CORONER'S INQUEST.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 91, 24 August 1878, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

X iuty> oi JAvhiclr Mr J. JifcGnlldch; was chosen fQrfeniaTi, ;^i"s ~enYprtnoUed*a^l- - Whyjrb's Hotel, Fpxtpn,: to inquire-intb^ ; flic : ciMamstancc^ffceading^!'^ cLeath of Charlotte Taylor: :: •:•; - " ' '. : W ; ~ ;■■■ ; s r- Samuel /Baker/ .cljeck^pf |the 1 Court, deposed to tlio "dec'eased^liaVin's" ;baehv ieltiirged with being ofj nhsam^- s mind, and remanded to Wellingtpn for '" inedical^xaminatibn= uudier^th^ the purser of the steamer JaaeDpuglaaT and Mrs Wahte. - %.: : : ; ;- ;; ) ; , : Henrjr HaTrnett : I am .purser.' r ; of the Jane Douglas. : I was swofn.m^. , ki the R.Mv Court; Poxtp^ as special/ I constable* to tako charge : of a lunatia;;' woman, witk^ The deceased ia that • S&:Ava^j j brought; - on board bv^, "a.- "pfirpbh-^wh^ ; stayed wi th her until^'lifc M&s r^lieTpd ; : V by MrsiWahle, who took^EargeTof her * till tea-time.; !She was relieved fpr tea^ and refcuVnod ;to , he^Tiel^r^ -■ past 9. She |was then relieved asby ia seanpn.^ ; I; looked at her aboijJCJLft 'o'clbijkiwShp Jwa?^ 3U r ,right.{]thenj;iap-.v;r paronely iii.a sound [""sleep. "X^uVnedin, and was awoke by thes toward :atout 12^^. ; who told me the.. woman;: 'W,as-.missingv.^ I got tip and drcsse3 : 'iriyseif aiicl searched the hold, and fpund_theirope; ... with which' she had been, tied closely the ruddpr-eliain on the;^tarboard. Two> men went ashova -,to- seavcli the beach^. but could find -no traSes>bf th^deeease^^ Thp steamer was^^und;vinsidiß-th>: :bar. : Captain 'Eraser and 1 myself #enfe'o"v 7i aiii. dhj;ijhursilf^varidli?ipund the body- "otovttiß^ |^ch^at'Uigh^ 5 ; water mark, 75 yards : fr<ira^ ;the';vesselt " W6 "returned to: the', steanier for helpi; ; ■tpjok,-. the body oh : Bpard^and returned; T tp"ltoxton» ; "-- ; :^ ':;-;. l; ;^ ;V;;;r .- >>: :; '>' :By; ; -ifoe Jury vi Th© ofi ; 4eclc ! ha4i;ord>rs to; cksely watch •l£cPde*i : .eoase4.i 'i -y'y \ ' ,'■ .V^^x >'■■ -'.^ v • ; 5y GohstabJe ; (3i)lespj|o>: I^wis gnjfc^ instructed to take; cU'arge i ; of- papers and^^ luggage. lonly^held'^yseip^sp^niibte^" t^ra beirtain elstent fot the w6m*n J i^ sSfety. I did not consider tlpt shejwaar ; fully mmy pharge; I |ef t her 'l4' charge;- J ".' of others b^cjiusel-wa^^red?^^ 0^;:'' 0 ' ;■;--■ T^Uhelmina "faille deposed : I was.; *- with the dPpeasedifrpm the; 17tli instant. .. I went pn. board the- steamer-, anii safe ~\'i wita ]£m until; half- past nine"; ,pri ; thei 1 ;' 21sfc.' . She .was tied with » ; r6ps^ ;' heir -* arms, hands, and logs'" were tied. ■ She-""" was'in the hold. When I weiii Pa. dock I took the steps r away. Iwen(r to '; bediaff -Captain Praser had promised mp she should i be^^fctended; jOv'by tho>/ w&tcfei Before ijrotired. twa perspna were- y?atphibig her : they were- bndeelt^-^ I heard that she wa,s missing aboutinuU night. ■■.--.;. : ' - ; -- '\"" rr \ ~ \ : , >" ■'•; . .■ . ":V-;-^ By Constable GfiUespip : I^id nptpgcvl out of the hold tuTspme onewas;by;to watcli. Captainj Eraser relieve^ i?Me. v . : ; ;;' "By ihd Jury:; I expected paythenfe for my services.; Prom.lmy;>kßibwledg»: v of her I did not think ...she pughfc to-hare beerileft alone, but^l was tired. Cap- ' tain Frasor told me to "go and lie dovrn and lie - wpiild watch.^ : -, : ..-,;:: Jainis Fras'er dbposed : Tarn maste^' y : ,of the Jane i Douglas. On 4«gust 2lst, I was informed "• tlvat vav I lunatip passenger^ jsras^coming aboard.fv I had a comfortable^ place -got readjjr fop her inn :t%%fter4\bld;P Slws T vvas tied \. iwhen she came; aboard. - I considered %c was;: perfectly vsafei- J sa\y-herla%ii' ' : ' at.9.1;5. wa)j lying! asleep, and .the "- ladder was> taken put of the hatchway^: I' tbldVthe' man who. had the - look-out" to} ■ keep- ;liis eyps on the woman, and np> l; aUo\v her. to coiiiepu deck, but to call the purser if she ; attempf ed to .' ,'moye; .- ?X then went to bed. :A; -few >ffifnute|. before njidnigiife I heard .-the steward: say that tiid \youicd w&a missing; : I #eijt

