INQUEST.

An inquest touching the death of Edward Hart, who died lost Saturday m the Hospital, wag held yeßterday evening m the Courthouse, before R. Beetham, Esq., Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr Daniel Davis waa appointed foreman. The jury were sworn m at the Hospital, ond after they had viewed the body, they were brought to the Courthouse, as there was no vacant room m the Hospital, and the following evidence was taken : — Richard Sullivan : I am a constable of police, stationed at Timaru. I knew the deceased, Edward Hart, for the lost three years. He was a man given to drink. From information I received I went to a house on the beach, m company with Joe Ireland. The door of the house was looked, but the windows were, quite open. I looked m, and saw deceased with his back towards a window. I spoke to him, and asked him what wa* the matter. He showed me a small wound on his left groin, and his trousers were saturated with blood. He said he could not tell how it occurred to him ; but m reply to further questions he eaid he left the Albion Hotel about 10 o'clock the previous night. I drew his attention to Borne spikes that were projecting from barrels m the houso, and told him the wound might have been caused by them. He said it could not ; that he must have had it leaving the hotel, aa he was then lamo. He also said be was drunk, and that he was m the company of Joseph Ireland, Daniel O'Brien, and some others, at the Albion Hotel. I asked several times whether he had any quarrel, and ho said be had not. I advised him to go to tbe Hospital, and when we got to tbe main street he asked Ireland to assist him, and Ireland did so. There were cement casks m the room where I found him. I produce the clothes which the deceased wore. Joseph Ireland : lam laborer, at present living m Timaru. I knew the doceased for the last twenty months. I was with him on the 13th init. He came m from Albury, and when I met him he asked me to go and hare

breakfast with him ami tint In.' h»d £1. J wa-> with him at the Albi .n that evening. H mis a liitln the nwc for <) i>.k. I remft nee at tho Albion mi- 1 !1 o'd.-k. but ho left about 10 oYl'i'-k. ! « na '" »'S company until he left tire. IX ■• «.;8 tho worac for ((rink win— he lelt tilt: h ••> ci, but wna iu'. properly drunk. I did not hear him complain ol any injury. He went uwaj wim.ut Baying anything. Ho was w.-li able to walk. 1 wa< coming m m'xt morning at nbuut t.vu minutes to seven, when I mw him leaning out. of :i window m a houso on the beich. He enid to me, " I can't, get out of the window ; th. re is something the matter with my uroin." I went away ad bmught Constable Sullivan, and afterward* took him ti tha Hospital and undrcßded him. He told me that he had a r<>w on the beach with a German; that he fell down, and when he got up he found himself lamo. He was a very quiet man. To the. Foreman : I do not know the time the row took place on the beach He got into the house through the window. I do not know whether thcro was broken glass m the window. He was not lame when ho left the Albion. Daniel O'Brien : I am a laborer, living m Timaru. I have known the deceased for the last ten years. I have seen him two or three times since he came down by train from Albury last Saturday week. I *as with him iv the Albion Hotel on tho 13th, about nine o'clock. He waa then drunk, and very noisy. He had a dispute about drinkß with the barman, and at 1 did not like to be m it I went away. I did not see any blow struck. He was very noisy. Ho was a man that never liked to quarrel, but, wus often very noisy. John James : I am a laborer living m Timuru. I recollect seeing the deceased m the Albion Hotel at about twenty minutes to ton on tho 13th inst. Hu went away and told me not to go away, tiiat he would bo tack again directly. I did not see him after that. He was ablo to walk when he went away. Previously to going to the Albion we had drinkß at the Ship and Club Hotels. There was no sign of blood on his clothes when he left the Albion Hotel. To the Foreman: I do not know what money he had when leaving t.ho Albion. He had pome argument at the Albion Hotel, but no quarrel I oak place Ho did not complain of any injuries. Jeremiah Collins : I am barman m the Albion. I know tho doceased Hart. Ho was not. staying at the hot;-l but often came m for adrink. On tho 13th he camo t> tho hotel about 8 o'clock m tho evening with Joe Ireland and remained until about 10 o'clock. He was about hnlf drunk when he camu to tho hotel, and I belio/o bo had about, three drinks afterwards. He was about three pnrts drunk when he went away. I do not know what he had to drink. There was no quarrel, but