SUPPOSED SUICIDE NEAR INGLEWOOD.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 7965, 8 September 1887, Page 2

SUPPOSED SUICIDE NEAR INGLEWOOD.

INQUEST ON THE BODY.

An inquest was held on Wednesday on the body of George Milne, who was found with hia throat out in a clearing o£E the Durham Road. > ,Mfi -Heary Brown acted rs ooroner, and took: tbe evidence of Constable Rollo and others who found the body. Dr. Gibbes also gave evidence as to tbe wound on the body, whiob he said was 5 inches long, 2 inob.es or 3 inohes wide, and 1$ inohes deep, extending from the left ear down to the collarbone at the left side of tbe neok. The wound had the appearanoe of harinp: been inflicted by a sharp instrument. The wound was clean, and there was no blood upon the neck. Decomposition had set in the faoe, but slightly. The hands were olenohed, and appeared as if they had beeu exposed to the weather for a long time. An open verdict was returned. Th» dereasid and Wray, his mate, had been residing for the last two years or bo on a section on the Durham Road, and were in the habit of taking road contracts together. Milne was a widower, his wife having died some twenty years ago, and it is stated that ho left behind him three grown up sons in Wanganui, where he was well known oa account of having had, in the early days, contracts there for supplying the soldiers with food, and where he afterwards kept an hotel. He was of medium of height, dark co'mplexioned, and about 50 years of age. He was a native of Scotland. Wray is unmarried, 'so the two have been living alone. Last Monday a Bottler saw Wray on the road somewhere between Inglewood and the Durham Road, and was aocosted by him. He asked the settler if he had seen anything of his mate, whom he said be had missed for borne daya. On the settler asking Wray if he thought he had gone on the spree, Wray replied he thought he had. 'Milne, it is said, ÜBed to do all the olerical work in connection with the contraots, he being a very wellinformed man.

Sergeant Anderson, of Hawera, came up to Inglewood last night, and telegraphed into the police station for some coroner's forms, which were sent out by this morning's train.