to the Coroner detailing results. From a plan of the room represented on tile floor of the Court, witness stated that had Wogan sat on the chair inspecting the rifle (looking down the barrel) and turned his head to the right and been playing with the trigger and pulled it accidentally, the wound as described could have resulted. The Coroner stated that the track of the bullet had been horizontal, which had been shown by medical evidence. Witness answered that this was possible. If this had happened, the rifle would, have fallen to tli e floor of would have been discovered grasped tightly by the hand of deceased. Deceased would liavq fallen forward to the floor. In answer to a further question by the Coroner, witness stated that the farthest the muzzle of the rifle could have been away from the head if the shot was fired as suggested was seven inches.

The only way the rifle eouhl have been found as it had been would have been if somebody else had placed it there. Had anyone else fired the shot standing up and from the shoulder the track of the bullet would he slightly downward, if Wogan was sitting in a chair. If fired at “the ready.” the bullet would enter the head in a horizontal direction. After entering the head the bullet would gb into the shape of a mushroom, and witness •stated that parts of the bullet shown him would he identical with the broken part of a bullet so entering the head.

A Woman’s Evidence. Stella Boucher stated that she was a single woman residing now in Christchurch. In August last she was employed at the Hermitage. She, had been working near the chef Whaliey constantly. She frequently saw Whalley and deceased together and had heard them converse about horse racing. She had also heard them speak about betting. They appeared to he on friendly terms. She remembered the day deceased was found shot and on that afternoon, with Florence Johnson, she went over to the site of the old Hermitage. Deceased was playing tennis that- afternoon and Whaliey was going out shooting, and -he said that he would come over to where they were and would have some afternoon tea about 3.30 p.ni. Whaliey arrived carrying a gun and said that lie was out shooting rabbits and that lie hadn’t shot anything. He told them he had borrowed the gun irom Mrs Brustad. At 6.5 p. ni. that evening, witness continued, she was looking out of liei bedroom window and she heard a shot which did not sound very far away. Her bedroom was upstairs at the hack of the bunding. About five minutes later witness went to set the staff’s table. Harry Stinson, who was wonting in the kitchen, told witness to get some brandy and she went down to Mr Elms’s room, hut lie was not there. Witness met him at the pantry door. She told him she was looking for him, but he did- not say anything and seemed in a hurry. The chef and Wallace Williams were standing by deceased’s bed and witness asked what was the matter. One of them replied that they thought lie had grazed his head. Deceased was lying on the bed and she had a look at the wound, and looked round and saw the chef with the gun in his hand between the bed and the settee. He placed the gun at the end of the settee against the wall. She did not see any cartridges on tlm floor. Mr Elms did not say anything. She had a discussion with Whaliey later in the evening and hold her where deceased was standing behind the door with the gun in his hand and said when he heard the shot he thought deceased was firing at him. Whaliey said that deceased was sitting on the settee with the gun between his legs. In the evening when they were discussing the shooting Whaliey seemed to lie terribly upset. Witness said slie remember ed the day Inspector Baird and Constable Macintosh arrived at the Hermitage. Before she was interviewed by the Irisjiector, Mr Elms said to her that the less that was said the better, as someone would ho ending up with perjury.

Charles Dighy Elms, licensee of the Hermitage, said that he did net warn the last witness to he careful wliati she said, but had told the employees that the Inspector would be interviewing them. He did not hear her say anything to him at the pantry door. When he first went into Wogan’s room lie saw the rifle on the settee and lie took it up to inspect it to see that there was no more ammunition in it and placed it back from where lie picked it up. When lie came back from ringing Constable} Macintosh, the rifle was outside the door. Prior to his first going into the room no oiiu but Williams and Whaliey had been in the room. The Coroner, Mr C. R. 'Orri Walker, returned the following verdict : /‘That William Edward ’ Wogan died on Nevember sth, 193 i, at the Hermitage, Mount Cook, from lacer- j ation of the brain substance and haemorrhage, the result of a btillee wound fired from a .22 rifle. The facts so far proved in iffy opinion definitely exclude the conclusion that deceased committed suicide. They also are, in my opinion, inconsistent with a, definite conclusion that the deceased accidentaly shot himself. The matter is now one-for the police to take such further action as they may be advised, and the inquest may he legally re-opened if. the occasion warrants this course.”