INQUEST

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XX, Issue 3523, 19 November 1877, Page 2

INQUEST

An inqu-ist was held at the Red Lion Hotel, Cam pbcill town, on Saturday afternoon, on the body of Alfred Hewitt, who was fonitd drowned iv the river below the Bridge, on the same morning.

The following Jury were sworn:— » Messrs D. Miller, George Brnvni, S. Hooper, M. Blythe, W. ilowe, B. McGovern, T. Nicholas, D. Hume, o . Kearney, P. O'Sullivan, \V. McNiven, H. Hunter, and E. Wall."

W. Largue was siitummed as a Juryman, but did not answer his name when called, and vps jjned 20s. Mr iSicholas ivas ehosvn Fopemati.

The Jury thsi) proceeded to view ths boJy, which wrj,3 very ipiich decomposed, and on returning to the inquiry romn the following evidence wa3 adduced : —

Florence Dune deposed-^ knew the deceased ' Alfred' Hewitt; he was in the employ of my mother for about 18. months ; he was about 18 years of age ; i hist saw him alive on the Ist November, about 10 o'clock in (he inur.uiug ; I sent him on a message to Mr Harvey's store in Campballtown at that hour ;Isaw him leave the hou3e ; I never sa» :him afterwurda ; he had a box at our house, which

is there now ; when I last saw him he was perfijclly right in his mind, and has always beeu so while in my mother's employ ; I do not remember the description of clothes he had on when he left.

By the Foreman — I did not observe anything strange in his manner on that morning.

Mra Charles Curia deposed — I knew the deceased, who was in my employ ; he had a box at my house, which i 3 there now ; I saw Constable Butler try some keys in the box to-day ; the keys did not open the box, but they appeared to lit the luck ; the deceased had no relations in New Zealand ; he usually wore grey cloth'-'S.

Bo3swell Robert Miildleton deposed — I have seen the body of the deceased, but could not recognise the features in consequence of their having become disfigured ; 1 recognised the clothes as having been worn by deceased on 31st October last ; I saw him alive and spoke to him on Wednesday evening, when passing the Red Lion ; J was in the habit of seeing him frequently.

Oscar Geurge Augustus Harvey deposed — I am a storekeeper in business at Campbelltown ; I did not see the docased on the Ist November ; my attention wa3 called by a boy to a body floating down the rivrr, which is the same body now lying here ; when I tirst saw the body it was floating under the Bridge ; it was brought ashore between the Bridge and Jackson's Wharf ; I was in my shop on the Ist November, but I did not Bee the deceased come in on that day.

Blake Butler deposed — I am a constable, stationed at Wangamii ; I have searched the clothes on the body now lying dead, and found some keys ; I took possession of them, and proceeded to the residence of Mrs Durie, and tried to unlock with the keys a box winch was pointed out to me as the property of the deceased ; two of the keys fitted the lock, and turned ronnd in it ; in my judgment, the keys produced belonged to the lock.

Dr Earle deposed — 1 have made a superficial examination of the body of the deceased, and did not notice any marks of violence ; from the appearance of the body, it has beeu subjected to the influence of water for a long time ; I shotiltl consider that the cause of death was drowning. After a short deliberation, the Jury returned a verdict of— Found Drowned.