THE INQUEST.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 281, 14 July 1888, Page 2

THE INQUEST.

The inquest was held at the Waihou Hotel, yesterday afternoon before Mr W. N. Searancke, coroner, of Hamilton, and a jury of six. Sergeant Emerson represented the police, and Mr Thos. Rowg was chosen foreman of the jury, Peter Alexander Sweeney, a labourer, residing at Waitoa, was the first witness. Ho deposed he saw Graven last alive a fortnight ago. He was an intimate friend of his, having lived with him at Mr Seddon's. On Wednesday last he was sent to look for Craven by Mrs Voysey, who was frightened of him, as she thoughgt he was not right in his head. The witness described the position he was in when he looked through the window. When he went back ho told Mr Jones. Another lad named John Parr went with witness to deceased's house. Witness did not observe anything peculiar in his manner of late. He used to drink at one time, but not for the last year or two. When witness went to the house he tried to open the door, but it was locked. Edwin Voysey said he knew deceased for the last five or six years. He noticed that of late he was more quiet in his conversation and in his movements. He had lived in the house for a long time by himself. Witness saw him alive List on Monday evening. He had a slight conversation with him, and deceased spoke very rationally. He saw the door open between ten and eleven o'clock on Tuesday morning, and about one o'clock he saw smoke coming from his chimney. Andrew Farmer, from Te Aroha, was in his house on Monday and witness had heard that he endeavoured to get him to go back to Te Aroha as he was in such low spirits. Deceased had been in the colony eiglit or nine years. He was a single man. It was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon when he heard deceased had committed suicide. He got an axe and forced the door open and went to the man. He felt^him and found him stiff and cold, and had apparently been dead for some hours. He sent for Sergeant Emerson, who upon arrival, cut the man down. The house was tnen searched and the body taken to the hotel. John Pan, the lad who was with Sweeney when ho went to Craven's house, corroborated the evidence given by that witness. Sergeant Emerson also'gave evidence as to the finding of the body and his his subsequent proceedings. He knew Craven for the past five years and always found him a quite, sober man. He thought he must have been hanging for about twenty-fonr hours. Nothing but a halfpenny was found on the body. There were no marks of violence on the body, The jury, after a brief consultation i returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased came by his death by his own hands whilst in a state of temporary insanity.