CORONER'S INQEST.

West Coast Times, Issue 363, 21 November 1866, Page 2

CORONER'S INQEST.

Yesterday an inquest was held at the Shakespeare Hotel, Kevell street, Ilokitika, upon the body of Edward Boylan. After the jury had been sworn, and had viewed the body of the deceased the following evidence was taken before the Coroner, Samuel Beswick, Esq. Edmund Ryan, being sworn, deposed that he was a carter, trading between the South Spit and Ross. He remembered leaving Ross on Sunday last at about three o'clock in the afternoon. He started in his dray. The deceased accompanied him. When he got to Donnelly's Creek he found that it was very high. He knew that at, the junction of the Totara and Donnelly's that it was highly dangerous to cross. When witness and deceased arrived at Donnelly's Creek witness remarked that he thought the creek was too high at the junction aforesaid to permit of a crossing being effected. Notwithstanding this impression be resolved to try to cross, and, thereupon, put the horses in at the lower side of the tisual crossing place. They had not got more than midway in the stream when the force of the current carried the horses and dray down the creek. The deceased was standing up in the dray along&ide of witness. He was on the upper or off side of the dray. Witness was on the near side. When witness discovered that the dray was being carried down with the stream, he immediately jumped out into the water, which was only deep enough to reach the hips. This was some distance below the customary crossingplace. Witness got entangled with the reins, and had to walk down the stream a coiK>iderablo way in order to get free from the horses and dray. The dray was turned upside down, and one wheel was constantly revolving with the action of the wuter. Ou reaching the shore he looked round for the deceased, but could not see him. He did not, however, make any diligent search for deceased. Witness then tried to release the horses, which, when he did so, swam down the stream ; but in consequence of the depth of the water hp WdS unable to follow them. From the time he first attempted the crossing until the time that he succeeded in reieasiug the horses, a period of about fifteen minutes mu>t have elapsed; it might have been a little more or less. The next thing ho did was to look for deceased, and upon coming up to the dray he found him in it, lying under wuter, ana a corpse. He was certaiu that he was dead, as he placed his hand upon his head and called out " Boylan," but had received no reply. Witness then finding that nothing more could be done, and having secured one of the horses, he mounted him, and rode down to the public house, which was about a quarter of a mile distant. On his way there he met a man, and acquainted him with the accident, requesting that he would wait till his return, as he (witness) was going for more help. When witness arrived at the public-house he acquainted some draymen with the nature of the accident, and they returned with him to the dray. The first thing the party did was to turn the dray up on its wheels ; when this was accomplished it was discovered that deceased was lying on the broad of his back ; the body wa» lifted out of the dray and removed to the public-house. There were some parties present who searched the body, on which cheques for Ll and L 3, besides some odd shillings, were found. Witness caused information of the melancholy event to be conveyed to deceased's partner, Mr Cullen. Witness had always lived on good terms with deceased, and had known him for the past twelve months, having done all the carting of his goods from Hokitika to Ross. At the time witness released himself from the dray he saw two bundles and a keg going down with the stream, and he imagined that the deceased had reached the bhore. The door of the tilt was open although strapped up. He believed when he jumped into the water that the deceased had left the dray, and he wondered why he had not come to his (witness) assistance. Witness was of opinion that he had left Ross about an hour before he got to the junction of Donnelly's and the Totai a, and the same time must have elapsed between the accident and the arri\al of assistance. Thomas Andrews, being sworn, deposed that he was a draymau, living at the South Spit, Hokitika. He recollected Sunday, the 18th instant. He was in a public house up at the Totara when the last witness called to him, saying that his dray had been capsized crossing the river and his companion, Mr Boylan, drowned. He and some other men then accompanied the last witness to the scene of the accident, where they found the dray turned up-side down in about three feet of water ; they then righted it and found the deceased lying on the broad of his back in the diay; he was dead; his arms were hanging straight down by his side and his kgs slightly open. Witness, with the assistance of some others, put a horse in the dray and proceeded down the river. He and party then went with t c body to the public house, and placed it in a detached building. Witness did not consider it prudent to attempt the crossing of tiie creek — especially at the junction — at the time the labt witness crossed. He had known the witness Ryan fur the past six months, and had always iouud ni in a very steady, sober man. He wa-> not in any degree under the influence of drink when he reported th,e accident. This closed the enquiry, and, after five minutes deliber itinu, t ie juiy returned the following verdict:— " That the deceased met his death by ace cental drowning." A rider was also add'j.J, condemning the conduct of Rvan in not assuring himself of th« safety <t his companion befme at? testing tQ tbv Tories.