ACCIDENTAL DROWNING.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 19 August 1930, Page 5

ACCIDENTAL DROWNING.

INQUEST, ON PAINO MOIHI. A verdict of accidental drowning was returned by the District Coroner (Mr T. Brown) at the inquest, held at Kuku yesterday afternoon, on the Maori resident of Ohau, Paino Moihi, a single man, and aged 50, who failed to return after going out on Thursday to catch whitebait.

Richard Piper, a labourer, brother-in-law of the deceased, stated tha r Moihi, who had resided at Ohau for a number of years, was subject to fits, which would take him suddenly, causing him to drop right down. Witness last saw the deceased on Wednesday, when he was on his way to go fishing. \On Friday morning witness heard that his brother-in-lavy was missing, and went to the Ohau River to search for him. He found Moihi’s net and a tin with whitebait in it, on a sandbank near the river, and deceased’s shoes and socks about fifty yards away, on the track The body was recovered yesterday morning, just where witness found the net.

Evidence was given by Mrs Langley, of Ohau West, to the effect that deceased come to her house about 10 a.m., on Thursday; he got his whitebait net, and witness lent him a tin. He went towards the river, and seemed to be in his usual health and good spirits.

Nataua Te Hiwi, farmer, of Kuku, stated that he went to the Ohau River yesterday morning to look for Moihi, and he saw deceased’s body taken from the water; it was taken from the bottom of the river. Witness corroborated the previous evidence as to Moihi’s suffering from fits, and stated that of late the deceased had been much worse. The verdict was that Paino Moihi was accidentally drowned in the Ohau River, about a mile v in a straight line from the mouth of the river, on Thursday, August, 14th.