William Kelly

INQUEST. An inquest was held on the, body of John William Kelly', at the Custom House Hotel this clay, at 12 o'clock, before C. H. Boi-lase, Esq., and a Jury of which. Mr Townscnd was chosen Foreman. After the body had been viewed, U. C.Earle, a duly qualified medical practitioner, deposed—That he had made a superficial examination on the body and saw no marks of violence on it,, but it was much decomposed from lying in water and death apj>eared to be •aiised by drowning. Charles Kelly, brother of the deceased, remembered last Saturday when he and his brother went to the river with another boy named Jolm McMahon about 11.30 a.m. for the purpose of catching firewood. The boy McMahon ■ took off his coat and waistcoat, and asked my brother if he would go into the water with him. My brother then took off Ids boots, coat, and waistcoat and, with McMahon, walked along the edge of the bank in the water. My brother told McMahon not to follow him because it was too deep.. McMahon would not go back from the water, and 'my.brother tried to make him. He (McMahon) then pulled up his trousers and went further in and got out of his depth. My brother went in' to savehim ami got hold of him by the hand, and they began, struggling in the water. My brother]pushed thc;boy McMahon towards the shore before he sank, and caught hold of/a stake which was sticking up in the rnjei. Heheldon for a long while, but was under tho ; surface of the water,1 and I did not se6 him again. I went and called the boy Cal-1 man. My brother was 11 years old; and McMahon (5 years. We; were ; not sent to get the firewood on that, mornnig. or for any other purpose. My father, and mother had, of ton ; forbidden us to go to the river.' The body lying there ""is that of my brother. William Williams, a labourer, deposed to having scou an object in the river near the Corporation Wharf, winch hefouudtobc the boy ..Kelly, which he conveyed to the Custom House Hotel, where it was now lying. ' , ' ' . The Jury retired, and after a short deliberation, returned a .verdict of " Accidentally drowned while trying to save a lad named McMahon," and, added the rider "Tliat steps be taken to prevent children frequenting the river bank." Source: Wanganui Herald (19 December 1874, p. 2).