CORONER'S INQUEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 901, 3 October 1866, Page 5

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday an inquisition was taken before 1. 3tf Phfcon, Esq.. M.D., Coroner at the Bailway Terminus Hotel, Wynyard Pier, upon ■riew of the body of a Maori youth, name unknown, which was found on the beacli at Cox's Creek on Sunday afternoonJames Jones, deposed: I am eight years ot age, son of Edmund Jones, dairyman, ot Ponsonby road I was on the beach near Cox s Creek, about three o'clock on Sunday, llie beach 1= called " Bella Vista" beacli. 1 was in company with my brother when I saw the dead body on •-he beach. The tide was just coming in. JLlie hodv was a considerable distance from the edge of the water. There was neither sand, seaweed, nor clothes upon it. It was quite naked. J called mv brother and he came to the place, it was within liigh-water mark. I did. not make any particular examination. I thought it v>a s a •?,I„ 0 ri The nearest house belongs to Mr. ■) ones but it is emptv, and about a quarter of a milt, from the spot. There are no Maoris living there, but about a month ago there were some Maoris lining-near the place. I used to see them. Thevlived in a tent, just on the cliff. I do not know how many there were altogether. I Jiey trere mostly employed in fishing. I never saw anv children amongst them. Ido not know where thev went to. When we saw the body we told Mr. Geddes who was just at the top of the cliff walking about. There was also another man Both men came and looked at the tjoay. John Geddes, deposed: I am a soap-boiler livino- in Graham-street. On Sunday afternoon'last, I was at Cox's Creek. It was about three o'clock. I was in company with a friend named Carlon. We wentround'oy Mr. Higgm's farm and came upon. Jones s place, wliere we met with two boys who seemed to be herdingcows. When we passed the boys they called out to us that there was the body of a boy on the beach. We were at the top of the cliff; the clifi is perhaps 40 or 50 feet high. We went to the spot pointed out to us, taking the boy with us. At about high-water mark we came upon the body; it was apparently about 7 years of age, and seemed to be the body of either a Maori or a half-caste. The body was in an ad- | vanced state of decomposition. There seemed j to be a cut on the lett side of the neck, | about ail inch in length. It appeared to be an open wound, and might have been done by a jagged rock. 1 did not make any examination. We did not touch the body. The wound might have been the size of half-a-erown. There was no appearance of the body having been buried. We left the body where it svaß, and having come into town reported the affair to the police—to the Segeant Major of the Auckland Police and Sergeant Lipsey. The body lying at the dead house is the same thai, I saw on Sunday. . To the Foreman = The beach at that spot is so rough with oyster shells adhering to the rocks that the wound might have been caused by knocking against these, or the wound might lave been caused, by the ordinary development of decomposition. Constable Jarvig, of the Water Police, deposed to being sent to the spot described by the previous witnesses, and conveyed the body to the dead house. Examined the body and found that it was the body of a native boy about seven years of age. Should think the body had been dead about three weeks. The skin was broken on the left side of the neck, below the jaw. It was a superficial wound, nothing but the skin being broken. It did not appear to have been inflicted during life. There were smaller wounds of a similar character on the body. I skould say that the wounds were caused' by the action of the body washing over the' shingly bottom, The' police brought all the natives that could be seen about town to look at the body, but none of them could identify it. Natives occasional)} held a fishing station at Gox's Creek, Ther( were none there at present. There have- beei none there for several weeks. Information lia: been sent to Mr. Deacon at Riverhead, who wa requested to make enquiry amongst the Kai para natives. Witness had not heard from tin natives of any one being missing. The jury returned a verdict that the deeeasei was found dead, but lio«v death wa3 caused there being no marks of violence on the body there was no evidence to show.