ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF A FOREST RANGER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 567, 6 September 1865, Page 6

ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF A FOREST RANGER.

As inquest was hold, says tho U'anaanni Chroniclet at Pipiriki, on the 2nd instant, regarding the death of Private John Duggan, No. 1 Company Forest Rangers. The following am some of the particulars : — "John Henry Wright, No. 2 Company Forest Hangers, stated": T was in a wliaro in the village of Pipiriki this morning. Th:- deceased John Duggan entered tho whare with a man named James; lie advised me to cmie across tho river at once to mount guard, or I should be made a prisoner of. I got my arms and accoutrements, and went down to the river bank with him. We found no canoe, and we went up to a whare and asked for a passage across river. A Maori woman went down to the rivo r bank with us, but we could not get a canoe to take us across. After waiting some time tho deceased John Duggan told Jone-t to go up to the redoubt and borrow some paddles. " "Whilst he was absent, and we had been waiting some time, the deceased John Duggan asked n Maori to take us across, as ho had a prisoner, then pointing to me. T lauirhed at the time, and tapping my revolver at the time, 1 said, ' a funny with arms, and nther a on-'.' I can t exaetlv remember Duu-ran's word-*, but they were fomethim: tn th<- filVcf that be hml » revolver a" w-'li a* trie, and drew it out of the *ase. I said, ' where did V"U g't that revolver : Is it oie of the new ones ?'" 1 mistook it f r one of the revolvers it out of the case, and taken off the ch'th with which brlnnsjinfftothe Wansanui Mil tia. H- hadthen ta'-.en it was covered, and said it was a fir.-t-rate revolver ; he had it a lmi2 time, and made some iemarks about it not havimr been fired off We were putting our revolvers to each »ther's breasts, and remarking that the first shot would he everything. He then began to'wrap up his revolver with the cloth, when mine went off and shot him. I was returning my j.i.-tol t-> the ca-n. I did not know whether Tli id shot him or not. I presently saw a hole in his coat, and then he exclaimed, ' Why, Jack, it's gone quite through mv heart.' He did not fall, and I assisted him to the bank, and shouted to them to run up for'the doctor; I had shot a man. I mistook a stranger for F.nsien Koss, of our company, and I told him I had shot Duggan. Make haste to help him. This is all I have to state. " Captain Frederick Felson George, 3rd Waikato Regiment of Militia, stated that he saw tho deceased up to his death, ani he said, addressing himself to Private Wright, ' I forgive you old fellow,' or words to that eflect. "A verdict was returned that deceased was ' Accidentally shot.' "