A RAROTONGA'S DEATH.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5637, 10 April 1911, Page 3

A RAROTONGA'S DEATH.

On Sunday afternoon, the 12th. March, a fatality occurred on the plantation of Mr William John Wigruore, on the Southern side of Karotonga, when a native named More was shot dead by a rifte shot. The Acting Medical Officer, Dr. A. C. Storey, held an inquiry under the Medical Officers' Enquiry Act of 1900, and on the evidence brought forward he found that More lost his life from a gunshot wound accidently inflicted by Wigmore. At the conclusion of the inquiry Wigmore was formally charged with manslaughter, and released on bail, which was fixed at £1000. Consequently statements were tendered to the Registrar of the High Court by the police, and by persons who stated that they were eye-witnesses of the shooting, whose evidence was not brought forward at the inquiry, and these statements being in conflict with tho evidence given at the inquiry, the Registrar has taken swora depositions from these witnesses, which luve been forwarded on to the Kesident Commissioner. The Resident Commissioner is sending the i whole of the papers in connection with the affair to the law aulh< riries in New Zealand for instruction as to action, and, iv the event of a pros-ecutio:. being necessary, he has requested that a Crown prosecutor be sent down to conduct the case on behalf of the Government. A sad feature of the incident is that More was a friend of Wigmore, and that he was spending the day at the yhiitatiuu ou Wigmove's iuvit&Uoa.