ORAMAHOE TRAGEDY.

Northern Advocate, 28 August 1919, Page 2

ORAMAHOE TRAGEDY.

IWQoESTS AiNJJ VEKDICTS,

The adjourned inquest on the victims of the Oraraahoe shooting tra-. gedy was held in the Kawakawa Courthouse yesterday. The first inquest was on the body of Ihimaera Haratua, who succumbed in Jiawakawa Hospital, and was taken before Mr F, H. Levien, S.M. (coroner). Senior-Sergt. Cassells conducted the proceedings on behalf of the police. Mr G. H. Woods acted as Maori interpreter, while Mr H. G, Guy appeared to represent the halfWalter Ashby, at present in custody on suspicion in connection with the tragedy. Constable Kelly (Auckland) produced an official photograph of the scene which he had taken in company with Sergeant Cassells land Constable Dempsey. Dr S. L. Green, in charge of Kawa— kawa Hospital, said that on the 15 tin August he went to Oramahoe with Constable Dempsey to a brushwood whare and.saw the body of a woman lying dead outside the entrance. Superficial examination disclosed a bullet wound over the heart.' Thewoman <had been dead about 24 hours, fie went with th e constable to another whare further on, where he found a male Maori lying on t/he floor with a wound on the right side of his chest, also a wound above his left elbow. He ordered the man's removal to the hospital, where examination revealed no additional wounds. On Sunday the patient's condition became serious, and an operation was performed. At 9 p.m. on Monday the man obviously was dying, and witness informed Sergt. Cassells and Constable Dempsey, who came and saw deceased, who died about 11.15 on Tuesday morning. At 9.30 a.m., when witness saw him, deceased was practically moribund. A post mortem examination showed the deceased was a well-nourished man. Death was due to septicaemia. Witness had not been able to recover any bullets from the body.

The son of the deceased in giving evidence stated tihat on Monday night his father him that he was shot by Walter Asfiby. The son (had not told the .police because Ms father had asked* him mot to do so, as Jie intended /telling tlhe police himself. Ills father died next morning , .

in summing up, the coroner stated , that he did not feel justified in leaning- heavily upon the evidence of the last witness. Tl\ere was great conflict as to the (declarations made by the anen in the presence of death. He therefore.found tihiat the death of Jhknaerfe, Haratua was due to septicaemia following unpn a wound, such wound having beeninflicted by some person unknown. At. the adjourned inquest' in the evening on the body of the woman Mareame Tuki Moaaa, the evidence was sitoilar to that given on the anan, except that the doctor stated as a result of tlae post mortem examination, that tlhe woman died from internal bleeding due to a bullet wound in the iheart. He found no other marks of violence or wound. A bul-

let recovered from the heart was produced in court. The verdict was 'that the deceased woman- had met her death by being \ sHrot by some person or persons unknown, .