DEATH OF MR.J.W.SILVA

Northland Age, Volume 5, Issue 23, 6 March 1936, Page 9

DEATH OF MR.J.W.SILVA

The body of John William Silva, a single man aged 33, was found on Saturday at Peria, with a gunshot wound in his head, by a search party that had been organised to hunt for the man who had been missing for some days.

Mr. Silva who resides with his brother, Mr. F. Silva, of Fern Flat, has lately been engaged in cutting firewood on Messrs Blyth Bros, farm at Paranui. He left his brother’s home on Wednesday 19th February to return to his work taking with him sufficient food to last several days and a double barrelled shot-

gun, stating that he intended to shoot a working bullock that had tuberculosis, and he was accompanied by one of his dogs, the other remaining at his brother’s home.

The deceased's horse had been seen at Paranui, near his camp, and so it had been assumed that he was at work and it was only on Thursday the 27th that Mr. Silva became anxious, as he had not seen his brother. On enquiry he found that not only was his brother not at the whare where he bached at Paranui, but there was no food or shotgun there, neither were his bridle and saddle about. On Friday afternoon Constable 11. H. Smith of Mangonui was communicated with and he arranged for a search party to leave Peria on Saturday morning. This party followed the bridle track over the hills on which the deceased would have ridden. About two miles from Peria, the bridle and saddle of deceased was located, planted in some ti-trae just off the track. Deceased’s two dogs, the one that had accompanied him having turned up at Blyth’s farm at Paranui on the day previous, were with the searchers, and these were put on the trail from where the saddle and bridle were found. The dogs immediately led the way to a creek nearby, and on the side of this stream, about quarter of a mile away, the searchers found the body with a gunshot wound in the head, death being apparently instantaneous, and the gun lyflig underneath. Deceased had apparently been dead from the day he left his brother’s home. The body was brought to Pex'ia by sledge on Sunday, after a track had been cut, and on Sunday afternoon an inquest was held before Mr. C. J. E. Barriball and a jury of four when a verdict was returned that deceased died as a result of a gunshot wound self inflicted, and that there was insufficient evidence to show any reason for this action. The funeral took place at the Peria cemetery immediately after the inquest.