THE LATE FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1283, 18 May 1880, Page 2

THE LATE FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.

An inquest was held yesterday afters noon at the Medora. Hotel, before G. Sumpter, Esq., J.P., acting Coroner, and and a jury, of whom Mr. John Marks-was-foreman, touching the death of Charles Haggie.. . The j ur y haying viewed the body, the Coroner pointed out that from tbe information he had received prior to the inquest he had not thought it necessary to order a post mwt&ji .examination ; but if, after the evidence had been heard they had any doubt 3 as to which direction the shot had taken effect he would take upon

himself to adjourn the inquiry to enable a qiedical examination, to be held. He did not wish to convey any impression that the deceased had met his death in any way than by accidentally shooting himself j but it was their dijty to iwke the fullest possible inquiry. - Thefollo wing evidence was then taken;— Geotge Finn, being sworn, said: lam a clerk in Mr. Hannay's office, in Oamaru. I live in 'Mrs. Haggie's boardingrhoqse. I have seen the body nqw on view, and recognise it to be Charles Haggie, the son of Mrs. Haggie, with whom I board. He has been living there during the last three weeks, while I been there. He was seventeen years,of age,, and I was fourteen last July. We both left Oamaru yesterday (the 16th), on foot, at about half-past six, to go out shooting. We went down the South Road. Haggie had a double-barrelled gun, and I had a singlebarrelled one. We had about twentyfive charges. We went to Kakanui and shot some birds, but I do not know how

many shots were fired. We then went to Mr. O'Grady's, and got there about three in the afternoon. We did not go to any house from the time we left Oamaru till we went to O'Grady's, Mr, Q'Grrady was there, and two other rpen whom J do not know. We went into the sittingrroom, and stayed there about a quarter of an hour. Mrs. O'Grady gave us some biscuits. Haggie took some. I had port wine, Mr- O'Grady having asked nae what I Tyoul.d have to drink, Haggie had lemonade, After I had had the ope glass of wine one of the men told O'Grady to give us another drink. He gave me port wine and Haggie shandygaff. The two men had a beer each. One of the men, called Dick, paid O'Grady for them. I remained about five minutes after this. I have not had any wine for the last twelve months. The glass of wine djd not affect me at all. I was quite sober. The dproeajsed was sober, and righ't to all appearance. When we left I carried the single.-barrellied gun. It was, not loaded. Haggie parried the doublerbarrelled gun, which was also not loaded. After leaving a few minutes we loaded them. We went along the North Road. Aftpv going alopg the r.oad abojit hfil£ a piije we went intp a paddock, and .regained there a minute or two, and then pame out again, going on q,bout forty yards. There was a gorge fence round the paddock. When going into , the paddock I went first, and deceased came but first. -He crawled through the fence. Before going through he laid the gun ; against

the fence. I then handed him first the doable and then the single-barrelled gun over the fence, which was about four feet high. When j had handed the guns over I did not see what he did with thpm, as I was crawling through the bottom of the fence. When I had' got about my head through the fence I heard the gun go off. I looked up and saw the deceased fall. Ifhen J passed the guns over thg hammers were down on the caps, When ha had the guns I saw him pulling his pog.t as if he was going- to fasten- it. I came out when I heard the report and saw him falling, and when I gob to him the gunsi were lying one on each side of him. He I sang out " George, George." When I got to him I saw the smoke and unbuttoned his coat, as 'I "thought he was s}}ot under the arm. He said he was dying, IJe d|ed Jn a few's.eopnds. ESath guns were fully loaded wheiv I passed them over the fence. When he died I put his hat Over his fage and povergd him with my coat, J then, fired off the two, barrels—one out of the single .ajid- out of the double-barrelled gun. . I then wont to Mr. O'Grady's and' . told him'; what.. had happened. - I did not'lose my'presence of min'd, although ; I was : flurried; The charge out of the gun must' have, .'passed upwards. • ; As we were' going along the wwere ' advisecl ' Taylor and o'Mridii J r into theipaddpcjc to look' forja phpasant.',. ■ did ; not.see^anything,;.althqugh ? they said

the pheasant was: at . the brow of the hill. ißoth my papgnits = are; living, at Waimate.. I did not J notice . anything wrong with eithjer of the guns. -I have been out shooting thtee or four times before.. When goiiig ipto the paddock, T got over the fence firsts and H aggip handed ovpr the guns. He got through the bottom of the fence. Haggie had. agun that I borrowed from Mr. Gowl The one I had belonged to deceased.

