THE TOMAHAWK FATALITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 18

THE TOMAHAWK FATALITY.

VERDICT OF FOUND DROWNED. Mr H. Y. Widdowson, coroner, conducted an inquest on ihe 24th of August into the circumstances surrounding the death ol Herman Dorjng, whose body was found on Tomahawk Beach on Sunday. Robert Knox, Drainage Board inspector, said he was well acquainted with deceased, who lived off Castle street by himseli. Witness lived close to him. Deceased was a frequent visitor at witness's house. De- J ceased had a Government annuity, which ! returned him about £2 10s a week. De- : , ceased, had no other means that witness was aware of. Deceased was not married, : -and told vit.it ness that k© had -not ma^i- at . will.' Deceased was over 79 years of ago. Witness last saw deceased on the 17th inst., whear he went to witness's house in i the evening. He was in good health and I seemed in wonderful .spirits, He had- been suffering from gout for jears. Decease*! had' just recovered from a sharp attacks] of gout. a;nd toW witness he* intended to | go to Middlemmrch on the following day. He intended to walk, and did not expect ' to be back for three or four weeks. Witj ness ha-d never seen -deceased in i depressed 1 spirits, and the only thing he comp'ained of was the want of occupation. He was an exceptionally hale and hearty man. Deceae&d was a great walker and frequently went to Tomahawk, Woodhaujrh, and all o\or the 'district. On the day after doceased visited him witness called at deceased's house, but the door was locked" and he had gone. Deceased was a very moderate drinker. On the previous day witness accompanied Sergeant Gilbert over deceased's premises, but no money or indication of money was found. Deceased was a native of Germany, but was a naturalibed British subject. John MacGregoff said he had known deceased for the past 16 -or 18 years. Witness saw him frequently, the last time being on August 7, when*, at witness's invitation, deceased spent the afternoon at witness's house at Anderson's Bay. Deceased was an exceptionally hearty old man. He whs a sober and steady man, and his allowance was one glass of beef a day, and no one could induce him to take- mote. Witness had never noticed any suicidal tendency in- deceased. Witness did not think de"oeastfd 'bad ' an* pVo^er^r, but' understood that some years ago be/ received a legacy of £500 under the will of a brother who died in Germany. Deceased bought au annuity some years ago. Leouard Willis, (bank messenger) g&o evidence regarding the- finding of the- body, which was lying amongst some rocks near the Bird Island bluff. The Body waswedged between two rocks. At high tide the water would cover the place where the body lay. Constable Rings said he searched deceased's clothing at the Morgue and found a leather purse a cigarette holder, atid a lXKrket knife. The purse was empty. Wit-i.t-as examined the cliff near the place wher«» deceased was lound a»3 there were no marks to s-how that anythinjj had goneover. There was a barb wired fence along the cliff, which was about 80 feet high. There were numerous footprints on top of the clilF, but other people — sightseershad made them. Dr R. G. Macdonald stated that lie had mad© an examination of the body, andfound a large scalp wound on the right side of the head. This must have occurred after death There was also a large bruise on the left hip bone. There were also numerous bruises on the face, arms, and hands. There was no fracture of the 6kull, and the bra ; n was not iojured. Witness concluded that deceased died from drowning and that the wound on Jus head and the bruises were post mortem. | The Coroner eaid fie had no doubt thar I death had occurred between tffe 18th and the 22nd inst., and the only verdict he could return was that deceased was found* drowned on Tomahawk Beach, there being no evidence fo show how the . fatality occurred.

A physician says that the early deaths of creative musicians is accounted for by mentaJ overstrain due to the great difficulty of conceiving- and carrying out ideas. Schubert, Mozart, and Mend-cls«olin are cited by him as owing their ear}y deaths to that cause. He does not mention Wagner, who lived to l>e more than 70.