INQUEST.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1661, 15 January 1895, Page 4

INQUEST.

An inquest on the body of Fred Hvdge, ] particulars of whose death were- pub- j fished yesterday, was held at the . Royal » Hotel yesterday morning; before C. A. i Wray, Esq., Coroner, and the following 1 jury— Messrs R. Bowie, G. Stumbles, J. ( Ralph , J. Harrop , R. H . Ferguson , and A . G. Anderson. There was not much- cvi- ' dence to lead; and verjr few new facts be- ' yond those stated by us on Monday. Mr •] Daniel Jackson, who knew Hedge well, < said that he saw him going along the J main wharf between 11 and 12 o'clock on y Sunday m the direction' of' the end of ' the wharf. He noticed that Hedge was < walking fast, looking 'down on the } ground,and taking no notice of any one. j Mr D. McKay, builder, gave corrobor- ' ative evidence. Mr Moses White said 5 that his attention was called to a 1 body floating off the end of the main ' wharf, near the breakwater. He : took ] the body out of the water, and it was put on the wharf pending the arrival •of medical aid and the police. The body when he saw it was floating back up* , the arms and legs hanging down. He i described the body when found, dece*ased having only his boots, trousers, and shirt on. JDr Hogg ..said .that he was called by^ the police at 1.15 , p.rn» ' and- on arrival found life to be extinct. He made an examination ,of , the body and found no marks of violence. Death was apparently due to drowning. ■ The Coroner at the close of the evidence : said that there was actually no evidence to show how deceased came to be m the i water. So far as they could see no one was to blame m the matter! He merely mentioned this to show that there had been no foul play; and His Worship added, people sometimes go down the steps to wash and m this case the deceased might have done so and accidentally fallen m. The jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned."