SUDDEN DEATH AT WAIKAIA.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1032, 13 May 1902, Page 2

SUDDEN DEATH AT WAIKAIA.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Another sudden death occurred in our midst last week in the person of George Staunton, better known as " Black George," a rabbiter, who was found dead in his hut, at the Landslip, on Thursday last. He had evidently been dead eight or ten days before his remains were found. Deceased was 53 years of age, and a native of Oxford, England. An inquest was held on Friday before Mr T. Taylor, J.P. (acting coroner), and a jury of which Mr R. T. Stowart was elected foreman. Jonathan Radford, a butcher boy in the employ of Mrs Tretheway, deposed that on Thursday, the Ist inst., he delivered meat at Staunton's camp, placing it in a box left there for the purpose. On again delivering his order on last Thursday, the Bth, he found that the previous week's supply had not been removed. The door not being locked he pushed it open, and found deceased dead on his bed. He immediately informed the police, and on again visiting the camp with Constable Herlihy, found the body jußt as be had left it. Constable Hsrlihy deposed that from information received from last witness he, accompanied by Messrs Badford, Stevenson and Fretwell, proceeded to deceased's camp at the Landslip, and found Staunton dead in his bed, the body being in a very advanced stage of decomposition. The body was carerully oovered up as if deceased had gone to bed as usual, and never moved. Ho examined the camp carefully, looking for any noxious drugs that deceased might have taken, but found no trace of any. The body being in a very bad state he did not examine it minutely, as he felt satisfied that the man had gone to sleep, and died quietly from natural causes. With the assistance of Messrs Stevenson and Fretwell he had the remains removed to the premises of the Empire Hotel. From inquiries he had made he was quite oonvinced that deceased had been dead at least eight days before the body was discovered. He did not deem it necessary to send to Gore for a medical man, as from the state in which the body was he concluded that it was next to impossible for a doctor to state positively as to the exact cause of death, unless deceased had died from the effects of poison, and there was nothing to indicate that such was the case. On behalf of the Police Department he wished to thank Messrs Stevenson and Fretwell for the assistance they bad given him in removing tbe body. Deceased lived in a very out-of-the-way place, and it was a matter of some difficulty to convey the body from the camp to a place where a trap could be taken to remove it to Waikaia. This concluded the evidence, ftnd in accordance with it the jury returned a verdict of death from natural causes.