INQUEST AT MASTERTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5135, 20 September 1895, Page 2

INQUEST AT MASTERTON.

The adjourned inquest on tho body of William Waite, drowned it the Ruamahunga River, wasresumed to-day, when the following evidence was given: Robert Hiscock deposed that ho was a labourer residing on the property of R. E. Hornblow, at Mt. Bruce. Ho knew tho deceased, WA • Waite, and last saw him alive on tap : 6th instant. He was employed on i the samo farm as witness Waite i left the breakfast table and went / i across to the wharo, On witness 1 i coming from the house; ho saw the ! deceased going towards the river. Witness called to him to come back, but deceased would not Witness followed on, and next time ho saw deceased he was in tho river, Ho was about up to his knees in tho water. Witness again called to him to come back, when tho deceased turned round, waved his hand, then gave a step forward and was drowned. Witness afterwards saw f the deceased in tho river, hanging on to the bough of a tree, but could do nothing to save him. Witness was B standing on tho bank over forty feet , above the river. He could not under- _ stand how the deceased got down tho steep bank. Tho boy showed , nothing unusual in his manner at the t breakfast table. The deceased had 8 told witness on tho previous evening that he was going into Masterton aud witness told the deceased tho river was not safe to cross k horsoback, far less on foot He did all ho could to keep Waite from going away, t To tho Foroman: Thore was no i ill-feeling between any of them, '. They got along all right. Witness liked tho deceased very well and regretted his loss. Thoplace where witness saw the deceased hanging to tho branch was the samo whore the body s was afterwards found, and was not (] move than a chain from where tho j s lad entered tho river. Asked if he saw the deceased hanging on to tho cliff on the other side of the river, he y replied that ho did not, Never saw him hanging on to any cliif after ho saw him on tho bough, King went across the river some four hours afterwards on the saine day on horseback, and had a hard job to get across. The ford was a little higher than whoro Waite tried to cross. He :1 was partly under tho water. t i R. E, Hornblow stated that tho i. written statement handed in to t|£ * Coroner, was mado by Mrs e wife of John King, who was living on his property, i The statement read was similar to s theevidencegiven by Hiscock, oxcept that tho deceased, when in the river c heard Mrs King and Hiscock call out 0 from the top of tho bank and called 1 back, " Good-bye old fellow." " J. L. Murray gavo ovidenco that he waii one of tho search party who found tho body on Sunday last, and described how tho body was found nt the bottom of " the big hole." The body was fast to branches which had to be broken. Witnessrccognised t the body as that of William Waite. ~ Witness wont on to say that King had told him on two occasions that t he had crossed tho river an hour J and a half after the accident happened, and it appeared strange that I if a horsonwn could have crossed so ' g soon that no nows came to tho settlors on this sido, or to town till a late hour. i Sergeant McArdle explained that the river was rising, and Mr Campbell Ball had to come to towD via i Eketahmm Road, and return then samo way. jj Mr Hornblow stated that after I King had crossed, the river icso rapidly, aud Mr C. Ball failed to find a crossing, and had to go round via the 1/ketahuna road to bring tho news. King and his other hands t had mado a constant search, and on the day that Waito was drowned, they apprised all the neighbours, who assisted in the search. ( Hiscock re-called, said deceased , did not go for provisions. So far as , witness knew, he had no caußO to go J to Masterton. They were not out of provisions on the day Waito was drowned, R. E. Hornblow recalled, said that so far as ho know, they were not short of provisions. The deceased i was to some extent eccentric. He had never previously walked to Masterton. Constable May also gave evidence as to the search, which was kept up from the day after tha accident till the body was found. Ho was assisted by Mr Hornblow and his men and other settlors. The jury returned a verdict tbafcw deceased was accidentally drowned.