Inquest.

Manawatu Herald, 4 November 1893, Page 2

Inquest.

•. -•» On Thursday an inquest was held by E. S. Thynne, Esq., Coroner, at the Courthouse, on the body of the late Arthur H. Osborne, familiarly known as " Ben " Osborne. The following jury were em panelled : — Messrs Nixon, Bradcock, Westwood, Redmond, Howard and Ooley. Mr Nixon was <*ho<?en Forp-

niah\ tf'he following evidence was I taken : — , Charles Ryan being sworn; de ; posed,—! had known the deceased " Ben " Osborne about two month. ; I was working with him at Papakiri, Manawatu, punting wood across the river ; on Monday the 28rd October we Were Crossing" the river iri a little" flat bottonied boat ; when we had got hal£ way across a ware swanlpett the boat, and we .both .went, undeii the water ; wheri I rbse I got hold ol the boat, and noticed the deceased swimming who sang out, " Come on ;" Dick Anderson came out to me in canoe and as I got in I saw the deceased go down under water ; the deceased told me he Was 25 years of age ;, he tcjld. me .his father ktigt .ft hotel in Nelson | he was a single man ; we crossed the river about 2 or 3 o'clock by the mill time ; there was a fresh in the river and windy ; I assisted in dragging for the body the same day, and every day aince, but it was not recovered by dragging ; some one found the body floating j the river is pretty deep where deceased sank. John Bcott being sworn, deposed, — I have known the deceased for a good number of years ; he was wor'cat Papakiri ; oil Moriday the October I was on the north bank of the river and I saw the last witness and the deceased in the water ; the deceased was swiriiriiiiig towards tHe sHorej 1 wrii on the bank and Ryan was holding on to the boat bobbing up and down in the water ; Dick Anderson was getting<a canoe to go to the men's assistance and I heard deceased call out "Go to Charley first ;" Anderson did so and rescued Ryan ; as Ryan was getting iilto ttie catioe the deceased called out " hurry up ;" he appeared to be treading water and I ran round the bank to get near to him and took off my clothes and when I got to the edge of the water he was under ; he never rose again ; I gave information to Constable Gillespie ; I have seen the body of the deceased and recognise him as Arthur Hoyt Osborne, though I knew him by the Christian name of "Ben;' s I know his lather lives 111 Nelson ; there was a good fresh in the river and a strong wind blowing ; the boat had trequently been used and in worse floods ; the deceased was a strong swimmer ; the last I law of him he wag straight up, and appeared to be in an eddy which may have sucked him down, James Murray, being sworn, deposed — I recognise the body . ot ihe deceased to be that bt. "Ben" Osborne, who has been working at Papakiri some time ; I have known him for 12 months ; on Monday the 28rd October I was on the bank of the river at Papakiri close to.; the flaxmill when I saw Charles Ryan and the deceased in the water, the deceased swimming to the northern shore, and Ryan swam to the boat ; I saw Dick Anderson go in the canoe to Charles Ryan, whom he picked up, and I heard deceased sing out " hurry up ;" Anderson hurried up but the deceased had sunk before he reached the spot ; yesterday at 25 minutes to 12 by the mill time I was standing on the bank of the river near the spot opposite to where the deceased sank, and I saw the body rise up head first and then floated face down ; I called out to Gledhill and Colernan who were in a boat on the river, that the body had floated, and they secured it and brougbi.it to shore, anfcUtb.at, is .(Ijhe body that is in the cdffiri. - O/Ci Henry Bradcock, being sworn, deposed — I have known the deceased for the past 12 or 14 years ; . his father is an hotel-keeper living at the Port, Nelson; he has , been acquainted of the deatbT Jif' bia| son, and of his body being found '{. the deceased's stepbrother has sent a telegram to me stating that the deceased's names are Arthur Hoyt Osborne, though I i have always known him as " Ben ;" I believe the deceased was a single man ; ; the deceased's father's name is Benjamin Osborne. . ■■ -..,- ..v-'-^i;^ The jury at once returned a terdiet that the deceased -was accidentally drowned by tfaJß upsetting of a boat on the Manawatu river at Papakiri on the 23rd October last.