THE AVONDALE FATALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 94, 22 April 1902, Page 5

THE AVONDALE FATALITY.

THE INQUEST.

Mr Greshain, Coroner, held an inquest at Avondale yesterday afternoon on the death of John Broughton, seventy-three years of age, whose body was found in the "Whau'Creek on Sunday. : '

Dr; Hooper, who made a post mortem examination, deposed that death was due to drowning. There was a small punctured wound on the side of the neck, which might have been caused by the penknife produced, and which might have been self-inflicted, but it had nothing to do with the cause of death.

Annie Maria Broughton, deceased's wife, deposed that she last saw her husband alive at her home at Avondale about half-past six on Saturday. He was reading the paper, and she went out to one of the stores. : The house was about seven .minutes' walk from the creek; Deceased was in comfortable -circumstances, and had never developed suicidal tendencies. "Witness did riot know how he came into the water. On Friday last deceased sustained a slight wound on his neck, probably when cutting tea tree. John Archibald .deposed to finding the body floating in the Whau Creek on Sunday morning.

Constable Gordon deposed that Mrs Broughton notified him on Sunday morning that her husband..was missing. Deceased was eccentric in his manner.

The' jury returned a verdict to the effect that death resulted from drowning, but that there was not sufficient evidence to determine by what means deceased came into the water.

Deceased was an Imperial pensioner, and was formerly a sergt.-major in fhe Royal Artillery .