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The Waipawa Mail Tuesday 29th April1889
An inquest was held in the school house, Ashley Clinton on Friday last, before Samuel Johnson Esq. coroner and the following jury. Messrs T. Ellingham (foreman), E Dickenson, A.Cook, T.House, A.Peach, and Zachariah Bolton, on view of the body of Nicholas Loye who died the previous day (24 Apr 1889). On visiting the house of the deceased for the view the scene of Mr Loye’s death was pointed out to the jury and some marks where shot had struck the underside of the lintel over the porch door. The following is an outline of the evidence given.
James Reed deposed that he was a legally qualified and duly registered medical practitioner at Waipukurau. He knew the deceased N.Loye. On 25th inst at 9.30 a.m. he had received a telegram from Takapau requesting him to attend at once. He started immediately and on his arrival at deceased residence had found him dead. The body lay in the next room on a couch fully dressed, his hands lay across his chest and were smeared with blood, a piece of calico was wrapped around his forehead which was soaked with blood. On removing this found the top the skull and a great portion of the brain had been blown away. About the centre of the forehead was a large hole with jagged edges and the skin around the edges was blackened and scorched. It appeared to him that the wound was received while the deceased was standing and the result of a shot fired from a gun held close to the forehead, he supposed from the direction of the wound that the deceased stood bending over the gun, the stack of which had been in contact with the ground.
Hannah J. Sircombe, daughter of the deceased, deposed that she lived at South Makeretu, but on the Wednesday came to see her parents. On the Thursday morning about 6.30 a.m., while in bed, she heard the report of a gun, then she heard her mother get up and go out, then she cried out "Oh Nicholas". She at once got up and went to where her mother was on the porch, who turned to meet her. Then she saw her father lying with his head on the top step at the house door and his feet overhanging the top of the entrance of the porch. He was grasping the gun produced with his left hand and lay on his back. She ran off for Mr Martin at her mothers request.
Deceased had not complained of illness lately, or of anything, nor of shortness of money. To her knowledge he was not pressed for money, nor had there been any unpleasantness between her father and her mother or with anyone else. She knew of no reason why he should be tired of life, he had not talked of going shooting. He did not look at all low-spirited when he went to bed the previous night, but bade them all "good night" as usual. She had never heard him complain of dyspepsia, indigestion or of any other ailment. He had on neither hat nor shoes when he went out.
Charles Morton, school teacher, deposed that he lived nearly 60 chains from the deceased. On the previous morning, at 6.50 a.m., one of the deceased’s children came running to his place and said, "My father is dying and my mother wishes you to come down." He asked no further questions but went at once. He found the deceased lying in the porch with his head on his wife’s knees. She held his hands on his head, holding his brains in. He was still breathing but neither spoke or moved. Witness hurried to Ireland's house and asked him to get a horse and go to Takapau, and in the meantime wrote out two telegrams to be despatched from Takapau, one for Dr Reed and one for the police. He then sent for Mr Peach and requested him to come at once, but gave him no reason, but to hurry quickly...then he tried to remove Mrs Loye. But she would not go until he had tied a bandage round the head. He next took the gun out of the deceased's hand, the left hand was on the barrel and the right on the stock but not grasping it. “He might have moved considerably before I got there. His head lay on his wife’s knee and she was sitting on the step leading from the porch into the house, his head was near the opposite side of the porch entrance.” He examined the gun and found one (the left) barrel loaded, the right barrel had been discharged and the hammer fall cock as produced but without a cap. The entrance of the porch was slippery and he had often slipped there himself. He helped carry the body into the house where Mr Loye died shortly after.
R.S. Sircombe, son-in-law of the deceased, deposed that he knew a little of Loye's business affairs as he had been made a confidant of him in those matters. He had no accounts pressing him. He saw him at Waipawa on Saturday last, when he appeared to be in his usual health and spirits and he did not complain of anything. He was on good terms with his wife and family and had never heard of anything to the contrary. W.G. Loye, son of the deceased, deposed that he had until recently resided on the coast, where he had a contract, but since Christmas had resided with his father. On Tuesday night he went to Mr Hood's near Fairfield, and was there till about 9 o'clock the next morning when his brother came and told him what had occurred, when he hastened home. He did not think his father was a man likely to take his own life.
This being all the evidence available, Mrs Loye being distracted and so ill that it was not possible for her to appear, the Coroner went over the facts proved and explained the law relative to suicide. The jury then retired and in about 20 minutes announced their verdict to be that deceased N.Loye accidentally shot himself with a gun. The evidence is at least ambiguous.
Note. Zachariah Bolton who was a jury member was a brother in law to N.Loye
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