SHOOTING FATALITY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 93, 10 October 1911, Page 5

SHOOTING FATALITY

JXQL'EST OX A. ]•:. JAMBS. By Telegraph— Pre* Association. C'hristchurch, Last Xight. An inquest was lipid this afternoon by Mr. 11. W. Bisihop. S.M., District Coroner, tut the body of Arthur Edward James, vim was .family shut near Kirwee on Sunday afternoon. Ueorgc Sidney Kehnard, laborer, said lie was 29 years of age, and single. He lived at !I7 Madras street, Sydenham. He had known deceased for about five years. They had been very good friends. After Mather left them deceased and witness were hi a plantation of trees. Xo hares were to be scon. They went through several paddocks until they got tired. Deceased stud they had had enough. They sat down in the shade of the hedge, waiting for Mather to return. They were sitting there talking, when a hare came, out and. crossed the road. Witness said to deceased, "Come on," but deceased said, be had had enough, so witness went in pursuit ol the hare by himself. He got over the gate and searched for the bare, but eould see no trace of it, so he went to return to where he bad been sitting. He had to get over the same gate again, and while doinin; so bis gun, which was in his left hand, .exploded, and shot deceased, who was reclining with his head on his hand just opposite to tihe gate. Witness did unt know that deceased was shot until he saw blood issuing from him. Deceased was unconscious and never spoke. The gun (a. double-barrelled .breechloader) was at full cock. He had it at full cock when he went after the hare and forgot to put the hammers down. The gun belonged to deceased's father. He had fired from it several times that day. He thought that a lo« end of barbed wire on the gate mus't have eauurht the trigger. He -was accustomed to the use of guns. Deceased was looking away from witness 'when witness was getting over the gate. Deceased was fully a chain away, and was lying with his back to the road as witness got over. The whole occurrence was purely accidental. Witness went to town with deceased in the taxi-cab. Deceased never spoke.

The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased died from a gunshot wound accidentally inflicted. The only evidence was that of Kenntuxl, and he saw no reason far disbelieving his testimony.