INQUEST ON CHARLES MABEY.
The inquest on Charles Mabey was concluded, before Mr W. P. James, Coroner, and a jury of six, on' Monday morning last. Mr B. J. Dolan appeared on behalf of the Crown, and Mr C. A. Pownall for the Native, Meihana Ropoama.
Dr J. A. Cowie stated that he and Dr Ross were present at a postmortem examination held on Saturday last. Witness attributed death to hypostatic pneumonia, and the acute inflammation of the coverings of the brain. Dr Ross corroborated the last witness' evidence, with regard to the probable cause of death. The Coroner, in summing up, said it was a case out of the ordinary. He explained to the jury the law relating to murder, and how a charge of murder could,be reduced to manslaughter. He thought that a charge of manslaughter would be sufficient in 1 the present case ,as he did not think that the Maori had )any intention of bringing about the fatal consequences that he did.
The jury, after five minutes' deliberation, ' returned the following verdict:—That on the 15th' day of December, 1906, at Masterton, Meihana Ropoama did unlawfully strike Charles Mabey, and that afterwards, to wit on December 21st, 1906, the said Charles Mabey did die from the effects of the said blow.
In the afternoon Meihana Ropoama was brought before Mr W. P. James, S.M. tMr B. J. Dolan, who appeared for the Crown, formally applied to have the charge of assault, which had been preferred against Ropoama, 1 withdrawn, with a view to substituting a major charge relating to murder. Accused, who was represented by Mr C. A. Pownall,. was charged with the murder of Charles Mabey on December 21st.
The depositions taken at the Coroner's inquest were certified to by the witnesses as correct. Counsel agreed that these depositions should be used against the accused on his trial, and so save the trouble of again, taking the depositions in the Magistrate's Court. Accused reserved his defence, and was committed for trial at the criminal sittings of the Wellington Supreme Court, on February 4th. Bail was not asked for. ;-
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19061227.2.14.24
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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8319, 27 December 1906, Page 5
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352INQUEST ON CHARLES MABEY. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8319, 27 December 1906, Page 5
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