INQUEST.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 80, 20 August 1873, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest was held on Monday last at 2 o’clock p.m. in the Court-house, Gisborne, before W. K. Nesbitt, Esq., R.M.,oneof her Majesty’s Coroners for the Colony of New Zealand, as touching the death of one William Oilerton, found dead on Sunday, the 17th of August. The following Jury were empanne"e:l: — Arthur Parnell (foreman), Andrew Graham, John Dick, William Langford, Matthew Hall, Samuel Stevenson, William Barsdell, Benjamin Hartnett, Thomas M. Bryant, Bobert Steggall, Matthew Nasmith, Richard Kelly, Robert Cooper, James Morgan, George Guise Mill. On being duly sworn, the Jury retired to inspect the body, and shortly after returned to Court. The first witness called was Sergt. Shirley, who stated that the death had been reported to him at 5 o’clock last evening. “ I proceeded to a whare, on the other side of the river, about two miles away, in company with Mr. Cuff and Mr. Wyllie, and recognized the body as that of William Oilerton lying dead in the bed. He was lying on his back, with bed clothes around him ; a candle was by the bedside which seemed to have been blown out. I examined the boay. There were no marks of violence, but blood was oozing from his mouth; the body was not colored, but from the smell I should say putrefaction had set in. I took possession of the whare, and reported the matter to the Coroner.” By a Juror: The door was closed, but not fastened. The body was not distorted. Alexander Wyllie: I went to the whare about 3 o’clock on Sunday afternoon to call Oilerton to dinner. I could not open the door at first. I pushed away the spade which secured the door, and then entered. I thought he was asleep. I could not hear him breathe. I returned home and told my brother and sister who went to the whare and found he was dead. , F. Stanhope: I was ordered by Sergt. Shirley to go to the whare, and on doing so I found the body lying dead as described. It was much decomposed, especially about the head, and blood running from the mouth. Dr. Smith examined the body, and while doing so I found the bottle produced. I also found' a pannikin which had some liquid in it, and a sediment at the bottom. I also found another bottle which apparently had had some spirit* in it. The. whare was undisturbed. The pannikin was within 8 inches of his head. He could have reached the bottle from where he lay. William Aitkin : I knew the deceased. I saw him last alive on Saturday, 16th inst., in his whare, I was there for about two hours. I should .ay it was between 11 a.m.'wnd Ip.m. He said h» had been down to town. He did not complain of feeing ill. We divided the two nobbiers he had in between us. He was not drunk.

He told me he had some poison in the whare for the purpose of killing the hawks. 1 did not see the bottle now produced. He said he was going to kill a pig, and if I would come up next morning he would give me some of it. I went there about 11 o’clock on Sunday morning. The door was shut, and apparently barred inside, 1 knocked but got no answer. 1 stayed there about ten minutes and came away. By a Juror: A dead cat lying in the whare gave rise to our conversation about the poison. We drank the grog out of a pannikin.

James Wyllie said: I recognize the bottle produced, I mixed the contents myself, they.are bluestone in a solution strong enough to poison any one taking it. I had two maggotty sheep, and gave Ollerton the poison to dress them with. I gave it to him seven or eight months since. Deceased had been living with me as a servant for about sixteen months. I saw him daily. He was in feeble health latterly. He complained of rheumatism. He did not appear to be a man likely to commit suicide. There had been a slight change in his temperament during the last three months. I saw him about 12 o’clock on Saturday in Gisborne. He was quite sober. I spoke to him. He was not in the habit of drinking and had been a total abstainer for the l*st. sixteen months. William B. Smith said : I have examined the deceased to-day. I saw no marks on the body except those caused by decomposition. My opinion is that poison is the cause of his death. The general syptoms are those produced by poison, such as protuberance of the eyes, contraction of the muscles of the hands, and the rapid decomposition of the body. The Jury retired for about an hour, and brought in the following verdict: “ That, in the absence of medical testimony to the contrary, the Jury are of opinion that the deceased came to his death from natural causes.”