DROWNED IN A WELL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8670, 12 September 1891, Page 3

DROWNED IN A WELL.

CORONER'S INQUEST. , An inquest touching the death of Robert Elliott Bull, whoso body was found in a well at the Salvation Army Prison Gate Brigade Home, Panmure, on Thursday, was held at the Home yesterday forenoon. Mr. Samuel Luko was the coroner, and Mr. Henry Robertson foreman of the jury. James Turton, captain of the Prison Gate Brigade, deposed that he last saw deceased alive on the night of Wednesday, about halfpast eight o'clock, and he then appeared to be in his usual health, there beintr nothing about his manner to lead to the belief that he was nob all right in his head. The deceased liad entered tho Home on the Gtli June, stating that he came from the Mount Eden gaol. Ho had always been quiet and tractable; ho had been eccentric in manner but nothing else. He worked steadily at the Home up till Saturday last, but on Monday ho was missing. He returned on Tuesday in apparent good health, and said he had been camping out, but he left again on Wednesday morning. A settlor reported that ho saw the deceased on Mount 'Wellington standiug near the edge of a precipice. Men were sent out, and he was brought to the Home, where lie had dinner all right. Witness saw him in bed that night) at half-past eight. On Thursday morning it was reported to witness chat tho deceased had gone, but that his clothes were left in the bedroom. Witness examined the room, and found tho clothes there. Going into the yard, ho saw that tlio bedroom window was open, and also that the wooden covering had been removed from the top of the well. He procured a garden rake, attached it to a rope, and caused the well to be dragged, leaving himself to search elsewhere. When about a hundred yards away he was called back by Mrs. Turton, and on going to the well saw tho body of the deceased on the surfaco of the water. lie did not try to pull the body out, as ho did not consider the rope strong enough, but went into Auckland and reported the matter to the police. Witness had no legal authority to keep inmates in the Home, and when outside of it they were beyond his control. It had never occurred to him till Thursday that it would be advisable to keep the covering of the well locked down ; it would be secured in future. Ho had no suspicion of play, as the inmates were all on good terms with each other. There were live lunatics in the houso, all sleeping in the room through the window of which the deceased escaped. The window was not secured, and there was nothing to prevent the lunatics getting out of it. The distance from the ground being 10 feet, a fall from the window would probably have serious effects.

Charles Curtis, an inmate of the Home, deposed that he had known the deceased, who had appeared strange to him, but not dangerous. Witness was one of those who went out after the deceased, and found him on Mount Wellington, on tho face of the hill, and in a dangerous position. He cried out that if the party of which witness was one approached him he would jump over the precipice. At "length ho was persuaded to return to the Home, but. witness looked upon him as dangerous after that. Constable Walker, stationed at Otahuhu, deposed that on Thursday morning lie received a telegram from the Auckland police olfice to the client that ;;n inmate of the Home had been found down a well. He went to the Home, saw the body on the surface of the water in the well, and took immediate steps to get it out, which lie succeeded in doing with t he ropes lie got on the premises. He considered that the body should have been removed from the well immediately upon it being discovered. The widow of the deceased also gave evidence, stating that she had last seen him alive about three months ago. Of late he had been of sober habits, but previously lie had drank very hard indeed. Ho had not been capable of work, and she was obliged to separate from him to earn her own living. They had had one child, a girl now fourteen years of age, who was at present at service with a settler. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had drowned himself in the well while in a state of unsound mind : and added . the following rider " That greater powers of supervision should be given to homes of this description, and that it was the manager's duty to have had the body taken from I he well as soon as the discovery was made."