DEATH BY DROWNING.—INQUEST.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 2962, 22 January 1867, Page 4

DEATH BY DROWNING.— INQUEST.

An inque3t was held on Wednesday, January 9, before H. T. Clarke, Esq., District Coroner, on- the body of George Patterson, belonging to the Jst Waikato Regiment, who was accidentally drowned on the 6th instant. The jury, having elected their foreman (Mr. Thomas Saunders), proceeded to. view the body. Braithwaite Patterion (brother of deceased) deposed : I live in Te Papa. As nearly «b I could judge, it was about four o'clock p.m. on Sunday, the 6th, my brother and I had been to see our land, and were crossing the Hairini Ford, ooming baok to Te Papa. A native women called out to us that it was too deep to cross at this place. I called out to 'my brother, but ho took the^ wrong direction. His horse was plunging, but I could not be sure whether it was swimming or not. Deceased's hat fell off into the water, and he recovered it easily. Directly after this he fell off. I swam towards him. When about three or four yards, from him, he was lying on his back. I dived after him, but oould not see Sim. I have oontinued the searob till last night. I have seen the body, which is that of my brother, George Paterson. / Anative woman, of Hairini, sworn, stated: OnSunday afternoon I was returning to any settlement and saw two Europeans ou horseback crossing the channel at Hairini. I called oHt to them that it was too deep there. Last witness consented to follow my. advice, but deceased weut on. I then went away towards my settlement, but on looking round saw deceased still going the wrong way. I saw him fall off his horse. I took off my clothes and went to look for deceased, and called out to the people of the settlement to come and help me. They came, but could not find the man. I have seen the body of deceased, and recognise it as that of the man I saw on Sunday last. Hatiwira, a native, sworn, deposed: "Very early this morning (9bb) I was bringing my canoe from Poike to Haiciai. When a little way below the ford, my pole, which had a line with a hook attached, caught at something in the water. I pulled it up, and the body of a man was fast to it. ThW line broke, and I then went into the water myself, and got hold of the deceased's coat and brought him up. The body I have seen above is the one I brought down in the canoe this morning. The Coroner having briefly commented on the evidence as above, the jury found a verdict " That deceased had been accidentally drowned whilst crossing the Irene ford."— TaUranga Argus.