CORONER'S INQUEST—DEATH FROM DROWNING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1403, 16 May 1868, Page 4

CORONER'S INQUEST—DEATH FROM DROWNING.

An inque-t wae held yeaterday afternoon, at 2 o'clock, at the Railway Terminus Hotel, Official Bay, before T. 11. Philson, Esq., M.D., Coroner, on the body of John Newa, a. half-caste. The following jury were sworn:—Mr. W. Kattray foreman j Steven Laurie, X. Warren, J. Downing Wm. Jones, Thos. McCannagh, H. Chapman, 1 , . Newberry, A. Irwine, B. Dornwell, A. Bays er,B Blakey and B. Dalton. Tho jury having viewed the body, which was in an advanced stage of decomposition, the following evidence was taken : —George Williame, depoeed : I am a boatman. I was alongside the barque Ethan Allen in a cargo boat, yesterday, between seven and eight o'clock in the morning, when I was hailed by a man in a passing boat, that there was a man in the water. It waa about 380 yards above the wharf on tho west side. I took the dingy and picked up the body and brought it to the wharf, and gave it in charge of the police. I be lieve the deceased to be John News, who was formerly on boavd tho Bingdove, but cannot swear to him. I have seen the body in the dead house to-day. It is the same body 1 found. I did not see that his hands -were fastened. Thomas Murphy, a boatman in the Castom House boat, deposed : I have known deceased for the last eix months. Ho was a Kanaka, a native of Botoma. He came herein the cntter Hingdove, which vessel, was seized by the Customs' authorities. Hβ remained in charge of the Eingdove after ker seizure. I saw him last alive on Thursday, the 7th inst. on board th Eingdove. He has not been seen aince last Friday morning. Enquiries were made on all hands in con3equence of his absence. I identify the body now in tho dead house as being that of John Newa, by his clothes and one of his hands, which wes disabled by a fall from a cocoannt tree. He wiis a very expert swimmer. The dingy waa found adrift on Thursday night by some boys between the woodwharT and the breakwater, and wab handed over to me oh ITriduy morning. I have no reason to suppose that he met his death by foul play. Serjeant-Major Molloy, of police, deposed that he knew deceased, and was informed six or seven days ago on the wharf that he was missing. Yesterday morning, nb-ut nine o'clock, I received the body from George Williame. I idontify the body aa being that of John Ncwn. I had it conveyed to tho dead house. Thero was nothing found in tha pockets. There were no. marks of violence on tho body. Thomas Murphy, recalled, said: The weather on Thursday night was very boisterous; the wind blowing almost a gale from the N.N. W., accompanied by heavy rain. This being the whole of the evidence the jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned without any marks of violence."