A MYSTERY CLEARED UP.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12129, 27 February 1905, Page 2

A MYSTERY CLEARED UP.

About tune months ago a fanner : named Richard O'N-il> living . near Geraldine, suddenly disappeared, said, ! although Uie bosh and country, in the Titinity of Mis home were searched, no trace of him oould be found. He left his home at 8 a.m. with a doublebarrelled gun and some lunch, the family thinking that he was going to hia usual occupation of goree-grubbing, and not knowing that [he had taken the gun until it was missed later in tho day. Tho man waa last seen going in the direction of Four Peaks, with the gun in His possession. Shortly after this a warrant waa issued by the police for the arrest of O'Neil on a charge of. alleged arson, and it' was publicly believed tbat he was in the North Island or Australia. This has been proved false by the finding of tbe body of the missing man, with nis gun lying beside him, on the Sugar Loaf Hill on Mr J. M. Barker's run, near Four Peaks Station. A young man named James Evans came across the body last Wednesday evening. It was in a very do--1 composed state, but was easily identiI fied by the shape of the head and the ! appearance of the hair and whiskers. j There was a hole through tho clothing. ' and a gun-hot wound m the region of ! the stomach. Young Evans in December last found a hat about ten chains from where he found the body,, and jokingly remarked that he had found tracks of O'Neil. The public*, however, only lauglted at turn, saying that O'Neil was far away from Geraldine by that time. An. inquest was held at Geraldine on Friday, before Colonel Moore, ActingCoroner. The jury returned a verdict that deceased met his death by a gunshot wound, but whether self-inflicted or caused by accident there was nothing to show.