JNQUEST.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XII, Issue 605, 5 March 1864, Page 2

JNQUEST.

Before J. Flight, Esq., ]R.M f , Coroner. An inquest was hold on Monday; at tho Npw Hospital, Gill-street, on the body of Mr. Gkohoe ■Patterson, who was shot and tomoliawLeJ by the natives on Sunday last. The following jurors wore sworn : — Messrs. -W. Tatton (foreman), W. Martin, Thos. Glodhil! fI W. Paynter, Jos. Shaw, John Shaw, David Nicholls, Thos. Oxonham, Thos. Allen, E. W. Hollis, W. J. Wells, O. C. Spurdle. The following evidence was adduced : — Thomas Euward Rawson, M.D., being sworn, said — I am Colonial Surgeon for Taranaki. I havo examined the body of Geo. Patterson. I found three bullet wounds through tho body," ono entering the left hip, coming out, having passed through tho bowels, on tho right of them ; another entering the chest, just below the breast ; the third passed through the. fleshy part of tho right arm into the chest in the direction of the heart. I consider that' either of the wounds Fhave described would have proved fatal. Any one would havo brought him from his horse in a Btate of insensibility. Thero wore two largo wounds on the skull, produced by a blunt instrument, probably a tomahawk j one through tho left eye across the nose and through tho skull into the brain. I bencvo these two wounds were given whon deceased was on the ground, and in a state of insensibility. Either of the two wounds in the skull are sufficient to cause immediate death. Tho third bullet I bcliovo to bo-still in tho body. I Walter Bishop, being sworn, Baid — [ was in company yesterday morning, the 28th Feb., with Mr. Patterson,. I left town to go back to Mr. Patterson's place with William Bishop, Christopher Hurlstone, and Stephen Eva. Mr. Pattorson overtook us on tho rood near Mr. Tatton's land. Ho was riding on horseback. I took down the bars for him to go through. Wo went on togother to near Mr. Burton's, he then rodo on before us as far as Mr. Dingle's— beyond Mr. Dingle's houso.# Ho was then about 150 ya: ds ahead of us. I saw him turn round and hold up his hand, I suppose to warn us that Maoris were there. I Baw some Maori 3 crawling along by the side of a furze hedge: I saw Mr. Patterson turn tho head of his horse again towards the bush. Tho Maories wore then between Mr. Patterson and mysolf." I then with the other throe men that were with mo, ran back, and I did not again see Mr. Patterson alive. After I turned back, in about, a minuto, I heard about Ba. or 10 guns fired, and immediately a yell. I then thought Mr. Patterson was Bhot. In about a minute after the Maoris fired on us and chased us, firing until we got to Tatton's field. My brother then fired a rifle and the natives stopped from pursuing us : they then fired a volley, but came no further, I think Mr. Patterson had a revolver with him, but I did not Bee it. Thero was only..ono rifle amongst our party, tho ono I had. My brother took it from me to firo at the natives. Eva had a revolver with him, but it was of no use j ho could not get it to go off. Whon wo ra-y *tho Maoris first I believe that had I fired wo might havo beon all cut off by tho uativos. WiiitAM Bishop sworn, said — I was one of tho I party going yesterday morning with Mr. Patterson. He overtook us, and then rode on ahead of us about 150 yards. I saw him stop and then turn round his horse, wavo his hand three times as I thought as a signal for us to go bock. Immediately aflor I saw four Maorios to tho left of tho road ; wo then turned bock. At that time I saw Mr. Patterson coming after us, but after wo got to tho bottom of the hill, wo saw- no more of him. We retired into Mr. Tatton',s &e\s, ,the Maories- fired % .volley at U9 from Billings' as we were going' across tho field. I saw two Maoris coming after Hurls|one, when I fired at thorn, and they went into tho busli., I stopped to fire two shots, and then Hurlstone camo up to mo. I fired one shot after that. Tho Maories stopped pursuing us when I fired the two shots. I did not boo that Mr. Patterson had any arms with him. The only arms wo had were, ono revolver and a rifle. Eva triod to firo Mb revolver, but could not make it go off. I saw tho Maories who fired tho volloy in Mr. Billings' fiold. I can- ( not say how many thero were. I guess from tho numbor of guns that wont off they might be 20 or 30. Tho Maoris who retired- went into Billing's bush. When I saw Mr. Pattorson coming after us he was cantering his horse. Tho horso was shot in the neck, and when I went out again it was dead. William Eva being sworn, said — I was ono of a.

party of eight yesterday, to see what had happened to Mr. Patterson. We had heard the guns, and wont off as fast as we could go. We found the body of Mr. Patterson alongside the road, 'list in front of the gap near where Mr. Dingle's house onco stood. The horse was lying in tho road dead. We found Mr. Patterson's body with tho bolly towards the ground; his boots were gone and his cap. He had on his militia shirt and trowsors and socks. I did not see any one examine his pockets. He was quite dead when wo came up. I was at No. 3 Blockhouse when I hoard the shots fired. The horse when we found it, was lying with his head towards the town. VERDICT. That the said George Patterson, on Sunday, the 88th February, 1864, at Frankley Road, in tho Province -of Taranaki, was cruelly, brutally, and barbarously murdered on the public highway by certain persons of the Native Race to the jurors unknown, by gunshot and tomahawk wounds, and of which wounds the said George Patterson did thon and there instantly die. The jurors on the inquost do hereby record their sense of the impropriety of persons going into or towards the bush singly or in small numbers, and hereby entreat their fellow settlers to refrain from again following ao dangerous a practice.