The Omahu Trouble.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 322, 9 July 1889, Page 2

The Omahu Trouble.

A STRANGE VERDICT. . Nafieb, Saturday. The evidence in tha above case was concluded last night. Mr Cornford said ha would not admit the legal admissability of Karauria’a depositions as evidence against the prisoner, but he would reserve his objections until a later stage of the proceedings. The Coroner summed up, briefly reviewing the evidence, and reading a summary of the law defining murder and manslaughter. He pointed out that if there were premeditation it oould not be manslaughter—it must be murder—and that in thia case the whole evidence showed premeditation on the part of the prisoner Waatara. After the jury had been absent about an hour the foreman said they had come to ths following decision—“ That the deceased, Turanga Karauria, came by his death by a pistol shot fired by Waatara Wi under the greatest provocation." The Coroner said he oould not accept such a verdict. It was impossible to find a verdict ■ f manslaughter in the face of the evidence, and that waa what the verdict of the jury really amounted to. He again read the law on the subject and reminded the jury that their verdict had no effect on tho prisoner—it merely p'aood him on his trial before tho Supreme Court.

The jury again retired, but in half an hour returned, and tha foremap said they could not arrive at any other verdict than manslaughter. The Coroner: I must take your verdict, but I do not agree with it. It will entail the prisoner being charged with wilful muider before the Magistrate. I shall send the depositions to the Magistrate for further investigation. Ths foreman: We arc only a Coroner’s jury. The Coroner: You have a duty to perform as a Coroner’s jury. Tha whole case will have to be gone Into again, for tilers is no doubt the verdict la against the weight of evidence. The enquiry wa* then concluded.