CORONER'S INQUESTS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume II, Issue 84, 10 April 1867, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUESTS.

Yesterday the Coroner, W. W. Squires, Esq., held an iuquest on the body of H. H. Howell, gardener in Brook Street. The following evidence was given : — W. Polglase : I identify the body as that of Henry Howell, gardener, liviug in Brook-street. Hearing he had been missing since last night, at 6 o'clock, I went out in companj' with others in search of him. About 8 o'clock this morning I found the body in Glen Avon" Gully. I ran over the hill and called for the others ' who had come in search of him. Sergeant John Nash : I identify the body as that of H. H. Howell. About 9 p.m. yesterday, Joseph Mills told me Mr. Howell was missing. About 7 a.m. today, I went with the last witness and others in search of him. I went in a different direction to the last witness. Hearing from Polglase that the body was found, I went back, met him, his brother, and Mr. Blick. I went with them to where the body lay. It was in a stream,

face downwards, the head covered with water, the hands and chest were in the water. He was stretched out at full length with his feet out of the water and turned down the stream. I saw a spot of blood on a stone close to his feet; behind the stone, I saw a lot of blood. I found this knife. It was close by a, bank about 18 inches high, with its point stuck in the ground. We turned the body over, and I saw a gash on the left side of the neck which I suppose is about three or four inches long. There was no blood on the face or on the wouDd, they were washed cleanly by the running water. Our reason for going in that direction was that I heard he had been going there yesterday. There were no marks,, what--ever, of scuffling about the spot. By the spot where the blood was flowing on the bank, there is a fern trunk which was pressed as if some one had been leaning against it. Putting myself in a sitting position I found the blood would be between my feet, while my right shoulder pressed agaiust the bush. The knife was covered with blood, when I found it. F. L. Vickerman, M.E.C.S. said : I have seen the body of H. H. Ilowell. On the left side of the neck I found an incised wound, four inches long, commencing below the left ear, about half an inch in front of the posterior border of the sterno cleido mastoid muscle, cutting through the skin aud cellular tissue, not the muscle. It cut the jugular vein, the incision terminating a little to the right of the "pomum Adami." The only important structure wounded was the vein. The wound was such a one as could be done by his own hand, and by such a knife as the one produced. He died from loss of blood, caused by the wound in the jugular vein, aided by his falling in the water. The wound in the neck was sufficient of itself to cause death. My opinion is that he died from the effects of a selfinflicted wound on the left side of the neck. Maria Howell : I am the daughter of the deceased. My father was very low spirited, owing to the rain washing away the ground, and the potato crop being bad. The knife produced belonged to him. It used to be on the mantelpiece ; we have only just missed it from its usual place. The jury found a verdict in accordcince with the evidence. On the 6th instant, W. W. Squires, Esq., the Coroner, held an inquest, at Waimea East, on the body of a man named James Bearsley, aged 52. It appeared that, shortly after getting his dinner, he fell to the ground, with his face downward, and died shortly afterwards. Dr. Lakiug, who examined the body, said the man died from congestive apoplexy. He was a hard drinker. The verdict was, death from natural causes.