The Late Fatal Accident.

ADJOURNED INQUEST. The adjourned inquest whioh was commenced on Tuesday last as to the causes whioh led to the death of James Carson; an elderly man, who died in the Hospital yesterday week from the effeots of injuries occasioned by a fall on the previous Saturday evening, wae resumed to-day at the above-mentioned institution. Mr. H. W. Robinson, Coroner, presided, and Mr. Allan Anderson was the foreman of the jury. The inquest had been adjourned on acoount of the oontradiotory character of the evidenoo adduced on that occasion, and in the hope that the polioe would be able to obtain additional witnesses. To-day the following evidence was taken :— Arthur Evans, a blaolsmith, residing in Tory-plaoe, who was a passenger in the tram, gave evidence that he did not see the deceased get down from the platform of the oar, but noticed him immediately afterwards: Deoeased tottered a few steps, and then bis legs apparently failed him, and he seemed to drop down with his limbs doubled up under him.' When the 'man fell the oar had moved on about its own length. Witness had noticed the oar 'stopping at the corner of Willis and Manners streets unusually long, and a fellow passenger remarked it had stopped to let an old man down. Deoeased staggered like a drunken man when he alighted. Witness observed the guard go to the roar of the oar when it stopped, bnt oonld not notioe where he sat whether the guard assisted the old man off or not. The deoeased had a stiok or broom handle in his hand whan he fell.' Dr. Gillon stated (hat he was called to see the deceased on fho afternoon of the 28th of last month at the ' Albert Hotel, and ascertained that the left thigh was broken liear the hip joint.' He set the limb, arid superintended his removal to the Hospital. Deoeased told witness that he had slipped after alighting from the oar, from whioh he had walked a few feet. His breath smelt strongly of brandy, which he said had been given him after the aooident, and added that he was not intoxioated. In the doctor's opinion the old gentloman, who was apparently about 68 years old, was not the worse for liquor at the time. Dr. Gillon added that it was a well-known medical faot that bones got brittle after the age of 65 years, and it was not a very nnoommon thing for bones to be broken by the mere weight of tbe body in oertain cases of slipping, oonpled with tbe efforts »f strong musoles to save a fall. Deceased ibont seven years ago was a patient in the Hospital suffering from a bad intra eapnUar fracture of the same thigh, and was then attended by witness. Deceased got over ■he effects of the former accident with the sioeption that the fractured leg was always itiff afterwards. William Clements, employed on the hulk llbion, in his evidenoe, said that he was standing in Manners-street near the Duke >f Edinburgh Hotel on the evening in onesion, and saw the old man fall. He assisted n carrying him into the Albert Hotel. The leceased got off the car on the other side of be street to where witness stood, and as far is he could see the car seemed to turn him •onnd, and caused deceased to reel and fall >n his right elbow. Witness was confident ,hat the car only stopped at the corner for a lecond or so to let down passengers. This being all tbe evidence, the Coroner rammed np, and in doing so referred to the apparently contradictory evidence adduced, rhe old man, it was shown by evidence, told Ktth the doctor and the constable that he ell when quite clear of the tram, but at the hospital, Carson informed his son that he had ice foot on the step of the oar when he fell )ther witnesses, examined on the first day of he inquest, were positive that the car did itop,' the only exception to this positive eitimony being that of Frederick Arnold, rho was positive in bin asseveration that be car did not stop at all, but merely lowed down. It was not to . be sup> iosed, the Coroner said, that because here was a oonfliot of evidence that

therefore the witnesses wero wilfully telling falsehoods. There could be no. doubt that the man's death was occasioned by the fall, but whether the accident was the result of carelessness on the part of any person or persona it wob for the jnry to deoide. The jnry having deliberated for some considerable time returned a verdict of Accidental Death. Mr. Phoanix Briggs, ono of the jurors, dissented from this finding, and the Coronor therefore accepted a 5-Gth verdiot.