The Waikino Drowning Case

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1064, 11 August 1904, Page 3

The Waikino Drowning Case

—♦- - - Coroner's Inquest

An inquiry into tho circumstances in conneclion with tho drowning at Waikino ot Donald McMillan was hold at Waikino yesterday afternoon ueiore tho district coroner, Mr Max D, King and tho following jury: -Thomas Keohan (loroman), J. E. Johnstone, 11. Ncwdick, R. 11, Snow, C. F, Tonnot, and J, Barker, Dr. Howaid Slater, examined, deposed that ho had made a post mortem cxamina. tion ot thedecoaaod, ami found tho cloihes saturated with water. The body was in a state of death stiffness, The lungs wore full of troth. Ho was ot opinion that decoascd camo to his death by drowning, There were some abrasions on the lorehcad and nose, but there wcro no other murks on the body. The marks might havo boon caused just boforo or aftor doath, The organs wcro hoalthy and not diseased by alcohol, Edward Bramble, examined, deposed that ho know decoasod for about a year, Lie saw him last on Saturday afternoon. Deceased was quite sober. He discovered a hat in the water raco on Sunday morning, and subsequently learned that it belonged to deceased, Ho did not think deceased drunk to excess. Andfsw Ail kin, examined, deposed that he wns employed at the Owharoa hotel. He knew the deceased, and had mot him on Sunday morning last at 0 DO. Half an hour later deceased brought a bagovcrand said ho would call for it in the evening, Uo did not see him again, Ho (witness) Was not in the bar on Sunday morning. Bar work was not included in his duties The g : rl who atlouded in the bar was in the b.ir about the time deceased was there. Decoiuod did not ask for a drink in his hearing, nor did he got a drink, aud was quite sober, Graco McGregor, examined, said sno was employed as servant in Mr. Mont - gomovy'shulol. She novor served drink on fiumliiys, Not.«soul asked her for a drink on Sunday morning, Sbo was in the bar on Sunday mot ning for half an hour, but no drink was served to anybody, William Hicks, examined, deposed that ho was deceased's in-xt door neighbour. Ho scmotimes saw him the worse for liquor, but not what he would call drunk. He last saw him alive in Montgomery's hotel between (I and 10 o'clock on Saturday night, Deceased was not sober, but not drank. It was frosty on Sunday morning and it was possible that in con* sequence deceased slipped. Ralph Montgomery,examined, said that lie knew the dece-scd, Ho smv him on Saturday night at closing time, Deceased asked for a bed, but bo (witness) was unable to give him ono, and told him to remain by the fire in the sitting room. Ho often gave deceastd a bed, because bo was afraid of ihn track to his home in the dark. He served him with liquor on Saturday night, The fla?k produced had been purchased in his (witness's) house on Saturday night. Deceased was apparently nouo the worse for liquor on th it evening. Witness hid seyei.iy boarders. He did not think it dangerous to allow deceased to stop in the sitting'room all night by iho lire. He would say ihe man wits not sober, but ho was not drunk,

Edward Hannon, examined, said that he was barman at tho hotel. Lie had served deceasod with two drinks on Saturday night, and thought he must have served him with a ilask of whisky. Ho did not servo anybody with liquor on Sunday morning,

Samuel Edgar Eraser, being sworn, deposed : I am battery manager at Waikino. I knew tho deceased for live years, I was with Constable Uevan when ho recovered the body in the company's watar race, Deceased was in Ihe company's employ. I dispensed with his ssrvices owing to his coming to work when intoxicated. I gave him moral chances. I took him on several times bocauao ho seomad to poor, 1 dis« missed him finally beoausc 1 could not depend on him, It was not safe for him to work in that state, I have been battery manager lor about nine years, There lias been a considerable amount of heavy drinking in Waikino, but a better clisi of men are now coming on, but there is tfill too much drinking to my liking, Bernard Armstrong, oxamiiied, said ho was engaged nt tho Waikino buttery, lie knew deceasod for two years lie siuv 1 him tho last time between 8 and 9 o'clock Oil Sunday morning. He saw nothing about him to think otherwise than that lie was sober,

Georijo Frederick Bcvan, being sworn, doposed: I am a police constable, stationon at Karangahako. It was casually mentioned to mo on Monday at 11 iuii. that a miiu was missing «t Waikino, und I camo out in view of making I lieard that a hat had boon picked up in the water raco on Sunday by a man named Bramble, and I interviewed Bramble and got tho hnj, which he said ho had picked up in the race, Srvcral povsonsidentified the bat as deceased's, I eaw Mr. Fraser, battery manager, who cut the water oil' the race, and soon after discovered the body in the race a', il:o pout Block, The bedy was perfectly rigid, On searching the body I found a Waiiii Daily Tkli-> GRAPH dated Saturday, a llask full of whiskey, wateh and chain, rule, one shiL ling and threepence and pocket knife, Tho watch had stopped at 7 past 8 I noticed a point in the raco near whero the hat was found; il appeared as if some--one had been struggling (0 get up the bank. I had tho body removed to the hotel. The information \ns not conveyed to mo ollicially that a man was missing. I only licnrd it casually, 1 inspected the whine of deceased and everything appeared to bo in ordor, the verdict

The jury returned a verdict that iUc-i Millan was accidentally drowned in Cue Waihi Company's water-raeo at Waikino, The jury added that Ihey wished the coroner to convey to tho Polio Department the (net of the prompt aeiiou of Constable Derail, of Karangahako, in tracing and recovering the body,