STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1916, Page 3

STRATFORD.

IXQUEST OX FRANK TREVES, (From Our Own Correspondent.) Stratford, \i The adjourned inquest concerning the dentil of Frank Trevei wa, cunlinued at the courthouse this morning, before Mr. C. I). Sole, J.P., ami tlie following jury: Messrs C. Jackson (foreman). A. Moon, G. W. .Mills, A. D. Sianley, 11. Edgecombe, T. W. .Smith. Dr. Steven stated t-nit lie had performed a post-mortem examination, and found a slight, wound -j\cr the pelvis. The pelvic bone, more especially on the left side, was fractured =n several pieces, and th.-ee ribs on the leii sine were also fractured. He also found signs of incompetence in one of the valve-; of the heart and haemorrhage of the spleen. From the appearance of the- fractures he was of opinion that these occurred immediately before, death, and were the cause )f death. The appearance of the aorta, may have been due to chronic alcoholism, although inevc were 10 signs of alco'liol in the stomach The injuries eouid have been caused bj a fall of :i(l feet from a bridge. There were no other marks of viole-ice or injuries to the head.

Charles ftwadling, lab.'.icr. Turakaiwa, said he and deceased, wiio had been employed together bushfjl'.-.ng came into Stratford, each having *ieen paid £47 Ss. As far as he knew deceased cashed his cheque at a Stratford bai.k. They ■both visited several hotels in Stratford, and then went to Midhirst, slaying at tho hotel there that night. iHc could not say lor certain, but he he and deceased had many dunks a.5 Midhirst. He did not think he \va» so i : rumk that he had lain down on the floor of the tap-room, although it might be possible. Deceased and witness were at the Midhirst hotel for three days, and during that time they were sometimes drunk and sometimes sober. Treves during that time came into Stratford, but came back again to Midhirst. After that deceased, witness, ,and F.arraclough were driven by the licen.ee of the Midhirst hotel to Toko, and deceased and witness stayed at the hotel there that night, and no doubt they lad many more drinks. Witness could not say Whether he or deceased were drunk or sober. The following day tl.fl party left Toko and walked to Itouglas, witness taking a bottle of wlrsky and Barraelough two bottles of w'nsky, but Treves did not take any. Deceased was the most sober of the three of them. On arriving at Douglas th? three of them drove back to the camp at Turakawa. When he woke up next morning he only had 12s and 21b of tobacco left out of £il7 ss. Deceased came into the room next morning and asKerl i' there was any drink about, and witness replied that there was a little drop in the bottle, That was the last he- srw of deceased.. While they were working together he noticed a peculiar manner about deeeasf 1, who had often expressed an opinion that a ma-n would be better dead. Witness did not know what money deceased had left when they got back to camp. Thomas Barraclougn, an employee of Stratford County Councl, ecrroborated the previous witness in the main. He went with him and deceased into Stratford on September 13, having £lO on him. When he arrived back at the camp he was absolutely ''broke." James Parsons, licensee ci the Midhirst hotel, said deceased arrived with the previous witnesses at 7 o'clock and appeared sober. Deceased remained as a lodger at the hotel till Tuesday morning, and then witness, at deceased's request, started to drive the party to Douglas, but they would not pass the Toko hotel. So he dropped them there a.nd returned to Midhi'st. On Friday night deceased phoned him to bring him in from Toko, and he u;d so !>nd on the Saturday morning he seemed strange. The last time witness saw deceased was at 10 o'clock on Saturday night, when he asked for a soft drink and said he was going to bed. Seeing the doors being closed, deceased rushed out of the hotel and said the polio > were after him. Witness walked along t.ie load to see if he could see deceased, snd on Sunday moaning organised a snreh party and reported the matter to live police. Deceased imagined the pjliee were after him to intern 'him on Somes Island. Harold Hamblyn testified to finding the bodv under the Te Popo bridge at Midhirst.

Constable Robertson slated that the body was lying in a pool of v ater, face upward?. There were a lo'-. of rough boulders there. .Deceased had no coat on. In the trousers pocket 3s was found. The coroner, in chirking tlie jury, said that in less than a weti; ever £OO had seemingly been spent in lrink by three men. Whether any ollence had been committed under the Licensing Act was a matter for the poiico The jury returned tie following verdict: that deceased n-as found lead under the Te Popo bridge at Midhirst, L-ut\there is no evidence to show how lie came by his death.

CiIiXETUL The heavy rain last .light and this morning caused a blockage in the nilvert near Davey's stables, with the result that the roadway waz horded. The embankment alongside t'-it Victoria bridge gave way. The borough workmen were sarly :>n tli-> spi.'t and made the approaches safe for yasscrs-by. The funeral of Mr. T. A. Lees,' of Toko, took place .his atternoon, when there was a very large cortege, practically Hie whole of the Toko district being' present. The Rev. J Dawson Martil) officiated at the grfueside. A son of M.i\ T. Boi-otic of Toko Road, hart the misfortune to slip on a rail, and in falling snapo. u a tone in bis elbow, lie received medical attention and is loing as well as can be expected. ■Rifleman Sidney Ilan-oci;, who has been wounded in France, was well known at Cardiff, having been an employee oi the Cardiff Dairy Con.oan.v.