FORMAL VERDICT

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 34, 12 March 1930, Page 7

FORMAL VERDICT

THE WAIPAWA FATALITY. DEATH OF MR ERNEST PHILLIP.

Dr. H. J. Kendall, District Coroner, • held an, inquiry into the circumstances. of the death of Mr Ernest Phillip, who was fonnd banging in his, garage at Waipawa on Monday morning. Cqnstable J. O'Hallaran conducted the case for the police. Ida Catherme Phillip, widow of the deceased, stated her husband was 47 years of age He hau not been in good. health for some time, though he did not complain. Two years ago be had been laid aside with rheumatic fever, and about Christmas he worried fearing a return of the illness. He had no domestic trouhles. He left home_ a little after six o'clock that morning to bring his lorry to the house before having breakfast, which was his usual cnstom. He was quite happy and cheerful and gave no " indication that he contemplated taking his life. Dr. W. H. Anderson deposed to gei ing called to the garage at 7.30. On making an examination of the body he found life was extinct. In witness' opinion death was dne to asphyxia, | caused by strangulation following constriction of the neck by a rope. Alfred Henry Fargher deposed to speaking to the deceased a few minutes before seven o'clock that morning. After exchanging a few remarks about the weathei", Phillip went into his garage to start up his engine, whilst witness went into Preston 's yard and backed out his lorry. Passing Phillip's _ garage, _ not having heard his engine running, witness pushed open- the small door and looked m. He saw deceased's oody hangmg by a rope alongside the lorry, and he lmmediately called to Cohstable Q'Halloraxi, with whom he ,had just been previously talking, and together* they got the body down and laid it on th'e ground. Between the last moment of speaking to Phillip and the finding of the body would be about, 20 minutes. No other person could have been about the garage without witness seeing him. Apparently deceased, after fixing the rope to the upright, jumped from the ea b of the ltjrry. He appeared to, be quite rational when witness first spoke to him. The coroner returned a verdict in aceordanee with the medical evidence.