FOUND SHOT.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 134, 8 June 1929, Page 11

FOUND SHOT.

WEALTHY FARMER.

AFTER BROKEN ENGAGEMENT.

MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES

COBONER AND JURY DISAGREE

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

HAWERA, this day.

The story of a broken engagement •was told' at the inquest held yesterday into the death of Ralph Russell, aged 24. a fanner, who was found, lying with a bullet'.'hole in his forehead, outside the back!, door of his house at Mokoia. The circumstances of Russell's death proved vfery puzzling to the actingcoroner,/Mr. i-!. S. Sage, J.P., and his jury. The evidence, wnich occupied Jiours, included that of Russell's former fiancee. ( According to the evidence given, Russell wasfffound lying on his back, with, •his left'Jiand on his chest and his right hand extended at a right angle. A pearifle wasflying beside him, pointing away at a right angle. He wore his Sunday shoes, which were not laced; There were t\}p boxes of cartridges lying beside thej body. The skin of his head had been blackened by powder. The mechanism of the gun was faulty, and the giflj could be discharged easity./ • ' Russell left no note. He had jileniy of money, and no enemies. An engagement ring was fond in a drawer in the house, and a gold band ring on; the mantle , shelf. Why Engagement was Broken. The former fiancee of Russell said that during"; their engagement Russell had been iisked why he did not visit her more frequently. His reply -had been that when she came to know him more she would think he had visited her home too • much. He had visited her home about.'*; three times, and had said more than once that he should not visit her. She dp not- know why he-had said that. The ifLst time she had spoken to him was about May 0. He had had nothing to say on that occasion. On account oi" quietness on Russejl's part, she had •written him a letter,' of which she retained a copy. . '••'■ /

might be just;a cs.se of mistaken affection," said the' coroner, after reading,ihe copy. ,f ') Emptying-to counsel's doubts whether the [contents of the letter should be mate public, the coroner said he saw no reason why they should not be revealed, and' the witness indicated her agreement. She said no intention of suicide had: been suggested or made known to her. by Russell. She did not consider lier letter would have any such effect on him. ,He had had plenty of time to awjwer the, letter, but had not done so. Sle had seen him at the Mokpia sports oit May 23, but not to speak to.

' ,I'Yoii are absolutely certain Russell gave no indication in his conversation ti'at he-would take his life?" asked the coroner/ ■ '|None at all," replied witness.

/ / Her Last Letter. fjThe , ' young.-woman, said in her letter: "JDeal , Ralph,—;-You have made it quite t'aiii that'you feel as I do, that bur gagement wag';a .mistake. I am for"waitlins: you your ring, and a girl would fbevf. oolisii, whatever her-feelings might jtaf/to try to hold a man who values /a twoman's love so lightly as you hav.e / jtrbyed you do, but although you have / pi veil me every, cause to, I cannot feel ' titter towards, you, for I feel a man ■who.' would play with a girl's affections as you have, and go as far as to place an engagement rips; on her finger without! genuine .affection, is .to be pitied. T ar)i sure vou must feel thankful now thafj I withheld from yniir persuasions for pn early marriage. We would very t'-uljT have m-ov.ed .the wisdom of the oJd:jPayiiT£. 'Mqrry .in haste anl repent afileisure.' However, this closes for me an episod.p in my life I shall >endeavour to forget." "The First Presumption." A verdict of death by misadventure was urged by Mr. E. M. Beechey, counsel for Russell's relatives. He said he considered that had suicide been intended the shot would have been fired inside the house, a note would have been left, and two packets of cartridges would not have been taken outside. Russell had no reason to commit suicide.

The Coroner: That is only an inference. Mr. Beechey: But it is a perfectly just inference. The coroner said he would be inclined to agree with Mr. Beechey's contention if only he could be satisfied that such a wound could have been accidentally inflicted. He was not satis-fied-of that after having heard the evidence as to the position of the body and after having viewed the body subsequently. It was regrettable to think that a young man in such circumstances should desire to take his life, yet the first presumption seemed to be suicide. He considered it his duty to express that opinion, although it was not easy for a justice on the Bench to gay it. The jury, however, was to give the; verdict, not the coroner. The matter, was wholly in the jury's hands. The foreman of the jury suggested the possibility of the rifle having been discharged by being dropped. The Coroner: I am sorry I cannot agree with you. The foreman contended that the bullet should have been recovered. The Coroner: The nature of the wound indicated clearly that it was a bullet which caused death. The jury, after ten minutes' deliberation, returned with a verdict of death by accident.