Coroner's Inquest.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 136, 8 May 1884, Page 3

Coroner's Inquest.

An inquest was held at the Clarendon Hotel, at 2 o'clock this afternoon, before D. H. Macarthur, Esq., District Coroner, as to the circumstances attending the death of Thomas Symons, who was killed yesterday when engaged m a bushfelling contract on Mr Carroll's property m Kairanga. The evidence was taken of the two mates of deceased, viz., a Native named Foreman, and a , coloured man named John Brown. The evidence showed that deceased and the Native had been scarfing three trees, back and front, which they intended should fall m a certain . direction. The deceased. was finishing .scarfing a big pine tree, while the Native was oatting away some smaller timber between the others. The coloured man (Brown) was working by himself a distance of some five chains off. Just then a breeze of wind came up, and the furthest off tree commenced to crack ominously. It had been intended that the three trees should oome down m the one fall. When the Native heard the cracking of the furthermost tree, he was aware that it was going to fall m a different direction from that in- ..' tended. Knowing that the deceased would be m danger, he sang out loudly three times " Look out, Tom." He thinks that the noise of the falling tree very probably prevented his warning being heard. Then th© crash came, and he heard nothing of deceased. Calling his other mate, they ran to the big pine tree where Symons had been working. The tree still stood, but a large limb had been knocked off, which had come crash on top of deceased. When found he was standing m a slightly stooping position with his legs across a large root from the pine tree. His axe was still m *his hand, and blood , was flowing from his ears, mouth, and nostrils. It was seen that the poor fellow was quite dead, and he never uttered a word or exclamation after he was found. There was a deep indentation m the skull (though the skin was not broken on the outside,) showing that the brain had been crashed, and death must have been as instantaneous as from a rifle bullet. The assistance of some men who were working at a road contract close by was obtained, and the bodf was removed to the roadj when a man was despatched to town for the police and a conveyance to take m the remains. Mr Carroll had been on the property just before, and on returning missed the noise of the axes. He did not know what had happened till he came ont on the road, when he learnt that the body had just been sent down. A verdict m accordance with the facts . was returned, the death being clearly the result of accident.