INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 828, 19 February 1867, Page 2

INQUEST.

Yesterday afternoon, at Mr. Morton's hotel, Hastings-street, an inquest was held before Thomas. Hitchings, Esq., coroner, and a jury, upon the body of one James Pilkington, then and there r ' lying dead. The following was the evidence adduced:-— William Healy, laborer, deposed l-^Ji^y^ a laborer, residing in .Napier". ~ Iyijecpgnwi^^ and identify deceased as James^.FU^giwintKl whom I have known for five, years.::; He:" was in the 65th Regiment with me. On Tuesday last, 12th inst., at aljqut 6 a.m., deceased and I started to go, inlain^, :^pm the Napier hotel. He was a little the woi£e for liquor there, and had been the night before. We both slept at Mr. Morton's house. He (deceased) had. a glass of spirits before starting, and at M'Murray's hotel -he had:^ two. We then went across the NgarufoW^ on the punt> where we were joined by a' '- man named Fitzgerald, who accompanied us to within three miles of Havelock, wher£ deceased sat down and said he could go no further. He had had a glass of grog? at 1 ' Clive, and seemed drunk and tired. It was about 11 a.m. when I left him on the road. He refused our remaining with him, but said he would follow us. He attempted : , ' to do so, but apparently could not. I did not see him again that day, nor since, till now. Since I have kn own him he has been- . r addicted to drink. I returned from Have** lock on the next day, and heard trom the y ferryman that deceased had come back the evening previously. Richard Fitzgerald, deposed,— l am a ± laborer residing in Napier. On my way. to Havelock last Tuesday, at the ferry, deceased and Healy came up and crossed with me. We three walked to Clive, and, at Jeffares 1 house, deceased called for three nobblers, which we drank.. Deceased was -■• rather drunk at the ferry, and at Clive he got more so. He was refused a seat in the ■" ; Waipawa conveyance, apparently from his" being ; too drunk. He carried with him a" bottle of grog; I saw him drink some between the ferry and Jeffares*. He. went with us to about three .miles from Havelock^ where he sat down and refused to go farther. He lay in the fern on the road-side. I saw nothing more of him until now. John Brown, sworn, deposed, — I workvcj the Waipureku ferry. Last Tuesday moKK--ing I crossed three men, one of whom was Healy. One of the three (deceased) came back the same evening about 8 p'clockr He appeared moderately -sober V-^e refused a cup of tea, lit his pipe, and started for^., home. '..<;"'. xr. i James O'Shannassy, sworn, deposed.— l.^ am apprentice to Mr. Cosgrove, -Napjer." Yesterday, about £-past 1 or 2 p.m., I. was.; going along the beach, and, near the. second mile stone, I saw in the water the body of a man, and pointed it out to Mr. Dennet, who was driving. Mr. Colin Campbell came along. I, on a horse, got Jhe body out : of the water by twisting the whip-yound|jlts;r neck. We left the- body on the beach, and^ Mr. Campbell took the information, j&j town. Deceased was much swollen and discolored when taken out ; we thought he had been dead a week. We searched, hia pockets and found three tailors' thimbles, - t a handkerchief, a pipe of tobacco, arici.'fif-^ teen shillings in silver. We did not notice any marks of violence on him. .:•/;. si The jury returned a verdict of "Foittfd drowned." <