HOW MAGUIRE WAS SHOT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14347, 18 April 1910, Page 5

HOW MAGUIRE WAS SHOT.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. VERDICT OF. WILFUL MURDER. [BY telegraph.—rszss association.] Palmkrston North, Saturday. An inquest in regard to the death of the late Sergeant Maguire, who, was Fatally shot on Sunday evening last, during a struggle in the yard of Mr. Hampton in Ferguson-street East, with a man alleged to be the escaped prisoner, Joseph Powelka, was held to-day before Mr. A. D. Thomson, Coroner, and a jury of six. Dr. Martin stated that death was caused by septic peritonitis, the .effect of a gunshot wound. The shot had been a richochet. From the nature of the wound he judged the shot had been fired at close quarters, there being considerable black- . ening round the wound. The track of the .wound was upwards. He thought that the 'shot was , fired sideways or upwards from the ground, and either both men were lying down or the deceased was standing above the. man who fired. Dr. Martin also read statements made by deceased shortly before his death. The statements were that he could not swear that it was Powelka with whom he struggled, but the man had a big hard hat on. He struck the man in the face with ,hi& handcuffs and they closed, and fell to the ground. He called Detective Quartermain, and tho latter came and fired two shots. He was certain that the man with whom ho was struggling fired first, and that it was his bullet that struck him. The deceased also stated that he was lying on the ground when he was struck. Dr. Martin also stated that the bullet produced by Inspector Wilson as having been one of those in the revolver fired by Detective Quartermain, was totally different to that extracted from the deceased. Inspector Wilson stated that the bullet taken from the cartridge in Detective Quartermain's revolver was different in structure, size, and weight to that extracted from the body of deceased. ~ . 1 Sub-Inspector ' O'Donovan said that Maguire had, in reply to a question by witness '• as to why he hadn't taken a revolver with him, said :—" I'm glad I didn't. I would not have used it, at any rate. I might have shot him; but I'm better pleased that he shot me." Mr. Hampton, owner of the house where the affair took place, stated that he e.;iw a man whom he thought was Powelka go into his garden. .. He brought"the police, and while he and Detective Quartermain were searching the orchard, Sergea--A Maguire being in the front of the' house, he heard two frightened squeals," which he thought he recognised a 6 Powelkas. He and Quartermain rushed back on to the front lawn, where two men -were struggling. When gome yards away they saw a flash, and Quartermain at once fired in that direction. It was d«trk, and they did not see Maguire's assailant escape. Detective' Quartermain said that when they reached the lawn it was too dark to see anything, but he saw a flash and heard a report, and then saw a figure standing up. The flash came from that figure, and he fired at it. It was too dark to be sure who the man was, and they were giving chase when they found Maguire on the ground. While they paused to see what was wrong the man escaped. Maguire toid witness at tho time that he had closed with the man and that both had fallen to tho ground. The other man was up first, and had shot Maguire while he was lying on the ground. ' Detective Siddell stated that he found a green cap lying on the lawn after the shooting incident, and Albert Robertson identified the cap as Having been stolen, with some food, from his house on the previous night. The jury found that the deceased died from tho effects of a gun wound wilfully inflicted by the man with whom he was grappling while endeavouring to arrest him. -;

FUNERAL AT WELLINGTON. [Bt TELLGBAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] ■ i Wellington, Sunday. : The funeral of the late Sergeant Maguire took place this afternoon at the Karori Cemeter There was a very large attendance. . The hearse was preceded and surrounded by nearly a hundred members of the police force. About 70 carriages were in tho procession, and the cortege was about half a mile long.