THE WAIKAIA FATALITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2323, 8 September 1898, Page 35

THE WAIKAIA FATALITY.

ACCIDENTALLY DROWNED. Careful inquiry made by the police and Chief Detective O'Brien into the circumstances connected with the death of William George Parker, at Upper Waikaia, dispel all idea of foul play. As already explained, Parker, who was a single man, 33 years of age, was the licensee of a small run which he carried on in conjunction with gold mining, and lived by himself. On the evening of the 23rd August he visited the huts of some of the men employed by the Upper Waikaia Hydraulic Sluicing Company. He spent some time, after having tea, with Patrick Rcilly in social converse. He visited the hut of a man named Riordan with a man named Cormack. His last visit was to the hut of John Kelly and Samuel M'Auley. About 10 o'clock in the evening,he left there for his own hut, having to ascend a steep hill, down the face of which the company's pipes are laid. The next morning, on the men working the mine pumping out the water, the body of the deceased was found fully dressed, except the hat, lying at the bottom 01 the mine. Deceased's walking-stick, broken, was- found on the hillside overlooking the claim, and a little distance away the hat was found. As the deceased was familiar with the ground, the . chances of his meeting his death accidentally by rolling into the mine, if he fell, were thought to he small, and when it was reported that Dr Murphy, on making a post-mortem examination, had found marks of violence on , the body, a suspicion of foul play got abroad. At the adjourned inquest on Friday, held before Mr Taylor, J.P., acting-coroner, it was shown that the sum of £1 7s 6d, which had been paid to Parker, was in one of the pockets. His watch had stopped at 10.20, or very shortly after he had started on his way home. Further, it was stated that tho ground was very hard, owing to frost on the night of the 23rd, and it was highly probable that a man losing his fooling at the point where the broken stick was found would roll down the steep face into the mine. The most conclusive - evidence, however, was that of Dr Murphy, who stated that the reports concerning the marks of violence on the body were untrue. The only mark of injury he found on the body was a slight abrasion on the front part of the head, which might have been caused by the gravel in the mine. Further, there were no marks on tho throal. On the chest there were traces of skin disease ; the liver was diseased, and greatly .enlarged. The jury were unani-' mous in returning a verdict of accidentally drowned.