FRIENDLY BOUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 21 September 1938, Page 4

FRIENDLY BOUT.

HAS TRAGIC ENDING.

j CITY WRESTLER'S DEATH. EVIDENCE AT INQUEST. j - i Evidence that the wrestling bout in ' I the Auckland Town Hall between . ! Frederick Xigel Whitconibe and Herbert Walker Maecrow Franklin on S>epteinl>cr 3, which had a tragic ending, wan o.m.'ducted in a friendly spirit h,v given I to-day when the coroner, Mr. F. K. I Hunt. 8.M., concluded the inquest pre- ! vionsly opened into the death of I Franklin. J 'J he dead man was .»in;rle and whs jilted 24, a jjas litter i>y occupation, and [resided at Z\. Davis* Crescent. Xcu i market, Serjeant .). l<. Cu)'ft>>ii i-"U- ---' duct e<l the iiiijitost for the police. -Mr. W . 11. Heady appoarin;; for the .\ink- • lanil Amateur Wictlinjr Association. j Uγ. William .Mi-K<vhnie stated (hat j when admitted In the Aiu-klaiul Jlo<(pita). Franklin was r-iilTt-iinir from a fractuie-di-loeation of tlic fifth cervical vertebra, jfe died at (i p.m. mi Sc:,|tcm!»cr :S. Death resulted from lvjiiraItory failure <1 no to the of. and lieinorrlirtfre into, the ppinal curd. Struck Mat With Head. Frodi-ri.-k Xi.ucl W!iit<.-oml»o. labourer, a mairicl man. said he and Franklin ■ wrestled in an elimination bout at tlie |a!!iateur wrn-tlinp ehiimpionshipi in the iTown Hall on September :5. Ti-ov wore : A-ro~nfiiir under Olyiii|iic rules, and after laliniit three ininiiti'.-' wrti«tliiiy witne--j.iii.l l-VaiikJiu were in a referee'" linM. pVitiMVr* attempted to ajij.ly » <-r..-s. buttrifk. which <le,-eased ri"-i-'tPil. WU-IX'-s tripped Franklin, who fell with witness on top of him. Franklin, instead of striking the mat lirst with -Imnhloiv* struck it with li h PM d, air.l witness immediately knew that rfomefhin.L' was wrnii" with liis opponent. AFranklin (struck the mat witness f,.!t the bones of hi- nock wav. Franklin or,iil<! not rNe. Hi' wax' conscifiii-. but apinireiitly paralysed. Witnnr"* Mid the match wn= in_ the friendliest of spirit. The h.iM «itne«r! fip;i!ied wan one nniver-cNv j J a).plied !,v and was a -tui\<h\rd hold. The only reason witness | .ronld ?ive fnr the a<-eideiit Mas t!:e| peculiar manner in which Franklin fell. | A Legal Hold. I ' Herbert John chemist, an-1 joflicial referee of the Auekland Amatein WreMlinir Association, said he referee*' the contest between Whiteombe and Franklin, and corroborated Wlnteom'*'"I evidence the fall. AVhen Franklin <lid not m<ive after falling l,r was exainin.>d by Dr. .T, M:.-kv. and l'ter iviiiovod to flic Aiickhui'l Hospital. riie bout wan wrestled in a friend!v -i'iiit and the hold and fall were perfectly ipLMi. Witnow had been a wrestling referee for two yeaiv an<! there was nothing over-forceful or illegal in the bunt. Tlie coroner found that doeoa-od'< death \va« d>ie to injuries necidentallv received during a wrestling bout.