WASHED UP ON THE BANK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14144, 20 August 1909, Page 5

WASHED UP ON THE BANK.

THAMES BOATING FATALITY. BODY FOUND AT PURIRI. [BY TELEGRArH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.^ Thames, Thursday. Information was received by the police yesterday to the effect that the dead body of a man had been discovered at Turin, and Sergeant Morgan, accompanied by Constable Berry, at once proceeded to Puriri, where they found the body of a man, who had apparently been drowned in the river and washed up on the bank. The body was conveyed to the Puriri Hotel, and an inquest was held on it this afternoon before the Acting-Coroner (Mr. W. H. Lucas) and a jury of six residents of the district.

Evidence as to identification was given by Mrs. McAllister, who recognised the body "as that of her husband, James Patrick McAllister, who was reported drowned on June 17 last, in company with his brother. Dennis McAllister. The witness further deposed that deceased left home- in company with his brother on the morning of June 17 in a, boat, and proceeded down the Thames River to their work on the Buttle Estate. They left Kopu to return home about three o'clock the same evening, crossing the river . in th© boat, and she did ' not eee thorn again. About a fortnight afterwards she identified the body of Dennis, which had been recovered from the river.

Evidence was also given by a neighbour named Mrs. Grey, to the effect that she had seen the brothers McAllister drifting up the river past her house on the evening of June 17 in their boat, and that, in company with the last witness, she discovered the empty boat near the bank of the- river on the next day, about two miles above Turua. •

Sergeant. Morgan gave evidence regarding the rinding of the. body, which was in a very decomposed state. The jury returned a verdict of. accidental death from drowning.

The finding of this body clearly shows that both brothers must have fallen out of the boat (which was a small flat-bottomed one),'and lost their lives by drowning.