ACCIDENTALLY SHOT

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1932, Page 3

ACCIDENTALLY SHOT

INQUEST ON ALBERT PFAFF. Before Mr Janies Sneddon, J.P., of Blackball, Acting Coroner, and a jury of four; Messrs Emil Simmondson, Patrick Chinan, Walter Baxter, and Thomas Edward Ward, the inquest on Albert Pfaff, who was found dead at Moonlight on Saturday night, wasjheld at the Ahaura Courthouse yesterday afternoon. Constable O. Hendricksen, of Blackball, conducted the enquiry. Arthur Gray, carpenter, of Blackball, stated that he visited Slatey Creek, on a deer-shooting expedition, accompanied by Charles Lansdowne. They called at Pfaff’s hut on Saturday night, about 10 o’clock, with the intention of staying with him till daybreak. Witness knocked at the door, and, receiving no answer, walked in. Not finding Pfaff in the hut, and knowing that he suffered from miners’ complaint, they thought that perhaps he was ill, and might be found sittingoutside. On searching about, they had found him lying dead in a paddock near his vegetable garden. They left immediately for Blackball, where they reported their finding to the police. Corroborative evidence was given by Charles Lansdowne.

Constable Honey, of Ahaura, stated that he had seen the body, and had identified it as Albert Victor Pfaff, a resident of Moonlight. Witness had last seen Pfaff alive at Ahaura, on September 5, when deceased then appeared to be in his usual health. Constable Hendricksen stated that he had received a report from Gray and Lansdowne, and had then proceeded to Slatey Creek, where the body was found. The body was lying parallel to a wife fence which encircled the vegetable garden, and the body bore the appearance of having been there for about a week. There was a bullet wound on the right side of the chest, a black ring round it being scorched by powder, showing that the shot had been fired at close range. An old-fashioned single-shot Snider rifle was hooked in the wire fence, with the muzzle embedded in the ground'. Witness considered that deceased might have been digging in his garden, and when climbing back through the fence, the hammer of the gun had caught on the wire, and discharged the weapon, thereby killing Pfaff. The finding of the jury was that deceased, Albert Victor Pfaff, met his death through the accidental discharge of his rifle, when climbing through a fence. The funeral takes place to-morrow, leaving St. Mary’s Church, at 10 a.m., for the Ahaura Cemetery.