THE PARNELL POISONING CASE. Report to the Government.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 199, 16 April 1887, Page 8

THE PARNELL POISONING CASE.

Report to the Government.

Wellington, April 13. Mr Bisiiop, R. M. at Mongonui, wires the Native Minister as follows re death of Hakuene and others ;—"; — " I proceeded to Peria with Dr. Trimniell, and found several hundred natives assembled on Saturday, and the funeral fixed to take place in an hour. Knowing the aversion of the natives to interfere with a dead body, I was not sanguine, and almost regarded the request for the body as already refused. I addressed the assembled natives at length, telling them what I had come for and the urgent reasons for granting my request. They were very stiff, and nothing that I could say would induce them to allow me to open the body, and that it was useless my staying there and talking. I, however, me% their arguments one by one and used all my personal influence to induce them to come round, and I could see that I was> making an impression. At last they agreed to adjourn the funeral for an hour and to talk the matter over privately, the result being that they agreed to hand me the body at the grave to do as I thought fit with. This I consented to. The doctor performed a post-mortem in the porch of the church, removing the stomach and other portions, which we now have ready to forward to Auckland for analysis. I swore in a mixed jury for the inquest, and after viewing the body adjourned. The funeral was very largely attended by both Europeans and natives. The report will -be both interesting and satisfactory I trust, for it is an important precedent in like matters, as in the past it has been quite impossible to induce natives to give over a body for dissection."