INQUEST.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 998, 16 February 1883, Page 3

INQUEST.

A coroner’s inquisition was held at Ballam’s Hotel, Waverley, on Tuesday, before C. A. Wray, Esq., touching the .death of Michael Sweeney, who was ■accidentally hilled on the previous day |by a fall from a horse. Robert Brewer, formerly? residing near Waverley, deposed that, when returning home from Waitotara on Monday morning, in a buggy, with his mother and sister, at about twenty minutes past five, oh arriving within half a mile of Moqinhaki Station he saw a horse,: saddled Iknd bridled, standing on the main road. On looking closer he saw a body lying near to the horse. He got out of the buggy and found that the body was dead. Deceased was lying on his-right -side, wilh his head towards the fence. He did not know deceased, and immediately came to Waverley and reported the matter to Constable Lyslcr. There was some about llvb imouth’Ymd nose; and there were some quirks on the ground as though a horse had fallen. James Leo, storekeeper at Waverley, said he had known deceased for the Inst eleven months. He was a private teacher at Hearn and MotUahaki. Last saw, him alive on Saturday morning. '"Witness considered him a bad rider. Should estimate his agent from thirty-eight to forty. Believed ho came from Galway, in the west of Ireland, and was not aware that he.'had anv relatives in the colony. Deceased had injured his right knee through a previous fall, and that might have interfered with his seat in riding. He w.*s a steady man. Janies Kennedy, farmer at Moniahaki, said deceased, was teaching at a private school for Mr Hearn and himself. Last saw him about eleven o’clock on Saturday, when he was riding an iron grey horse. He was steady, but a bad rider. Constable Lysler gave evidence that ho had proceeded to where the ho ly was discovered, and .saw? marks which led him to believe that the horse which deceased Weis Hdingnhad fallen froni an 'incline on to the road.

Dr Croft, who made the post mortem examination, deposed that injury to the spine was the probable cause of death. There was no other evidence, and the jury returned a verdict, “ That deceased was accidentally killed by a fall from his horse.”