PURELY ACCIDENTAL

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 11

PURELY ACCIDENTAL

DEATH AT LITTLE BARRIER

MAGISTRATE'S COMMENT" AT CONCLUSION OF INQUEST.

(»I TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

.!• AUCKLAND, 24tli August. > The. adjourned inquest concerning the death of Hubert George Weideman at Little Barrier Island in June was concluded by Mr. Poynton, S.-M., to-day. A verdict of accidental drowning was returned.

At the previous sitting Peter Highan, master of the scow Haere, had given evidence that he landed deceased at the island on 26th April. Deceased had requested witness to take him down to the island; he said the caretaker was a friend of his, and showed witness a letter purporting to be written by Mr. Cleaver Deceased was rowed ashore by members of the scow's crew. Dr. Murray, who had performed a post-mortem examination of the body, gave evidence that in his opinion the cause of death was drowning. There wei'e no marks of violence on the body. William Cleaver, until recently caretaker of the island, who gave evidence at the opening'of the inquiry, was recalled./ He said he knew deceased, who assisted witness. When he went down to Little Barrier on 23rd May, 1922, | deceased returned to Auckland the following day.- Witness first saw deceased on the island about 4 p.m. on 26th April of .this year. He slept at witness s house each night until 16th June i Ow the morning of 16th June, after | breakfast, deceased left 'witness and went out in an open boat which witness had at the island and used generally for fishing. The sea was very rough on that part of the coast at times, when it was almost dangerous to use an open boat. When deceased left witness there was a slight southerly wind blowing; later it commenced, to blow hard, and deceased pulled round to the east side to fish. Witness last saw him about 9.30 a.m., about half a mile out, and he did not seem in any difficulty. The sea then became Tough, and .it would be impossible to pull backs 'Witness had to go to the west landing^ and lost sight of deceased, whom he' did not again see alive. He spent that night searching for deceased, as he had..not returned. On 27th June he found deceased's body at a spot known! as Shaggery. It was fully dressed ex-' cept for, the hat and Boots. Witness carried the body up on to the cliff, and two days later had to bury it. He did this as well as possible under the circumstances, and placed two large; boards over the grave. Two days after deceased was missed witness found the boat on the east side of, the island about two miles from where the body was found. The. oars and rowlocks were in the boat, which was iust above high tide mark.

Mrs. L. E. Cleaver, wife of the last witness, gave evidence ' that deceased 1 was on the island when' she returned from Auckland r on 30th April, and'she last saw him ; on 16th •'June. During that period,he slept at'the house and had his meals :there. JHe was on the' best of terms with them. Witness said' that a statement she made to the police on 19th July was erroneous in certain respects. She was now; telling the truth. Deceased had told her he was there on holiday and to see; her husband. '■'■■' ' - ' > • i ;

Greta Olive Dane, sister : of -Mrs.* Cleaver, who went to the: island 'in 1 March to look -after the-children dur-; ing Mrs. Cleaver's absence; also gave similar evidence as to deceased's stay on the asland. She also said that parts; of the statement/Bhe;made.to the police' on ,20th July;were erroneous, 1 'What she was now stating was the: truth. _ Senior-Detective Cummings, who was': m charge of the police party - which' went to the island on receipt of the' information of deceased's death, gaye 1 evidence as to making inquiries into the circumstances, and obtaining statements from various persons. Fronv his inquiries he was satisfied that'there ™%Z nO susP^i°Us circumstances. The Coroner said that Dr. Murray' gave the cause of death as drownini'• though there was no evidence to show, how this occurred. ."Comment maybe made as to the inconsistent statements made, at other times by -wit-' nesses from the island," said Mr. Poyn-' t ™ J he? c is reason for that. The Little Barrier is a bird sanctuary, and the presence there of.a stranger without a permit would cause inquiries as to-the_ reason. .. There was therefore" a motive for concealing his presence I wish to say," continued Mr. Poynton' in justice to Mr. Cleaver, who might' be suspected of causing the .death or of concealing more than he has dis--closed, that I have no reason for any, suspicions whatever as to his being wi?i ?» sVf ? e death- The verdict will be that deceased Weideman was fZ mi£ L T,tle B«ri« "about wSS: June, 192? There is no evidence to show how he got into the water, but everything now known indicates that it was purely accidental." ;