HEADLESS BODY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16900, 3 December 1925, Page 7

HEADLESS BODY.

WOODLANDS FATALITY. (Special to the Herald.) WAIROA, this day. An inquest was held at the Courthouse, Wairoa, yesterday afternoon, before Mr E. 0. Levvey, S.M., touching on the death of George Martin at Woodlands, Putere district, bn September 27, and whose headless body was found on the Wairoa beach on November 17, Sergeant Wade conducted the piuceedings. Dr. Ilallwright stated that on November 17, he proceeded) to the Heads at the request of the police, and) saw the body of a. male Maori, the head being missing and the right ankle broken. The body was partly decomposed, death having occurred presumably some weeks previous, and possibly on September 27. Ho had no doubt the' body was that of a Maori or a lialfcaste.

Edward Winter deposed that on the day mentioned by the last, witness lie was on the beach collecting firewood. At one spot between two sand hummocks his horses would not stand, and going to investigate, he found the body. He called to Mr C. E. Hill, a carter, and asked him to report to the police when lie reached town.

T. D. Mossman, manager of' Woodlands station, Putere district, stated he had had a man named George Martin employed. Witness reported him missing on September 27. He went out yin the Sunday riding and did not return. Early on the Monday morning he and three others went to look for him. On coming back they saw deceased’s horse on the opposite side of the Mohaka river;'-went, to examine where the deceased entered the river, searched it and came to the sonclusion that the man was in the river, and so reported' to the police. The place where he saw the tracks was.a dangerous one. Witness recognised the belt- the deceased’s boclv liad round it—part of an old bridle. It was about two miles from the scene of the accident to the mouth of the Mohaka river. He presumedl Martin tried to cross the river to help in a pig hunt. Constable Corldingtori stated he saw the body above high water mark on the beach on November 17. The body was naked and headless. It was removed and interred at the Wairoa Cemetery. The Coroner found that George Martin met his death by drowning at. Woodlands on the date mentioned, but that there was no evidence to show how lie get into the water.