INQUEST AT PUNIHO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 43, 10 February 1908, Page 4

INQUEST AT PUNIHO.

MANLY Ail It i.\ <>l• RUNAWAY j COM'KIT. Ah wa* held at Puniho on I Saturday by Mr. 11. S. Fiuhcibort, j Coroner. iMO tin* rm-um-tauco con- | •.-•Tiling the .I'.ith oi I In* native who u.i-> i lound iu .in urn-oii-vioii* >t;ite near , Puniho on W edn.-day morning. | Detective "I -Now Plymoulli. j ami Constable Krlh. of Rahotu. n pi e- j Minted lilt' I*. | Mr. Fii/in'iix-K announ.ed thai In- | ua- personally <»i j|.|ii« iini; the in<|niry 1 a- llli'iv v. rlr lep..|UM to Its* nO||«e 1111 • , UrUal rirrUl!l-l.*U'-e-.

]Mnti\«- Inddani. l»»'i.»re t«» oi li evM.n e. -aid li.il tio'i".*

pe«-oi;.»r « ii> um-iau in thai tin* d.e-e«-i.>C'd wa- di-kov.-i.-.i hy an reaped prt-oiier. I,'-. pU *1 hoiuj» v "ii. J>ut trom dill gen I in«ju»y be w.i* *ati*li«'d thai there ua« n»»ihiiiiz t" warrant any "U*pK'ion thai 'l'h>»ni[t~f»n had in any way rau*ed '»r been luncennd in the death oi the Maori. Ou the -niitrary. although Thompson vva* t!« n«»m ju*tiee and doing all in bit« power io put di*tairv iN'tweon iuin-'-il and the pri*on. aud to <»acapo thi- I'iuauor- whom li«* knew would Im* <»n hi- tra- k. lie nad had the manline** to »to the neare-t plaio ot | abode aud intovni;«ti»«n -o that aI «ji*lance could l«** reu>b red t«» tli«* wi.iin i.

*d nun. ll* - ini"SuU'<i I" the l' 1 soncr to give evideiu-e. The evidenri- adduced .n the impierent to show that at about !>.oO p.n i& 4th February (Tm—lay la>ti tin- (U eased left til** i»knii» Hotel on horse tack, riding hi the direction ot his hom it Puniho, aud that he >ober whe le left Ukato. Mnu'tly after leaviiv Ikatu the dt-cea-ed im t a rettler namelobn Clarke, wn»< \\a- waining in th ame direction, and with whom he r* naiiied for a few msuttte-, after whk-i he deceased cantered away in tlie dire*. Kin of Puflilio. At oil thi.* follow ng morning the deceased w;i- founi ying on the >idi* oi the main road ne-i >uiuhv. ill an uneon-ciuus condition, b, in escaped prisoner na'med Josep rhompson, who had craped from th \ev Plymouth goal <m the previous da> ind who was travelling in tho directio' ff Rahotu. Tin- latin (.who was ar 'Gated shortly afterward-) at owe in ormed Wilfrid (iibtaus. tin- Punih" *>t the occurrence. and ac lompanied him hack to where the do eased va» lying- Thompson then con inned his journey. The. deceased wa amoved to his home., and I)r. Home wa ummoned from New riymouth. but lif ras extinct before |t*» arrived. Dr. Horn übaequently made a |H>-t mortem « x tmin&tion, and fouim that death wa lue to a tracture of the *kuU and bleed ng on the inside of the skull, whicl truld be, and probably was. cau-ed b; v fall from a horse. The escaped pri >oner Thompson was present at tin nque-t. A. P» Cooper, commercial travelln >aid the decease.! wa- -ober when n eft the hotel. He had been askiiij leople for drink- during Tue-day. am ira« apparently bard up. Phillip Pri?ke and -John Clirke gav •videiice a®? to deeeiwd'- sobriety 01 In- Tuesday. ■Joseph ThOmp-«>n. -erving >enlence i lit* Xew Plymouth gaol, from which in ititntion he had escaped. said that 01 AYdnesday morning he noticed a blaH »bjoct lying on the -ide of the mail fad. He walked towards it. ami foun< he deceased Maori lying there. II ame to the conclusion, from the d<* position, that he was drunk iYitne*? noticed he wa* breathing ver; leavilw and there wn- blood running 'corn tath ears. He immediately wen o Pmiiho and informed the storckeep •r. who returned to the spot. Thomp '-n then continued his journey. Tb p.-? arretted next day. He had then i w-nny in his po**e*sion. He had had : liree|K*nny piece given liim by a prison ■r named Angus, awaiting trial. TT mrchased a paper for a penny, eashin; he threepence at Hahotn on Wodnes lay. He taught another paper at "Pi lama. leaving a balance of a penny r rom the time he fir«t saw deceased un il he continued his journey toward: lahotu was not more than ten minute 6 Wilfrid flibbwi*. in his evidence. «ai< hat there were two distinct Ir'ils or oad as though the deceased had beei aught in one of the Mirrupi. Therr rere indication- of a strugg^Pr. Home and Matthew TTill In pn;eha Maori) evidence. Th'*re w.s no evi»loncc to justify am* u-pirion of foul play at the hand,- of he pri-oner Thompson. Tlie iurv brought in :• vcrdicf in acordain >» itti lli£» medieal evideiiee. dding a lider commending the cseaned ri-uner for his action in giving infor* lation of the occuiTence. and : 'l- ; o for he manner in which h n gave hi- evi-