Young Maori Found Dead on River Bank

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 June 1932, Page 5

Young Maori Found Dead on River Bank

GUN APPARENTLY FIRED ACCIDENTALLY FOXTOX, Last Xight. One of the hammers of his gun apparently having caught on the seat of a boat in which ho had been fishing, causing it to discharge with fatal results, To Xg-aora Pomare, a -Maori, aged 28 years, a son of the late Sir M,aui Pomare, was yesterday morning found dead alongside a flat-bottomed boat pulled up on the bank of the Manswatu river at the Elbow, four miles from Fexton. Deceased, who was a now arrival av ( the river port, was staying with Mr. H. McGregor, of Man:'.wain Beads. The young man was in the habit of sleepbig cut f.c-d left Mr. MeGuogcr’s placi on Wednesday afternoon equipped with a steeping hug. but spent the night at a friend’s place at Matakarapa. He left, there on Thursday morning, taking his cel basket and shotgun. At 11 a.m. a fisherman, Mr. Honore, was collecting firewood on the Manswatu river when ho discovered the dead body of Mr. Pomare face downward in the mud, there being wounds in the face, throat and chest, while deceased’s thumb was blown off. A double-bar-relled shotgun, with one barrel discharged, was found lying in the bottom of the boat, and an eel basket, containing live eels, was found on the bank.

Deceased had apparently lifted the basket and returned to the boat to pick up the gun, but one of the hammers must have caught on the scat and discharged the weapon. The' body was removed to the Poxton morgue by Constable Owen. Deceased's relatives reside at Lower Hutt.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH,

PONTON, Saturday,

An ihquest into the circumstances surrounding the death ef Te Ngacre, eldest son of the late Sir Maui Ponrare, was held to-day. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to the accidental discharge of a. gun when being drawn from the boat.