THE LATE FATAL ACGLDENT AT RANGARIRI.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1371, 14 April 1881, Page 2

THE LATE FATAL ACGLDENT AT RANGARIRI.

The evidence taken at the inquest on the body of the unfortunate yoting man William Jollow, who was accidentally shot by his companion William Gray, while out shooting ducks on the Waikare Lake, on Friday last, gives a clear version of the circumstances attending the sad affair. Gray's evidence and that of the other witnesses, completely exonerate him from suspicion of foul play, the deceased and he having always been the fastest friends. Jollow was a young man, only 27 years of age, of very steady, sober habits, and was possessed of considerable property in the shape of cattle. So far as we know he has no relatives in the colony.

The Inquest. An inquest was held at the Royal Mail Hetel, Rangiriri, before Dr Beale, coroner, and a jury of 12,0f whom Mr J. Gall was chosen foreman, on Monday, touching the death of William Jollow, who was shot on the Friday evening previous. Constable Haddock conducted the inquiry on behalf of the police, and the jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken :—: — William Gray, a laborer living at the Waikare Lake, near Rangiriri, deposed that on the previous Friday evening, he went out with deceased in a dingy to shoot ducks on the Lake. Witness was pulling the scuils and they saw a flock of ducks in the bulrushes. He asked deceased if he should fire: deceased said his gun would kill at that distance and he then fired over witness's head, the latter stooping down out of the way. He wounded a duck and they pulled after it but could not find it. Deceased then proposed that they should go into the lagoon near the railway line. On reaching a plaoe called the " eel pa." They carried the boat over the bank and launched her again inside the * pa." They got into her, deceased being in the bows with one scull and witness in the stern with the other, both standing up. Shortly after they saw Borne more ducks. Deceased took one of witnease's guns and fired both barrels. A teal then rose up and deceased said, " You try that one." Witness picked up the other gun, turned round and fired,hitting the bird which made for the rushes. Deceased then started to load hia own gun and seeing the bird was likely to escape called out to witness to fire again. He lifted his gun to do so, when deceased htumbled causing the boat to swerve and witness to fall in a sitting posture. His finger must have been on the trigger, for the gun immediately went off. He rushed forward and caught deceased just as he was falling and found that he had been shot in the head. He placed him in the bottom of the boat and spoke to him but he never answered. When ho saw he was dead he took the sculls and pulled the boat back to the station as fast as he could, and at once reported the occurence to Mr. Mooney, the ganger, who with John Fdulkuer, another railway employe went back to the boat with him and found deceased as he had left him. Deceased was a single man so far as hs knew. By the Coroner: had known the deceased about four years,and never bad an angry word with him. There was no liquor in the boat and they had no intoxicating drink before starting. They were both perfectly sober. Dr Dalziel, of Pukekohe, sworn, said he had examined the body and found a large gunshot wound on the back of the head, sufficient to cause death. There wero no other external wound on the body. William Moouey and John Faulkener corroborated the evidence of Gray in regard to the good terms upon which he and the deceased had lived. The evidence of Constable Haddock having been taken, the Coroner summed up, pointing out that the evidence was clear that death was the result of pure misadventure, and the jury without retiring returned the following verdict: —"That the deceased met with his death by being accidentally shot and wounded by one William Gray without malice aforethought."