INQUEST.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 194, 26 October 1871, Page 5

INQUEST.

(From our Tuapeka Mouth Correspondent.) An inquest was held at the Tuapeka Mouth Hotel, on Friday last, on the body of Mr. D. Taylor, who was found dead, on the morniug of the 19fch inst., at the bottom of the Black Pinch, about nine milea from Lawrence. W. L. Simpson, Esq., Coroner, presided. After the jury had been sworn in, they proceeded to view the body, and ou their return, evidence was taken. W. H. Coverlid deposed that the deceased called at his gingerbeer manufactory, Whitehavui-street, on Wednesday about half-past three, for lemonade for Mr. Dawson. Tne deceased, and a man ivho was with him, carried one case to the waggon, and.

he carried the other. He (Mr. Coverlid) fixed th& back loading, as it waa loose, and he thought he could do it quicker than them. They then proceeded to t!io Mouth. Deceased had had some liquor, but the man Parker, who was with him, was very druuk. Harry Hanson deposed that he was looking for a horse about 300 yards from the Shepherd's Hut, on tho Lawrence aide. lie met deceased about six o'clock going along the road. He was walking ou the near side of the waggon. lie asked if I was goiug home. I said yes. He said he was going to Kiingst's -with flour. I sawnobody with him. I overtook him again in about three-quarters of au hour a quarter of a mile below the hut. I said to h*im it would be late before he got home. He said no. I rode beside him for five minutes. I saw nobody in the waggon. It was about a mile and a quarter from the Black Pinch. I saw he had been drinking, but he was quite capable of looking after his horses. Joseph Williams, miner on the Tuapeka River, deposed as follows: — George Parker came to my claim on the morning of the 19th, where-- 1 camp, about, half-past five, and infi r ned me t-f an accident to David Taylor. He thought he was dead. / I immediately proceeded with him. to the place. In goiug along the road,

we saw a waggon and three horses at

the Little Pinch. One of the horses was loose — the other, two were attached to the waggon, and a bag of flour was entangled "with the spokes and the fore wheel. We went along the road, and came first upon a broken chair, then a - bag of sugar. A little further on, we came to deceased on the opposite sule-of the road, with his head lying up hill. l ? tlt his pulse, but there wns no pulsation. Lifted the left leg,'.; thought it was broken. The body was warm under the arm r pits. No appearance of a capsize. I left Parker in charge of tbe body, till I went to inform his brother, and on returning,' found everything as I left. .A f^reat quantity of blood lay on the road where he had been struggling, which could be seen : fcotn the prints o£ his cord trowsers._ - George Parker was stupid, aud could' give 'no explanation of what had happened. He .was much covered with blood, and the marks of deceased's, cord trOwsera were on his own trowsers, showing ha bad .been lifting deceased. He 'said deceased had halt, a bottle of gin frt>m the^Maß6nic Hotel, Lawrence,: but could give no account of the accident.. j . Dr^.Hsitley- deposed to having made agost 4nortem examination of the body j that, he found two superficial womjchl ■■on -the; .anterior part xjt',-th»- T let'<i £-<r K aud the mU.acles ottbe : eatf c.w»pl^l|plf iorn.away.^'or about- sis- inches at the up.per part of. the. leg: : 0a dissecting .out the wound, : he fojmd the due? •arteries of the log. ruptured. The cause of death had -. been from hoetnorrhage. Had seyi the waggon, ; and' Was of gpmion that t the tiro of tha wheel would bare caused such

wound. Had any person at tae time applied a. tight ligature above the wound, the life of- deceased' could probably have been saved. Georga Parker, miner Tuapeka River, deposed as follows :— I remember being in Lawrence on Wednesday, the 18th inst. I left in the afternoon to return home with David Taylor. "We had a drink at a store, and another at a hotel below Herberts. Afterwards we called at the gingerbeer "place, took on some loading there, and started for the Mouth. G-oing up the first hill, some window sashes got loose. Taylor asked me to open his ' knife to cut some flax to tie them, his hands were so cold he could not xlo it. I recollect helping to carry a case, but •whether to the waggon or from it, I could not be certain. I had a drink out of a bottle of gin which deceased got in Lawrence. I was not sober when I left Lawrence. I do not recollect anything occuring till I awoke next morning, when, on looking around, I saw Taylor a short distance off, and thought he was asleep. I went to him, and thought he looked very strange. I felt his heart, but it did* not beat. His eyes wer6 glo2?d. He looked as if he was dead. I did not know" where I was. I ran down the road till I came to Post-office Hill, then I knew where I was. I went down one of the spurs to my mate Joseph Williams, and tola/ him what had happened. Tie came- back wirh me to where deceased lay. As fdr as I can recollect deceased walked ell the way. It appears like a dream to me. I fell off the waggon. By a Juryman — I do not recollect the deceased speaking to me after the accident. ' I was drunk from Monday till I left Lawrence. The deceased and I bad no words by the way. Tho Coroner faid the last witness had bis evidence, as far as he

recollected, in a straightforward manner, " and the Jury would have no difficulty in coming to a conclusion. After a few minutes talk, the Jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.