A VIOLENT END.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 602, 27 November 1909, Page 3

A VIOLENT END.

At the Wellington morgue yesterday afternoon, Dr. W. A. M’Arthur, District Coroner, conducted an inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Andrew Edwards, whose body was discovered on the beach at Kaiwarra on Friday night. Maria Matilda Edwards, wife ot the deceased, stated that they had been married about nineteen years, and resided at Khandallah. Prior to her husband’s disappearance, they had not lived happily together, and that proceedings had been instituted by her for summary separation, the summons for which had not been served. Deceased was not aware of her action. On Thursday, November 11, her husband returned home about 5 p.m. He bore evidences of having taken drink. He went out at intervals for more liquor, endeavoured to enter her room (into which she bad locked herself) by the door and the window', but afterwards became quieter. Witness finally went to bed, and subsequently heard a gun shot. Looking out, she saw her husband standing .with his back to her, with a gun in his hand. He had evidently fired from the kitchen into the dining-room. Witness went back to - her room, and then heard sounds as if deceased were reloading the gun. She escaped through the window to a neighbour’s house, where she stayed lor the rest of the night. Early next morning she returned to the house, and on opening the door saw bloodstains, but did not see deceased then, nor since.

Dr. W. Kyngton Fyffe, who conducted the post-mortem examination of deceased, described the condition of the body. Certain wounds had been inflicted, and deceased had probably fallen unconscious into the water. The cause of death was asphyxia, due to drowning. tie was at a loss to explain how deceased could have reached Kaiwarra, a distance of a mile and a half, if the wounds were inflicted at Khandallah. The coroner found in accordance with the medical evidence. There was no evidence to show where the wound was Inflicted, and therefore he was unable to determine how deceased got into the water.