FOUND DROWNED

Otago Witness, Issue 3403, 4 June 1919, Page 24

FOUND DROWNED

DEATH OF A JOURNALIST. The body of James Joseph Walsh, a senior member of the reporting staff of the Otago Daily Times, was found in the harbour early on Wednesday morning. When recovered the body was astride a rope connecting a punt with the breastwork at the south end of the Victoria wharf. Deceased had evidently made a determined struggle to climb along the rope on to the punt. aa hi 3 shins from the knee down were covered with abrasions. Mr Walsh was born in Christchurch and educated at the Marist Brothers' Sohool there ,and also at Canterbury College. On leaving school he took up the teaching profession for about two years, and subsequently secured an appointment on the staff of the Lyttelton Times. He joined the staff oi the Otago Daily Times in March, 1914, and towards the middle of the following year he enlisted in the Expeditionary Force and sailed with the 14th Reinforcements. While in France he wa» badly wounded in the knee, and was also "gassed." As a result of his disabilitiei he was engaged upon clerical duties at Hornchurch for a considerable neriod, anq he returned to New Zealand In January of this year, resuming his former position on the staff of the Otago Daily Times a few weeks later. Mr Walsh was a jouiu nalist of great promise, possessing a alert brain/ and having at his command a ready flow of graceful and expressive language. He was of a bright and genial disposition, and was held in high esteem by all with whom he came in contact.

THE INQUEST. An inquest touching the circumstance* under which deceased met his death waf held at the Morgue in the afternoon before the coroner (Mr H.' Y. Widdowson, S.M.), Senior-sergeant Murray represented the police. Charles Gray Macan f a reporter on the Otago Daily Times, said that the deceased was a member of the Times reporting staff. He was a single man, about 26 years of age. The deceased's parents resided at Opa'wa. Christchurch. Witness saw the de* ceased shortly before 8 o'clock on Tuesday night, and the deceased said he was not feeling well, and asked witness to report the address by General Richardson to the returned soldiers. Witness agreed. Th« deceased came later to the and sail in the audience. Witness last saw him in the audience about 6.30. The deceased was « returned soldier. He left New Zealand with the Fourteenth Reinforcements, and returned last January, shortly afterwardfl resuming his former position on the staff of the Otago Daily Times. He had been wounded in the left knee, and had been gassed. He had shown signs of nervosa affection, but was naturally of a bright disposition. Dr Evans said he had examined the body of the deceased. There were recent •abrasions on the nose and the front of the shin bones. There were no other marks on the body. Witness was of opinion that the cause of death was drowning. He considered that the deceased had died before midnight. Singleton Gardiner, a carpenter, said he and a fellow workman (John Ryder) had discovered the deceased about 20 minute* past 7 on Wednesday morning. They found! the body straddle-legs on one of the lines which moored a punt to the breastwork at the south end of the Victoria wharf. Deceased was lying just under the >ater, face downwards. Witness telephoned for the police. The body was about 300 ft from the end pi the Victoria wharf, and was close to the breastwork. The punt was moored to the breastwork. Deceased could not have got up the breastwork. If a man fell into the water here ho would have to swim to the punt or grasp one of the lines to save himself. Sergeant Shanahan gave evidence regarding the recovery of the body. The deceased was fully clothed and had on his hat and an overcoat. He thought the abrasions on the shin bones might have been caused by deceased trying to climb along the rope and slipping. The Coroner said the verdict would be that deceased was found drowned in the Otago Harbour, but there was no evidence to show how he had.got into the water. Sergeant Shanahan had given them the benefit of his opinion- in stating that it appeared that deceased had been endeavouring to climb out of the water, and that was how the abrasions came to be on liia shins.