Barney G'Grady deposed : I am a storekeeper residing at Reidston. I recognise ' the body now on view as that of Charles Haggie. : He called at my place on Sun- j day with the last witness at about threej o'clock. He went into the sitting-room,' where I was with two- persons named George Matthews and Robert Horseman. They were both quite sober as far as I know. When the deceased came in I - asked whether he would have some bis-i cuits, and he . said " Yeß, , for I feel hungry." When I gave them to him he ' put them into his pocket and commenced eating them. I gave them both biscuits and something to drink. I gave Finn a small glass of sherry and the deceased lemonade. .1. That is all they got from me out of my hands, and I do not think they got any more. They stopped about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. There was ilo second glass: of drink supplied while I was in the room. I went out of r the Toom while they, were there. Nobody' paid for the drink. I will swear that Matthews told me to give them. I did so, but charged nothing for it. Finn, to my had only one glass of wine. He was sober, and so was Haggie. They were quite friendly. Finn returned about after they had left. I was in the .kitchen. He tapped me on the shoulder and called me outside, and when I went out he told me Charley was dead; I said what happened to him, and he said he had shot himself. I inquired how he had done it, and he replied " Crawling through the fence." He said you had better" yoke up, the cart and take him into town. I replied that I could not do so till the police arrived, When the boy came he was all of a shake-and as white as a sheet, Aft he came out I met two other men. I" told them that a boy had shot himself. I then galloped up, thinking he might only be wounded, The body was lying on its back with the arm across the chest and one of the legs croioked up* wards. The face .was covered with deceased's hat, and there was % ooat over the body. I went up and found that he was 'quite dead. I covered him up and went at once for the police. I did not take any notice of the guns. I thought by the appearance of the wound when I saw it afterwards at the hotel .that the shot, had passed upwards in a slanting direction.

. George Finn, re-called, deposed : lam quite certain that I had two glasses of wine. The last one was, as well as the first, served by Mr. O'Grady. They were both, served in the presence of the two men who were in the room. Biok paid three shillings for them, Mr, O'Grady said he would owe him the sixpence. Michael Cleary deposed; I am a Constable, stationed at Oamaru. I pro* ceeded to Reidston yesterday in consequence of information I had received, and found-the body now on view, and I recognise it as Charles Haggie. It waa lying on the side of the road, about a mile from here, and was quite dead, I examined it, there was one wound by the point of the short rib, on the right side, about an inch and a quarter long and an inch wide, of an oval shape. The wound was apparently in 3 slanting direction pointing upwards through the chest. There were no other wounds, . I qauid not find any shot,in the wound, J found some gun-shot in the pocket, about two charges in the left hand pocket, and in the right hapd some wads. The witness Finn- gave me some gun-shot and caps, and they corresponded with that fauna on the body of the deceased, The guns were lying on the ground dose by, one single and one double, not loaded. The double had a discharged cap on the left nipple—the trigger of the right was halfcocked, and the cap corresponded, with that given by the witness Finn. I placed the double gW along the body of the deceased, the butt by his feet, and the muzzle reached about two inches above the wound.

.The Qoroner pointed out that .there was a discrepancy between the evidence given by the boy Finn and that of Mr. O'Grady, It was still very difficult to ascertain in what manner the accident happened, The jury, after a brief consultation, re* Turned a verdiot to the effect that the deceased had met his death by accidentally shooting himself.