MURDER AT THE DUNSTAN.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 88, 8 September 1863, Page 5 (Supplement)

MURDER AT THE DUNSTAN.

An inquest was held at the Manuhevikia Junction on the 12th instant, on the body of a man found floating in the river the previous day. From the evidence adduced it is supposed it is the body of a German named Guetzienker, lately working: at the Cardrona. Drs. Anderson and Lo»d were examined, the substance of whose depositions are as follows : — Dr Anderson deposed — I have made a post mortem examination of the deceased, and found externally the greater part of the scalp removed. The skull was fractured in front, and an indentation in size like that of a florin was made, the bone pressing upon the brain. Another fracture reached over the head to the base of the skull, which was fractured very extensively. I found fourteen wounds upon the body, most of them being on the face. The fracture of the skull and wounds upon the various parts of the body were to a certainty inflicted before death. I can swear positively that all the incised wounds now visible were inflicted before death, and that no one of them was made by any substance against which the body may have run in the river current. The instrument with which the wounds were inflicted most likely was »a tomahawk or a shingling hammer. The fracture of the skull, in shape and size like a florin or half a crown, must have been made with a round ended weapon, such as a shingling hammer. I have examined the viscera'and found them all perfectly healthy, and have ascertained that the man was quite dead before he was in the water. The fracture of the skull was such as to cause instantaneous death. The nature of the injuries is such that I can positively state that no accident could have produced them and that they were inflicted by violence from the hand of some persons or person with either one or more instruments. Dr JLord deposed— f have examined the deceased, aud found the skull fractured at the back part of the frontal bone and the occipital bone was also extensively fractured. I found five large incised wounds on the face. One was over the right eye and one over the left. There was one on the penis of a peculiar class, which might have been inflicted by a kick ; but at any rate it was inflicted before death. It is difficult to say how long the deceased has been in the water, but to the best of my judgment about six or eight days. Fracture of the skull was the cause of death, and deceased did not die from asphyxia by drowning. The jury returned a verdict of " wilful murder against some person or persons unknown." A strict inquiry is being made by the police.