CASUALTIES.

REMITTANCE MAN'S DEATH.

An inquest was held at tho Morgue yesterday, by Mj\H. W. Bishop. S-M-. ou tho body o£ Sydney Hepworth, aged 24, who committed suicide- by taking poison on Thursday evening. John Leighton "VVoodfield., fitter at Addington Workshops, stated that he was sitting with a lady on a seat opposite tho Clarendon Hotel about S p.m. He saw a young man coining towards him about 5.40 p.m., making for tho seal. "When he saw it was occupied ho went behind some shrubs. At the time witness took him to be intoxicated. A few. minutes later witness heard a noise as if the man was choking, but did not take much notice, as he thought he was sick. The noiso continued for about ten minutes,' but witness did not bother until he got up to go away, and then he remembered ho nad not seen the man go. Tin's was about 9.45 p.m., and witness went over and found him lying face* balr-down- : wards, and a email bottle near, his head. He was practically unconscious, [but breathed once or twice. Witness i went to look for a constable, ami ; iound one near the Bank of New Zeal land. Tho constable sajd it was not !on his beat. . . The Coroner: IHdn't he come with you? Witness: I told him there was a young man lying, on the river The constable'said he was most likely drunk. Wo met another . constable further down the street. The Coroner (to Senior-Sergeant Mathieson): Surely it is not a question ;of beats, Sonior-ttergcant, in a case ol j eiT'orgency like this ? Sflnior.-Seigeant Mathieson • Oh, no! tbey can go. anywhere. Witness, continuing, said that tne two constables went with him, and ti'«y fo-inl the man lying»dead.' Alexander Ferguson, manager of the National Bank of New Zealand, said he had known the deceased about three j-ionths. He came out lrom Kngl'ind with .1 letter of introduction to wit-m-ss. YVVnsss had /nArucfcions to pay him at the , rate of 11 per week During the first ten days ho was in Christchurch— rbout April 9th or 10th—witness ascertained that he was very unsteady. About that tin-.o he got a billet in the ccuntrv, where ho stayed for about five weeks. He lost that b'llot through giving way to drink. Witness last saw him on Saturday. July 18th. Ho seemed desirous of going home to his father, who was a flourmiller. He hal apparently lost self-control, and admitted drinking to excess on more than one occasion. He became very depressed, and wanted to. home, but his father did not want mm. Tho Coroner: I suppose they had pent him out to get rid of him. . Dr. A. C. Sandstein stated that he and Dr. Pearson had made a post-mor-tem examination of the dcci ised. The body was well nourished, and there were no external marks of injury except three or i'our. large streaks of reclde'iiinp extending from the mouth. Tho inside of the mouth and gums were similarly marked. The oesophagus and stomach showed appearances exactly corresponding to carbolic ncid poisoning. Death was duo to this cause. The bottle produced contained poison:. . . • The Coroner to Dr. Irving: Can yon' throw any light on his state of mind, doctor? •

Dr. Irving: Ho came to mc twice. Ho was very depressed, and said that tho drink had got him down. Tho Coroner: I suppose he felt it very much being sent out hero by his father, and that made him depressed-1 will record a, verdictthat deceased com? mitted ' suicide by drinking poisoiv •vhile in a state of unsound mind. : While nttempting t • etirt n w onEiine in the *vor<s ol V. and D. Duncan, Ltd.. vesical .tiugli Christmas, a single »rar> residing at 272 Barbadbos street, mci- with an accident, owing to the engine back-firirtg. 7\Vhen his shop-matos arrived ..at w#rk:' they found him lying with his* right leg fractured. Dr. J. P. Duncan, who was called in, sent Christmas to the Hospital, where, his. injuries were attended to. Tho Ashburton police received, word yesterday that Mrs Matilda Lawrence, wifo of Mr K. Lawrence, of Highbank, died suddenly during the morning. The cause of death.is unknown. (rRESS ASSOCIATION* TELKCHAir.Tf THAMES, July *l.

A young mar. named Alfred_ Lflngfprd. aged thirty,, attempted suicido at an hotel this morning by taking a weak solution of poison. The victim, whoso parents reside in the Old Country, has be6n out of .work for, somo time. Ho seemed strange in his manner last nighty and .threatened to commit suicide, but, was reproved by the hotelkeeper and advised to seek work. Langford was found in bed this morning in a-semi-conscious condition, and' was sent to the. Hospital. His condition is serious, but thero is every chance of his recovery.