HELENSVILLE.—CORONER'S INQUEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume X, Issue 2909, 26 May 1873, Page 2

HELENSVILLE.—CORONER'S INQUEST.

[FBOil OTJE OWN COBHESPOKDEXT.] On the 25t!i inat. an inquiry was held at tha Kaipara Hotel, oil the body of John binnott, found drowned. Henry Stanaway deposed as follows : I reside at Helensvillo. Lately I was engaged to take charge of the cutter Pai Mairire, belonging to Messrs. P. and J. McLeoa. On r.he Ist May I engaged the deceased, John Sinnott, to work at erecting a fence on the railway. Subsequently I required an additional hand in the cutter, and deceased consented to go a trip with me to the Wairoa iu the Pui Mairire. On the 2nd inst. he accompanied me in the cutter to the Wairoa. He perforated his duties in a workmanlike manner. We returned to Helensvillo on Saturday, the 10th inst, and arrived at McLeod's wharf at 7 o'clock. Deceased did not have any grog or liquor of any description whilst away with me in the cutter. Upc-a arrival he requested me to give him tvro shillings, aa p»rt payment for work dona, which I complied with. This is the last occasion upon which I saw deceased. About half-past ten o'clock I distinctly heard tvro cooeys, which sounded as if they proceeded from the direction of the Btore n ear 10 m y house. Not imagining that the sounds proceeded from any one in difficulty, I did not get out of bed. I believe that the body now viewed by the jury und myself to be that of the person of Johu Sinnott, who h® 3 been missing since the 10th May.—Philip Leod deposed : I am resident at Helensvule, aud am owner of the cutter Pai Mairire. have been acquainted with the deceased, John Sinnott, lor upwards of twelvemonths. Generally speaking, I do not consider deceased was a sober man. On Saturday ing, the 10th May, deceased was in my store, where he procured some tobacco and mat c He appeared to be perfectly sober. The deceased left my store at 9.30 p.m., &ud I 1 not again see deceased alive. That nig slept iu my store, which is within a few of the Kaipara Hotel. After retiring to and whilst reading the newspaper, I distinct heard a cooey. Upon hearing the coocji I jumped out of bed and went to the store door, when I heard another cooey. I tbea proceeded to the end of the wharf, where I remained about a minute or more. I did not see any person or hear any further noise.— Tahamata, a native, deposed to findiug a dead body on the eastern side of the Kaipara river, about four miles from Helensville.—Other witnesses were examined, but the ovicence was of a similar character.—The jury, without retiring, returned the following verdict " That the deceased, John Sinnott, caine to his death by drowning in the Kaipara river, near the wharf., at Helensville, on Saturday night, the 10th day of May, 1873, having accidentally fallen into the said river."