THE KAIWARRA MURDER. ADJOURNED INQUEST. Wellington, June 18.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 376, 12 June 1889, Page 5

THE KAIWARRA MURDER. ADJOURNED INQUEST. Wellington, June 18.

The adjourned inquest on the death of Thos. Hawkins was held to-day. The Crown Prosecutor appeared, and Louis Chemis, the accused, was represented by Mr Bunny. The latter paid he considered it but fair to Chemis that no further evidence should be taken by the coroner, and suggested that as the evidence the police intended to call that day was merely corroborative of that given the first day, the matter might, so far as a coroner's jury 'vere concerned, rest where it was. He made this suggestion because, while it could nob advance the ends of justice to produce further evidence which implicated no other person than his client, ifc certainly would have the effect of seriously prejudicing Chemis. Mr Bell having agreed, The Coroner said he was taken by surprise by the application. Of course his only difficulty in agreeing to it was that if the inquiry stopped now it could not be re-opened by the jury. He understood that the evidence proposed to be given that day was merely corroborative of that given on the first day, and did not tend to implicate a second person other than the man now in custody. Mr Bell i*e plied that was so. The Coroner addressing the jury remarked that it rested with him as to whether he should grant the request of Mr Bunny, but after hearing the Crown Prosecutor he considered it would be unnecessary to longer detain the jury. The object of the inquisition was to find out anything which might assist in showing if crime had been committed. It was the duty of the jury to determine how Hawkins came by his death, and if they considered the man had been murdered they should, according to the evidence, point out by whom the crime had been committed. The evidence of Dr. Cahiil had shown the wounds Hawkins received were mortal and not self inflicted, and therefore it was no use in wasting further time upon this initial inquiry. It had been shown in evidence that Hawkins was seen by two persons (Dimock and Cato) near the gate leading to his house about 5 o'clock on th.B night of the 21st inst., and that when spoken to by Dimock, he refused a cup of tea and drovo on towai'ds home. About 8.30 o'clock the same evening a witness (Bowles) found Hawkins's body, so that it was evident the murder was committed between 5 and 8.30, probably before 8 o'clock, as the body when found was cold. However, it was a matter of time so far as the jury was concerned inasmuch as the whole matter would be gone into in another place. If the jury was satisfied after hearing the evidenca adduced that death was caused by wounds feloniously administeied by some person or persons unknown, it would be their duty to return a verdict accordingly. The foreman having briefly conferred with the other jurors returned on their behalf an open verdict to the ettect that Thos. Hawkins was maliciously and feloniously slain at the time and place indicated by some person unknown.