Inquest.

Manawatu Herald, 1 March 1894, Page 3

Inquest.

m — ''" As reported in Tuesday's issue ; the body of the boy Reginald Long was found floating in the river about a mile below Mr Gardner's flaxmill * on Tuesday morning when.it was secured and information given to the police. >J Yesterday the Coroner, the C0n- .... stable, and the, Rev. G. Aitkens • visited Piaka and were kindly oared for by Mr and Mrs Gardner. The .'. deceased had been left in the river )( ' A ,f6r sanitary reasons until the jury could view the body, when it • Satefully placed in a cdffiri on "the river side and taken to the cemetery „ at Kereru. - The inquest was held in Mr ■**. Gardner's private hall, and the gentlemen were sworn in '<■': as a jury : P. A. H. Connell, G. H. Lloyd, 8. Short and S. Beauchamp. -Mr Lloyd was cho3eri foreman. ', After a view of the body the follow- ' '.ing evidence was taken. v Robert Gardner deposed — The ■•■ deceased Reginald Long was on a /"''visit for a few days at the end of ''December last ; he was twelve ye.ars and usually resided with, Iris .. p&ents in Wellington ; he was the sop of Charles Long who is a commercial representative of Henry - Brooks & Co., ot London. I have communicated the finding of the body to Charles Long and have had •- no reply from him. On the evening of the fourth of January the deceased Jw'as missed and though search was -made it was with no result. My . eon Douglas informed me yesterday that he had found the body down ; 'the i river. Douglas Gardner deposed — I have viewed the body of deceased to-day and I recognise it as the body of "Reginald Long, a lad who was staying on a visit_to iny.ia.ther. at tjae iafiter end of December ; it was ': on the fourth day of January that ' .the deceased was missed ; I last saw him about half-past three on th ! e afternoon of 'that day in the scutcher shed of .the flaxmill; he was pressing* tow rljiaii knight and the following ■> day kilearched for him in the bush and in \tfte fiver; on. Sunday the 7th I dived in the river close to the mill lust behind the scutcher shed to try' arid find the body and I came • across a "pitch ibrk which I renog""ljnsed as the one the deceased had j^finjjaing.on the afternoon of the ;i "M* into .^fie^niiil ; M^^ay^l; was mending the flood§sP^6wn itne river and noticed the Way flouting about in the back eddy abottHtf o y^rds from 'the shore ; I it and then left to inform •the tjJdrdriefr and the Constable ; •fjroin the appearauce of the body it gyas evident jt had been under the iwater «U the time ; the floodgate is about a mile away from the- mill down the- river. The jury immediately brought in averdiefc of " accidentally drowned."