THAMES NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10356, 3 May 1911, Page 2

THAMES NEWS.

FOUND DROWNED.

THE INQUEST

"VERDICT r< ' \COIDENTAL

DEIATX"

Tho adjourned inquest conducted 1 biv the Ooronei' (Mr W. HI. Lucas) on the body of John Thoinasi Browne, of Waihi, who was found drowned, Was held. ..to-day at'the lo<ftl Ooiurthouse. Sorgt. Crean represented the: police. ■ Th*. ißogers gave eridlence to the effea* that ha had examined , and matte a post mortem examination of the body of deceased] and in his opinion death Was due to drowning). There were no ma,r!ks of violence -which would! lead one -to conclude that there had been foul play.

Deceased's son g'aive evidence toi the effect that the body Was that of his father, John Thomas Browne, of Waihi. Deldaased hadl left Waihi to proceed tia Auckland on the 13th of April. He had been in constant woi'k and 1 witness didl not know what money he haid. He was to have iieituirned on tlio 22nd of April, tout dlid not do so. Witness reoogniseid tliei clothes asi thosie of his father's and also the photograph. William Miller, cab proprietor, siaidl that ota the night of the 19th (a ■f&rf stormy nigiht) lie met the Wakatere iwitli! hi^ cab. It was a particularly rough ''night—wtet and very dark. The ;bloa.t Was lalte that nigjit, and arrived about ten o'clock. When they were leaving the wharf witness thought' he saw something; gW over the wharf on the south sidtei. Witness was aibiooit a ohain a.Way alt. the time. When he got to the place where he saw the person dSsappear he stopped tihe oa,b and a passemgleir got down, lookidd over, and after investigation siaid ha saw what he .believed to Da either a siadk or am empty box. Witnetss;a s:on also looked andi his report wasi the isame, and witness concluded tihatfc he hadl made a mistalkie, tout he was now of the impression that somothing orl somebody did gjo over the wharf into the water.

Other elviidence had been given as to thei finding of the tody by Thames fishermien and its conveyance to the morgue, where it was subjected tomedical examination.

The Coi'onisr returned a verdict to the effect that, delcieased met liisi dleath by being accidentally drowned.