ACCIDENTALLY DROWNED.

Evening Star, Issue 7480, 26 March 1888, Page 2

ACCIDENTALLY DROWNED.

Mr Coroner Carew held an inquest at the Great Northern Hotel, Water of Leith, at 9.30 this morning, touching the death of Alexander Pennycuick Hunter. Mr A. H. Shclton was chosen foreman of the jury. Alexander Hunter deposed : I am an ironmonger, and reside in Great King street. I identify the body on view aa that of my son, Alexander Pennycuick Hunter. He was thirty-two last birthday. He was an ironmonger and resided with me. He was born in Glasgow, and had been about twentyeight years in New Zealand. He was single. He had been subject to epileptic fits for the past four years not severe, but slight. It was about ten weeks since I knew him to have a fit. At one time they occurred about once a week, and then gradually decreased in number. He was in the daily habit of going to bathe in the harbor at the foot of Frederick street. He used to go about six o'clock on week days and half-past six on the Sabbath morning. He used to leave home alone, but he gave us to understand there was always a number bathing thers with him. His mother and I inquired particularly about this, and he replied that we were not to fear, as there were always a number of his acquaintances there. I saw him on Saturday night at half-past ten. He seemed then in his usual health. I heard him coming out of his bedroom on Sunday morning about half-past six the usual time to go to bathe on a Sabbath morning. About half-past eight o'clock a_ constable came and gave me information of his death, I did not see him alive again after half-past ten on Saturday night. His body was brought home yesterday morning about twenty minutes past nine o'clock, Dr Copland examined the body, and found no marks of injury on it. The suit of clothes found near the place were my son's. Charle3 Croxford, a plumber and gasfitter, stated that yesterday morning he and his son and Mr Manuel were going over the road that leads to Patterson's sheds, at the foot of Frederick street, when he saw some clothes hanging up on a boarding near the water, and remarked "Ihere is someone bathing here." They went in a direction towards the clothes, but saw no person in the water or about there. They went right up to the clothes and moved them to see whether there was only one or more sets of clothes, and saw only one set. They shouted and cooeyed and whistled, but saw no one. Witness sent his son to Patterson, who keeps the boat-shed, to tell him that someone was in the water. His son called out from the staging where the bather a diveoff into the harbor: "Father, here he is." Witness went on to the staging and saw a body. He went down the staging to try to get hold of it, but could not succeed. About twenty minutes had elapsed by this time since they got there, and witness thought it useless to do more than to send for the police. His son went for the police, and returned with Sergeant O'Neill and a constable. The body had not been disturbed up to that time. They could not get at it. A boat was got, and the body got out, witness assisting to get it ashore. The body was in about four or five feet of water. The body was lying right on the stones at the bottom, face downwards. It had struck seven o'clock before they saw anything of the body. Deceased was a good swimmer. If he had not been seized with a fit or something of that tort it would have been impossible for him to have drowned. Sergeant O'Neill deposed that his attention was called to the body, face downwards, iu about four and a half feet of water. He got a boat and brought the body ashore. It was quite dead and cold. There were no marks on the body. Close to where the body was found, on a fence or boarding, a suit of clothes and a towel were hanging. The position of the body and the clothes gave me the impression that deceased had boon bathing. It is a place commonly used for bathing, and there is nothing at all unusually dangerous about the place. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidentally drowned while bathing," and added the following rider:—" That the jury desire to sincerely condole with the bereaved parents on the loss they have sustained by the death of this very excellent young man."