INQUEST ON WILLIAM BATEMAN.

Colonist, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8061, 8 October 1894, Page 2

INQUEST ON WILLIAM BATEMAN.

3 he ir quest on the body of William Bateman was then oommeaced before, G. W. W. Lightband, Etq , J.P., soting as Coroner, and a jary, composed of the same gentleman &s in the former inquest, Mr A. J. Palmer being the foreman. Alter the body had been viewed, some discussion took place as to whether the evidence in the previous oas9 might los be read over cow, and considered as given in this, but in or Jer that the case might appear on the depositions, the evidence was taken of Constable Knapp, who deposed to visiting Tophouse, hearing of the bodies of Mr Wallis, Mr Lace, and Wm. Bateman bein^ found dead, — all of them shot— be d seeing we body oi Bateman on the verandah of the Accommodation Hou>e. There was a doublebarrelled gun be side him ; one barrel was loaded and at foil cook, tbe other appeared to have been recently discharged. There was a large bole in the side of his head, and tha greater portion of hia face wan blackened with ponder and partly singed. He had one boot and sick off —he the left foot. There were red marks on one Bide of his big tee, as though it had been u-ed to fire the gon. The bjdy the jory bad Been was that of Batemar, against whom a verdict of wi fa! murder of Lane a*-d Walh's had been ieturned. From the position of the body, he should say deceased shot himself, and he i produced tha letter referred to in the fcrmer inque-t.

Constable Phair then gave evidence similar to that previously given by him, and oonfirmatory of Constable Knapp's. He produced tbe letfc-r written by deceased referred to in the former inquest. ~ • The remaining evidence given in the j earlier [inquest wag then read to the jurors, ! and a few nvnutes later the R-reman said, '

" We are of opinion that deceased came by his dea h by a gunshot wound iDflicted by himself whilst in an unsound state of mind. 1 ' The Coroner then addressed the jury, gaying he bad to thank them for the padent and attentive manner in which they had fulfilled their dut : es, in a case which was possibly one of.the most dreadful crimes with which they had had to de3l for many years pisk Considering the meagre evidence) and all the surround* ings, the views they had arrived at were ihe only ones that could be come to. No doub*-, however, with him, they would have felt more satisfied if they had had further evidence. He again thanked them for their services, and the proceedings ended about half-past ten at night;