INQUEST.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4824, 27 April 1925, Page 2

INQUEST.

THE LATE HEMLI TE KEMABA. DEATH FROM NATURAL CAUSES. ‘ An inquest in connection with the death of tlie. late Hemi Te Kcmara, who was found dead in his whare on the Opetito block, Paeroa, on Sunday morning, was held hi the Courthouse, . Paeroa, on Monday afternoon before Mr F. E. Flatt, district coroner. Con- . stable A. J. Olson represented the police. Walter Watson Little, medical practitioner, Paeroa, stated that on Sunday, at the .request of a Maori named Gage, he had visitejd the whare and examined deceased, who was a Maori, aged about 65 years. There were no marks of violence, but the body was. very wasted. From the history and the appearance of the body witness wa-s of the opinion that deceased had died of consumption. He had never attended deceased. ■ In answer to the police witness said that in his opinion the wastage of the body had been caused by the disease rather than by neglect or starvation. Robert Walter Evans, Ohinemuri County clerk, Paeroa, said that ae . knew deceased very- well, and had last seen him alive on Saturday morning about 9 o’clock, when he took some • food over to him. At that time deceased was in a very weak state, and witness informed the police. Witness also saw Huhu Tukukino, a nephew of deceased, and told him that his uncle wa? very ill. When witness returned in the afternoon he was informed that Tukukino had visited deceased and had left word that iie would return again with his mother on Sunday. On. Sunday morning witness sent Mr A. Grant across to see how deceased was, and he came back and sai dthat the Native was dead. Deceased had prer violisly told witness that he was an old man, and would soon die. In reply to the coroner witness said that he had known deceased for about 28 years. During the past two ye|ars deceased had become very feeble, and the disease appeared to increase, The provisions given to deceased on Saturday comprised tea and bread and jam... Deceased did not want anything to eat, although he was usually fond of bread and jam; lie only expressed a desire for water to drink. Until recently deceased had not starved himself in any way, and witness had frequently brought stores from Paeroa for him. Deceased lived alone in the whare, and would not allow witness to obtain the services of a doctor or allow anyone to look after him.

Arthur Post Grant, assistant engineer, Public Worsk Department, Paeroa, corroborated the evidence of the previous witness, with whom he resided. Witness * detailed the finding of deceased dead in his bed on the floor of tlie .whare, and after informing Mr Evan-s he went for .the police. To the coroner witness said that ne had known deceased for four years, and had frequently seen him during that time. He had never seen -any Maoris visit deceased. There were no suspicious circumstances that he knew of that would cause or hasten death. Deceased was found in a halt sitting position, with his back aganist the wall. Huhu Tukukino, labourer, Komata, said that deceased was his uncl% and he had last seen him alive on Saturday at mid-day, when he had paid a visit on instructions from Mr Evans. Ho got deceased some water, and in conversation decease.d told him that his throat was dry and his chest sore. He offered to procure 3 nurse and a doctor, but deceased would not. let him. He accompanied his mother t<> the whare on Sunday afternoon and fomid that his uncle had died earlier in tlie. day. A Maori named Herekuhu used to visit deceased occasionally and take him food, but nothing had been said to witness about de-ceased being seriously ill. Deceased had. never had a doctor, aiid did not believe in them. Witness had told Harry Wicliffe and Mrs Gage that his uncle was very ill, but they did not visit him because there was a tangi on at the adjacent pah. In reply to the police witness said that he drew off two mugs of water from a tap and gave them to decoas; ed ,

To the coroner witness said that he noticed some bread and jam, and one piece of bread was partly eaten. He had asked deceased a number oft times to go to his mother’s house at Komata, but he always refused. Constable Herbert James Olson, relieving officer at Paeroa, gave evidence of being notified of the Maori's death and his visit to the whare. H& examined the body, but found no indication that deceased had died from other than natural causes.

T>’ giving his finding the corpner said that from the evidence his ve’rdict would be that deceased had died between the hours of mid-day on Saturday and 9 o’clock on Sunday morning from natural causes, accelerated by consumption, in accordance’witn the doctor’s testimony.,