INQUESTS.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 190, 24 March 1893, Page 2

INQUESTS.

FOUNT) DROWNED. An inquest was held on Monday at the Kaihu hotel, Dargaville, before Mr T. Webb, Coroner, on the body of David Hewitt, who had been missing since Saturday, the 11th instant. Mr A. Raynes was foreman of the. Jury. John Hewitt, father of deceased, who lived at the Flux mill, identified the body as that of bis sou uh un he ,ast saw alive on Saturday, March 11th about 7 p.m. when be was getting tea. Deceased had been suffering from headaches and was much quieter than usual. He went out about S o’clock that evening and he thought he had gone to see his neighbour. In the night his daughter called to him that David was not at home, but he did not take much notice. At five next morning his daughter again told him that his son had not boon home. He immediately jumped up and went and made enquiries all round but. no one had seen him. He then informed the police. His son had never been out all night before without his knowing where he was. Deceased was 24 years of age and not married ; he was a gumdigger. He was in the habit, of drawing water from the creek for the house. He never knew him to drink though he was not a teetotaller.

Fanny Hewitt, daughter of last witness, last saw deceased at 8 p.m. on the 11th inst. She saw him put his boots on and go out at the front door ; he was much quieter than usual but she did not apprehend that anything would happen. There was no bucket missing from the house; deceased had not been for water. Alfred (Jordan deposed to finding the body on Saturday, March 18th, in the Kailin Creek, at the old Spur, about four miles below the Flaxmill. He secured the body and reported to the police. Did not search the body. Knew deceased from a boy; ho was very temperate. Constable McCoy gave evidence as to getting the body in company with the last witness and described the clothing. There was nothing in the pockets and there were no marks of violence on the body. The Jury returned a verdict of “ Found Drowned.” SUDDEN DEATH AT ARATAPU. An inquest was held at Aratapu on Wednesday afternoon, on the body of Mary Houlihan, before Mr T. Webb, coroner, and a jury of whom Mr W. Vousden was chosen foreman Patrick Houlihan, husband of deceased, last saw her alive at ten o’clock Tuesday night. She asked for a cup of water which lie gave ber, then bade her good night and

went upstairs to bed. Deceased had been a cripple, quite unable to walk, for five years. He bad no idea of anything ailing deceased when he bade her good night. "He heard no noise during the night. On Wednesday morning he got up at half-past six and put his boots on at deceased’s bedside where he had taken then off the previous night. She was then lying with the left side of her face on the pillow, in her usual position. He thought she was asleep and told his daughter not to make a noise to wa.ke her. Ho then went to work. About an hour and a half afterwards word was brought to him that she was dead. He ran home and saw that blood had come from the mouth of deceased who was dead, and be went and informed Constable Scott. Deceased was 53 years of age and had suffered with rheumatism since 1804. She was not of temperate habits. Mary 77. Houlihan, daughter of deceased, last saw her mother about nine o’clock on Tuesday night ; she was then in her usual health. Witness carried her in from her chair and put her into bed. Deceased did not complain of any pains. She slept in the next room to deceased but heard no noise during the night; heard her father say goodnight to her mother. She saw her mother on Wednesday morning about half an hour before her father, and also about half an hour after. She was lying in her usual position and her head was hanging partly off the pillow ; she thought she was asleep and did not think anything was wrong. About half-past eight she found her mother was dead : she went in to call her as she usually did but received no answer. She then shook the bed clothes and found her mother was dead. She sent for Mrs Martin and also to tell her father. Frederick Norton, medical officer residing at Mangawhare, had known deceased for 15 years. He had examined the body and it was bis opinion that the cause of death was serous apoplexy brought on by chronic alcoholism. The Jury after deliberation brought in a verdict that death was caused by serous apoplexy. FATAL ACCIDENT AT TDK AT OKA. An inquest was held at the Tokatoka hotel on Thursday morning before Mr T. Webb, coroner, and a jury of whom Captain Marriott was chosen foreman, cn the body of Merliug Lever, aged 22 years. Charles Paton was working with the deceased, helping him to drive a bullock team. They were drawing three logs with one team, on top of a ridge. The side cf the ridge was covered with dense fern. They were going round a bad turn and the logs ‘ shot ’ and commenced to roll. lie heard the deceased shout out, so stopped the bullocks and went to sec what was the matter. Ho found deceased lying’ face downwards where the logs had rolled. He was bleeding from the eyes, nose, and mouth, and lived about five minutes after be got to him. Deceased was in bis proper position when driving. He most probably tripped over the fern and fell. There was no negligence or carelessness on the part of any one. He called assistance and. conveyed the body into Toka Toka and informed the police. Two logs rolled over the deceased, one seven feet and the other nine feet in girth. He (witness) was walking in front when the accident happened. Michael Hines was working near the scene of the accident and heard someone shout, but took no notice as be dil not think anything unusual had happened. Soon afterwards he was called by Charles Paton who told him that a man had been killed. lie went and saw the body lying and afterwards helped to convey it into Toka Toka. These were the only witnesses and the Jury returned a verdict in accordance wLh the evidence. A CHILD DROWNED. An inquest was held on Thursday afternoon in the Kaihu hotel before the Coroner and a jury of whom Mr S. Powell was chosen foreman, on the body of Alfred Underwood aged two years and six months. Before opening the enquiry Mr Asher, one of the jurymen, complained that he had been compelled to attend at considerable loss to himself and asked whether no exemptions were allowed. The Coroner said that in eases of hardship he would willingly excuse anyone, but the constable who often found it difficult to secure a j ury must bo protected, Oeorye Underwood, brother of deceased, was on Harding’s wharf about 2 p m on Wednesday and bis brother Jonas, aged 7 years, was with him. Witness went out in a boat and left Jonas on the wharf. While lie was in the boat bis brother Alfred went down to the wharf and he saw him sitting there. 110 was about two hundred yards from tba wharf himself when ho heard Jonas calling out, “ Alf is in the river.’ He went back to the wharf but could not see bis brother Alfred. His uncle, John Day, then came down the wharf. John Day, uncle of deceased, was in the house about 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday when he heard his sister calling- out that one of the children was in the water. He ran down to the wharf us fast as he could but could see

nothing of the child. Jonas and two little girls were then on the wharf They waited until the tide went down and then picked up the body which was lying close alongside one of the piles of the wharf, at a spot where there were about ten feet of water when the child fell in. The house is two hundred yards from the wharf but the road was good and the children could easily walk to the wharf. They had often been on rhe wharf. It was not a safe place for children. He noticed no marks on the body except that it was bleeding at the mouth. The Jury’s verdict was “Accidentally drowned)” to which they added a rider that wharves accessible to children should be provided with hand rails.