THE TEWERA TRAGEDY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 3, 2 August 1916, Page 2

THE TEWERA TRAGEDY.

, VERDICt OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH. , 'An inquest concerning the death . 1 Arthur Simmons, who was accidentally shot while out pig shooting at .It Wera on Sunday, was held at the ' Stratford Magistrate's Court yesterI day before Mr A. W. Heid, J.P., and [a jury of six, consisting of Messrs S. jWard, G. Mills, G. Hall, W. Lauder, . Edgecombe and J. Petrie. 1 C. Simmons, Strathmore, said he 'had seen the body recovered from the | hush and indentiiied it as that of his j brother, the Into Arthur Simmons. ! Sidney Wiles, a shepherd residing 'at Te Wera, said he had known deceased about eight years. On Sunday morning a shooting party consisting .of deceased, Lester Hodgson and witness left Te Wera at about six. o'clock. They all had guns. They shot over j Nolan's and Wallace's properties. ; Deceased met his death in Wallace's ■bush. At about four p.m. the party jwas returning home, witness being in the lead, walking about a chain ahead of Simmons. Hodgson was about ten yards behind deceased. He heart! a shot fired behind him and on looking round heard Simmon's call "Ob Sid, I'm shot." At that time Hodgson was about ten yards behind deceased. Hodgson's gun was laying ion the ground and be was standing still. Deceased was standing up when he.called out and lie (witness) immediately ran back. Witness asked deceased where he was shot and if be j could do anything for him, but lie ■made no reply. Deceased was still standing and as he collapsed witness caught him. He never spoke again and died almost immediately. Witness, after satisfying himself that Simmons was quite dead, returned to Te Wera, accompanied by Hodgson. A party was arranged to go into tinbush that evening, but he was unable to accompany it. Hodgson was also unable to accompany the searchers. Where the fatality occurred the bush was very thick, the supplejack and lawyers overhanging the track everywhere. Deceased and Hodgson were always friends. As they turned for home witness unloaded his gun. At the time be went back to the deceased be could not say if Hodgson's gim was loaded or not. Hodgson's gim was produced in Court and after being examined by witness was reported to be in good order. Both his and Hodgson's guns were left on the trade as they were too exhausted to carry them. They were recovered next morning. On arriving at Te Wera they rang up for the police. The accident occurred about four miles from Te Wera. I i Dr. Steven said at the request of the police he examined the body of Arthur Simmons. He noticed perforations on the back and below the left shoulder blade. The injuries appeared to be produced by a shot gun. The (pellets which made perforations had • gone through the chest wall and must have entered the left lung and the heart. The injuries could have been caused by a shot gun fired at a ten yards range. There were no other serious injuries to the body. lvronij the appearance of the body lie would 1 say deceased was a good healthy man. I Lester Hodgson said lie was carry- ' . ing the gun (produced) over his right shoulder with the muzzle pointing in i (the direction of deceased, who was (walking about ten yards ahead. Something caught the gun and it exploded.: He looked round and saw that a j supplejack had got caught in the hammer, which was the cause of the gun going off. The gun was not cocked.) He had loaded it before entering the jbush. When the gun went off, de|ceased looked round at him and said. "Oh Sid! I'm shot!" Witness fold Wiles he would go for help, but lie said that it was no good as deceased iwas dying. Witness did not go near him again, and afterwards returned to Te Wera. Witness said he was overcome with what had occurred and did not remember much about it afterwards. He had had the gun for about three months, and that was the first time he had been out shooting. He had fired about five shots that day. j In answer to a juryman, witness said lie did not know if deceased I knew that he was not used to fire'arms. j Constable Robertson was one of a 'party with Sergeant Dale .who went to j Wallace's Bush from Te Wera to search fur and bring the body in. They 'met a party who had been searching unsuccessfully all night. They subsequently found the body lying face downwards with the coat on. About the middle of the hack'he could see! I where a charge of shot had entered;

j There were no other ran fits on the body to suggest death. The body was removed to the Stratford morgue. On the return journey the gun produced With another was recovered and wns now in the possession of the police. | The jury returned a finding that the deceased, Arthur Simmons, met his death accidentally through ;i gun shot wound caused by the explosion of a gun carried by Lester Hodgson, and that no blame was attached to Hodgson, who had the smpathy of the jury. The jury also recorded their sympathy with the relatives of deceased.