CORONER'S INQUEST.

Colonist, Issue 62, 25 May 1858, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held on Friday last, the. 21st instant, at the Black Horse, Whakapuaka, before J. F. Wilson, Esq., Coroner, on the body of Kahiwa, a native woman, who died the same day, in consequence of wounds she received upon her head on Wednesday lasit, inflicted by her husband with a tomahawk, notice of which appeared, in our last issue. '-' '' : . ' " ■■"■ :"'" "' •" '■■'■ ::••

The following jury were empanelled ;-r-Alex-ander Wragg, foreman; Alexander.. Stewart, Henry Martin, ■William Small, John Waterhouse, Henry Gill, Samuel : Camper, Dennis JFrost, William -Dyson, Arthur. Collins, Wiremu Katene te Manu, Pitama, Matenga. . :; • r Matenga, sworn, saith:—On Wednesday morning last, at 7 a.m., while we were: at morning prayers, I heard deceased call to her brother, saying-^—" E Wiyl am being killed/ • J hastened "to her whare, and saw her on the; ground, with her •face downward; she was rolling about as if in great agony. Her husband (the prisoner) was standing over her in the act of covering her with a blanket. A tomakawk was lying on the ground near to the prisoner* covered-with, blood. The weapon now produced is the same L.saw on the ground. I was the first person who entered the whai'e after the deceased called "out- I did not speak to the prisoner; I merely took up the tomahawk and carried it away^ I had .every reason to believe that the prisoner committed the deed, as no other person was near; and I;was oh the spot immediately after the deceased called out. I have no doubt that the prisoner was the person wito struck the blow which caused the woman's death. 1 heard threei hlbws very distinctly gust before the woman called out; the'sound yeas that of an axe striking wood ;^ i"- ; Wiremix Katene te: Mariu," sworn, stiith :] I am brother to the deceased,. The murder was committed on Wednesday.,; morning at 7 o'clock^; I was dressing at the tinie, I heard my sister call tome, and say—"E Wi! lam being, killed." I hastened to the wliare of my sistei*, when I heard some one say—" Kahiwa is killed." I ; then went into the house, and saw my sister lying on the ground;" prisoner was lying beside her with his anri across her body. I told the prisoner to go away from her; he arose and went to the:<qthersideof the >room. Fearing that the prisoiiej* might pos-; sibly attack" some of us, I told;: Eitahia to secure him ; we then tied his hands'. Prisjoner; did not speak to any of us. We led him out of the house ■ and kept him in safe custody. He has not said' anything to any of us from the time the deed was? committed. We did not question him on the matter, because we knew\ he was insane, and would not answer us. I put the tomahawk into the fire to destroy the blood with which; it was covered. I was much alarmed when I saw the quantity of blood on the'ground and on the. weapon. ,• The handle was burnt at the same time. The weapon now produced is the same that I put into the fire., The prisoner has frequently quarreled with his wife since he returned from the diggings in December last. We were-all together at the diggings, and we returned^together. The prisoner was very kind to his wife up to the time of his going to the diggings. He was a sober man. - I never saw him the worse for liquor until we were together at the Aorere diggings. We went together to a Mr. Forrester at the diggings, to demand the wife of one of our. friends, whom.For r rester had seduced. He promised to deliver the woman to us in three days, but had broken his promise. We met him at the public-house of Mr. Myres. He ordered four 'glasses of beer for myseif, the prisoner, and two others. As soon as the beer was brought in he went away, and we saw .no more of him,. Immediately after drinking, the beer we were all four very sick. 1 felt vjery bad in my head and bowels. Shortly after drinking the beer the prisoner appeared to be deranged. To the best of my knowledge he had nothing else to drink but that glass of beer. Missing Forrester, I, went to the other part of the house to search for him> but could not find him... I believe it was the beer that Forrester brought. Jri that made.us all so ill; there miis^haveb^eii"something bad in it. The prisoner in particula"r was stfilLthat I.thought, ;h^;was poisoned. • ,H«^-hkg s been insane iever.since. From that time he began^to treat Kis wife cruelly,' ,He has been sullen and Preserved/ *Yer/ since;" he has seldom spoken- to any.of vs. He. lias quently quarreled with /his ,;wife,. and often; td'beat.her." I am .fully: convinced 'in my Own mind the man was insane at the time of committing the deed. I shall always believe that the vbeer furnished by Forrester was the cause of the prisoner losing his senses; and I fully intend to write to the Residenti.Magistfate about it.v: The. reason I did not mention' this before, was because I had forgotten the name of a white matt who was present while we were drinking the beer, arid saw its effects, and who told us that Forrester must have* put something bad in it* .; ; Verdict.—The verdict of the jury was that "Kahiwa, wife of Te Watene, came by.her;death by the hands of her husband; who is proved to be in an unsound state of mind, arid unfit to beat large." •. ■ •:- •■■•? ■. . ' ■':■■. . / .'

The body was decently laJd in a coffin and shroud, and brought down by the natives in a cart to the Black Horse, where the inquest was held. The head of deceased Was, lifted up, .when the dreadful injuries were exposed to view—two wounds in the skull, arid one frightful gash on the back of the neck: from one of the.woqnds in* the .skull the -brain was distinctly visible. There were several other wounds on other parts .of the body which were not exposed to view. The jury were satisfied that the wounds about the head were sufficient to cause death. Great numbers of natives . accompanied the corpse, and; behaved throughout in the most respectful mannerj for which ,they obtained the thanks, of the coroner and ■ jury, and expressed themselves perfectly satisfied with the verdicti ~ ■■"■

The jury was composed partly of natives arid ■Europeans. There were three natives on the jury, who were the principal chiefs of the Whakapuafca district.' Te Manti, the principal; of the three, conducted himself during ther wlifoie of the,proceedings;in, a most gentlemanly raahner, and is worthy ofgreatlpraise. '".;;' '.; p -i_- '■"; .::;•'