TRAGEDY AT KAIMIRO

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1932, Page 2

TRAGEDY AT KAIMIRO

BODY FOUND IN A PADDOCK. VERDICT AT THE INQUEST. ■ The discovery of the body of James Coombe in a paddock at Kaimiro rccently was the subject of an inquest before Mr. R. W. Tate, SAI., district coroner, at New Plymouth yesterday. The verdict was that death occurred on October 31 and was due to haemorrahge from a self-inflicted wound in the left internal jugular vein. Miles J. Cassidy, licensee of the Tariki Hotel, said Combe, came to his hotel at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday, October 29. He said he would be staying until Monday morning. He went to. bed at 9 o’clock. Next day he had his three meals in bed. He apepared to be no±mal and cheerful. On Monday he rose and had breakfast about 8.45 and about 9.30 he left in his car after purchasing half a bottle of whisky and borrowing 7s 6d to buy some benzine. He had had four drinks on the Sunday, these being the only ones he had at the hotel. When leaving in his car, he said he was on his way to New Plymouth and would return that, evening on his way south. If anyone inquired for'him witness was to say he knew nothing about him. Constable F. Longbottom, Inglewood, said that on October 1 he received a telephone message from the police ,at New Plymouth about a motor-car being on Egmont Road at Kaimiro. since 11 a.m. the previous day. He visited the locality about 5 p-m. He found the car on the roadside. Inside was a portmanteau in which there were an empty half-pint whisky bottle and shaving materials but no razor. The constable then searched a paddock in the vicinity and among some scrub and blackberry he found Coombe's body with the. throat badly gashed.. He had been dead apparently some time. The body was fully dressed, on its back, with a hat over the.face. About 18 inches away, was a blood-stained ■ razor and razor case. There was bldod on Coombe’s hands. A driver’s license and other papers indicated that the man was probably James Coombe. Dr. C. A. Taylor, physician at the New Plymouth hospitn’, who examined the body on the morning after its admission to the morgue, said there; was a deep gaping wound on the front of the neck, the internal jugular-vein having been opened. Death was due. to haemorrhage from the wound; the situation of which indicated it was selfinflicted.

Sergeant McGregor conducted the proceedings for the police.