on deekr searched the after-hold, but could see- nothing! of her. I sent two men ashore to; search the beach. I got a lantern from the steward, searched all round the deck, and examined the, prppellor,:but : could find no trace -of the woman, At 1 o'clock we got the vessel afloat, and at purser and I went •shore *and % fouifd the body about 100 yards from- -the -place where the vessel lay when' we^ missed her. As soon as the tide, made' sufficiently, I returned to Foxton, i , *-- By tho Jury : The distance from the cargo to the combings of the hatch would be about 3ft 6in. or 4ft. . The ladder rested* on tho cargo. I can't account for her getting herself adrift. It was a dark night, The pilot, Nicholas, was aboard/and saw her a few minutes before she was missing. By Constable" Gillespie : The watch on decked charge of;, her, no one was deputed, to 'watch her below., I told Mrs Wahle,.that the watch would look after her.. Every precaution was taken for her safety. John^Bradey, an A.B. who was on watch on "Wednesday night, from 10 to 12, deposed : I was tokl to look out for tho ship, and to see that the mad woman did not come on deck As often as I looked down below, she was lying asleep. ;'l'9Ks her. at 10 minutes to 12, when I. went 6n to tho -bridge till I should bo cr rjcltcved. I staid on the bridge iill/tt was almost time* to strike 8 bells.- X was dark. I could not sco the woraW'ffbm the bridge unless she .was m the light of the after-hold. The J^ssel was on. shore.. I had to watch. jh|b the ahip" and the won* an. I was tnconly watch on deck. Elizabeth Taylor : I recognise the deceased, as being ray mother, she was 42 yeafsr of age. I saw her last alive on Wednesday- tho 21st. Fredrick ''Edwards: I am steward of the Jane Douglas, when deceased was brought "on" Board, a rope was loosely tied round her. I took it off, and cut'itqirito three pieces, lashing her arms with: one piece her wrists with the other, and her knees with the remainder. I made up a good bed for her m the after h01e,, . At 7,o'clock I let her hands adrift that-she'might have some tea,*'but made them fast again. I stayed m the hold with her ti/l 11.30, when she appeared to fall, asleep. I came on deck - and told the watch to give me a call, if sho cried out or wanted anything. The watch called mo about 5 minutes to 12, and told me she was gone. I called the purser. We searched but could find nothingf'but the rope. The wjtncss waß here taken to see the body,' and on returning produced a piece of rope, that was on the wrist of deceased, and, described how it had been made r fast. When found it bore evident marks, of the application of the teeth of the deceased. Tho jury after an hour's deliberation agreed upon the following verdict :— "That the deceased Charlotte Taylor, jnet her goaih by drowning m the Manawatn River, near Foxton, having jumped overboard from the steamer Jane Douglas, on -the- night of the 21st day of An'gust, 1878, whilst of un. sound mind, and that culpable negligence has been shown m regard of «iid Charlotte Taylor's safe keeping whilst m the custody of the special Constable Charlos Harnett, and the nurse, Mrs "Wilhelmina WahUy who had retired io bod two lionrs previously. Harnett, and Wilhelmina Wahle, werq.ihen charged with manslaughter, and committed for trial at mc next sitting of the Snprem© Court, Wellington!/* + Bair was found, and ac- , ceptedjin each case, for £100,