INQUEST.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 677, 28 June 1870, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of a person unknown, whose body was found on the beach on the North Spit, Bu ler, early ou Sunday last, was held at Harris's National Hotel, yesterday. T;e jury having viewed the body the following evidence was taken : Joseph Petrie, printer, sworn, stated that the body of the man lying on the premises was, he believed, the same found by him on the beach on Sunday morning. It was on the North Spit, with a belt round the chest, to which an empty knife-sheath was appended. A wristband of a shirt was round one of the arms, and remains of trousers and drawers round the ankles. The body appeared to have been washed up by the sea. Witness informed Constable Williams.

Constable Williams deposed to hav- ! ing found the body as stated by the previous witness. Thought it very likely that the body was that of a man, named James Coughlin, reported by the Westport Ti r.es to have been drowned in the Inangahua on May 15th. The body must have beeD washed up by the sea. There was a pair of new water-tights on the feet. There was nothing in the pockets of deceased. Andrew M'Shane deposed to having seen a packer at White's store, above the Lyell on the Bth or 9th of May last. He noticed two of the front teeth in the upper jaw slightly projecting on viewing the deceased, and he had observed the same peculiarity in the packer. The man he saw up the Lyell was of fair complexion, slender, about 23 years old, and about 5 feet 8 inches or 9 inches high. Samuel Thorpe, medical practitioner, deposed to having viewed the body of deceased. It was considerably decom posed. The hair, nails, and scurf-skin were wanting, with the exception of a small quantity of hair on the vertex of the head and chin, by which the color might be recognised. The color was light brown, and the deceased probably of a fair or florid complexion. There were no fractures, dislocations, nor other marks of external injury ; the greater part of the teeth were lost. The two middle teeth of the upper jaw were more prominent than usual. There were no other distinctive marks. The deceased was about sft 9in high or a little over. The body appeared to have been immersed four or five weeks. Should judge deceased to have been 35 to 40 years of age. The protrusion of the eyes and swelling of the tongue were consistent with death hy asphyxia. The jury gave a verdict that deceased had met his death by drowning, but there was no evidence whereby the body could be identified