he waß talking very loud. About half-an-hour before Hart left the hotel Mr O'Brien rcfusod to supply him, and those who were with him, with drink. Mr O'Brien said he would not supply them with any more drinks unless they paid the money, and that they had 100 much drink already. Ho was able to walk when he went away. Coroner : You say when bo came to tho hotel ho was half drunk, and when he left he was three parts drunk. Witness : Yej, sir. Coroner : Whif. right had you to supply drink to a man m that condition ? Witness did not reply io the question, and tho Curonersaid he bud no right to presß him for an an=wer. William O'Brion : I am proprietor of the Albion Hotel. I remember Edward Hart coming to the hotol between soven and eitfht o'clock on the 13th iiist. Ho was m the room along with Ireland aed others. A dispute aroso who should pay for some drinks they had. The drinks m dispute were paid for, and another four drinks called for by them. Tho barman wont to wait upou thoni, and as there was a dispute about paying for drinks previously, I refused to supply them until I was told who was to pay for them. When I found out the drinks hud been orderfd by Hart, 1 refused to supply them, as he had not paid for drinks which ho had previously. Ho had no moro drinks. Ho left tho house by the bick way, at about half-pa-t ten o'clock. Poler Pender : I am an Inspector i-f Po'ico Btntioued m Timaru. On the 15th I went to the hospital with Detective Neil, and saw H>:rt. I told him I enme lo inqu re how lie got the injury, and he eaid he could not tell me. He also s'uted that he was quite sure he ham i quarrel, and did not receive tho injury m that way. Richard iJowen Hogg: lam a duly qualified medical man, and Resident Surgeon of the Tin aru Hospital. On the morning of the 14th instant Edward Hart wus brought to tho hospital m an excited and tremulous stato, with his clothe* more or lees covered nith blood, which had issued from a small punctured wound on the outside of the left thigh near the groin. The wound was four inches deep, and at tho bottom of ib was a piece of bone, which proved to bo the superior anterior angle of the pelvii bone, which had been broken off, and had been drugged down by the muscles of tho thigh. Owing to the accident, the abdominal cavity was laid open, and after consultation it was deemed necessary to remove this bone. The bnne was removed, and m thirty-six hours after inflamation of the bowe's set m, and this caused his detth. In the first inttance it was reported to me, that he had been stabbed, but I do not think tbat a knife could break off a part of the bone. I think it must have been done by his coming against some hard resisting substance. I examined the clothing, and could find no marks or puncture m them over the wound. This having completed the evidence, the Coroner said that cases of death from accidents caused by drunkenness were of Buch frequent occurrence that one gets sick of having to write the word drunkenness. This was a case of this nature. The evidence from beginning to end was nothing but drunkenness j it might be said to smell of drink ; and it was only one of the many cases of the kind that had come under his notice. There was no denying the fact tbat tho man was supplied with liquor while m a state of intoxication. The barman's evidence showed tbat Hart had come to the hotel half drunk, and went away three partß drank, and that he had been supplied with two or three drinks while iv that state. However, they, (the jurors) were not the proper tribunal to consider what thn responsibility of those who supplied the drinks were ; their duty was simply to find what the cause of death was ; and co far as that was concerned, he believed they would have no difficulty. They had the medical testimony as to what had caused death, and they could not go beyond that, but they could add a rider if they desired to do so. He believed he was quite safe m stating that seven out of every ten inquests over which he presided were caused by drink, but it was not with such things they had to do, as no doubt the proper authorities would take steps to inquire into tbat if deamed necessary. He would I. aye t'.iem to consider their verdict, which he believed they would have no difficulty m arriving at. After a quarter of an hour's deliberation, the following verdict was returned : — " That the deceased, Edward Hart, died from inflammation of the bowels caused by a wound, there being no evidence to bliow bow it was received." The following rider was added : — " Tbe juty are of opinion that the deceased met with the accident through having been supplied with drink while m a slate of intoxication."