A PIONEER'S FATE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 24, 26 March 1915, Page 2

A PIONEER'S FATE.

Drowned in a Drain.

Discovery After Three Days.

The chad body of Mr David Dalton, ore of Pukekohe's oldest identities, was found on Wednesday morning in an open drain that runs along Nelson street, Pukekohe. The deceased was last seen olive on Saturday night, and his residence is situated in Nelson street about five chains distant from where his body was dncovered, th 3 street beir.K without a footpath. It is presumed that whilst walking heme from th« town in the rcugh, wet and boisterous wea'her that prevailed on Saturday evening the deceased in the darkness atepptd oil" the road on to the adacent sue waste ar.d fell into the drain, whicn

is overgrown with blackbe:ry bushes. He had attained the age of 78 years and naturally beiug feeble and weak it ia apparent that the dense urns of blackberry growth prevented him from nawhng out of the drain, whie'i at tn j ■ine was full of water, a-;i1 hrin< una !e to get on his L'ga aiaia lie *ai drowned. Living alone, it was hi-.; usual custom to visit one or other ot ttu members of his family fur the week-end and consequently hi* absence from horns at lirst gave no cause for aiann uatil enquirifs ainjng his relatives reveaUd the fact that he was not staying w.th any of them. A search for his whereabouts was undertaken on WcdnescUy morning, and the body was fojnd as staled by Mr Bernman, his son-in-law.

The late Mr Ualton was a native of Biifast, Ireland, and arrived in Auckland in the sailing ship Uanfr.es a little ever ha If-a-century ago. For a fhort period he engaged iu farming in Tuakau and then came to Pukikohe, where he lived ever since In his younger days he was a member of the Volunteer Force ard held tha rank of Sergeant-iJajor. Be is survived by a widow and a grown-up family of threa sons and four daughters. THE INQUEST. An inquiry into the circumstances attending the d.aih was held yesterday morning by Mr R. F. Webster (jeputy-coroner). , Ihe following jury was empanelled, viz :—Messrs J. Coady (foreman), J. Reid, M. McJntyre, E. MilUr, T. Breen and G. Roadley. Before evidence was caffed the jury after viewing the body inspected the spot where the fatality occurred.

John Dalton identified the body as that of his father, who haj been living by himself in a house in Nelson street, Pukekohe. He wan 78 or 79 years of age and had been in bad health for soma time past, having been an inmate of a hospital for a perk-d of two years. Witness last saw deceased on Satuiaay afternoon and found him missing on Tuesday evening whan he went to his housa and discovered tha door locked. He m4de enquiries that evening without avail aid next morning (Wednesday) searched for him in company with his brother-in-law (Mr A. Berriman), who found him dead in a drain in Nelson street, the face being downward and being partly covered by water in the drain. The blackberries growing on the edge of the drain had been broken down. Witness considered that it would have been Impossible for deceased to have extricated himself from the position he was in owing to the state of his health. Witness was acquaioted with the drain. It had baeu there fur the past twelve months, but he did not know any particular purposa that it served. The Borough Council put tha drain there. His father knew all the drains on the road, Ihi drain was covered *i?« «rnwth. His father had possible w Jked on the side of the road where ttv; drain was because it wjs a d*rk night and he might not r.ave seen where he was going. Witness presumed that his father met his death on SaturJay night. Dr Alexander Bronte deposed that he had attended the deceased within true last three months, and saw him on Saturday la>t about live or six o'clock. From the congested state of his body he was of the opinion that be had died from suffocation by drowning. Recently deceased had been in bad health and within the lasst 15 months had undergone two very serious operations, which had weakmed.him. Judging by tfn> drain, ite perpendicular sides and the roughnesH of the uight on Saturday, he considered it would,* have been impossible for the cta;ed to have extricated himself from the drain He (witness) passed along the same road at 10 p.m. on .Saturday night last and experienced difficulty in finding his way in the darkness, and could quite imagine a person wandering from t-ie footpath that uight.

Robt. Ualton, arother son, spoke to having seen his father in King street, Pukekohe, on Saturday about 7 p.m. He was then sober. Andrew Berriman Rave particulars as to finding the bodv. He first found an unopened letter and an umbrella undec the blackberry brambles and looking into the drain he saw the deceased's body. The bodv was decunpos-d and had evidently been there soma days. Deceased preferred to live alone, and it yyai not an infrequent occurrence for him to be away a ! couple of days at a time. D:ceased said last week that he intended to visit a daughter a: Waiuku. After making enquiries from the motor car drivers and being informed that deceased ha J nut travelled witb. th.'in, he deified to search for him, and on Wednesday morning started thj search. I'he last he had seen of deceased was at thj Auction Mart on Friday last, and it was then that deceased told him he was going to Waiuku. The drains in Nelson street were not a menace to ordinary people. The jiry returr.ej a verdict that deceased met his death by sufFoetntion through drowning.