SUDDEN DEATH.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1516, 25 March 1887, Page 2

SUDDEN DEATH.

A caso of sudden death occurred At Alford Forest on Wednesday. Two men, named James Wilson and Samuel Kerr, who huve betm "knocking about" the Alford Forest Hotel Blnce the 11th of this mrn'h, had an altercation regarding the quantity of timber which would be required to roof a house then m coarse of erection at tho township. Wilson took exception to Kirr'a calculation and the result was a fight. This did not last long, as the landlord took Kerr away and Wilson immediately went to bed. The next morniog (Wednesday) the man was all right at seven o'clook, but two or three hours later it was noticed there was some* thing the matter with him and fay twelve o'clock he wai dead; The circumstance was reported to the police, and Samuel Kerr wsb arrested on a charge of the manslaughter of his mate and lodged In the Methven look-up. Tho inquest was held last evening. I 1 : was originally iutend9d to have held it at 3 o'oteok m the afternoon fefore Mr Baddeley, Coroner, but as there was no train from Rakaia that gentleman could not attend at that time. As it was found a Justice could not be procured, Me Baddeloy waß again telegraphed to asking him to come by the evening train, whloh reaches Methven about half past eight. Immediately on his arrival the inquest was held at tho Canterbury Hotel, before a jury of six, of whom Mr D. Qainn was ohosen foreman.

The first witness who was called wm Samuel Ksrr.

As the witness had been arrested, oharged with the manslaughter of hift mate, he was duly cautioned not to give evidence which might criminate himself.

He sated that he waa a laborer, living at Alford Forest, and that he had known the deceased, who, for the last year hai been abuut Alford Station, for fire years. Last Friday week witneaa, m company with the deoeased, went to the afford Forest Hotal, kept by Samael Thoaipaon. Sometimes, they drank there, having a few glasses of bear. Witness never got t|je woroe of liquor ; he ooald not lay whether the deceased did or not ; witness did not notioa him. Wit* ÜBB3 was never very bad from liquor while at the Alford Forest Hotel , He had been drinking a little evjry day for several days and he felt a little the'worse for It. Wilson, when he went to the hotel, had between £6 and £7. Last Sunday morning Wilson went to Alford Station m order to get some monoy and on his return ha told witness that he hid got £2 Wilson eeemed to be sober when he came back, but he got pretty bad, witness supposed, from the cff/ctß of drink. Witness remained sober that night. Witness was " pretty fair " on Monday ; he was getting all right from the iffaots or dri.rt, Wilsou was under the influence of liquor on Monday and he took more liquor on that day. Witness was sober enough to speak of this. On Tuesday witneßa kept right np till nightime. At nightime he 'had a few glasses of beer— about four. Witneiß remambared having a quarrel with the deceased that night. It waa v as far m witness recollected, between 8 and 9. They were talking about tome work. Deceased gave witness a calculation to make, which he did as well at he could. 4 Witness asked if it was right, and the deceased replied that it was cot. On witneaa reiterating his opinion that it waa right, deoeased again said that it wasn't. Deceased than jumped up m lighting attitude and told witness to 11 put up his guna." Witness said " No. I am not going to fight," whan deceased replied that witness would have to, at the name time striking witness on the left jaw. Witneßa retreated a little and deceased came at him again. Witness then struok him twice on the face — the left cheekbone witness thought. The deceased caught witness round tho waist and putting nil head against witness's stomach .tiied to throw him. Deceased pulled at witness and pulled him on top of him, and witness gob away. Witness then said that the/ would ha?e no mere of it and deoeased a<read. At this ntage Thompson, the publican, appeared at the door and said that ho wanted witness to go to the stable with him, Witness went and on his titan found that decaaaed had gone to bed. Witness saw him. He called witness into his room and aaid that he " hoped he wm not vexed.' I, waa all over now." Wit« ncsa replied that it was deceased's fault or there would have been nothing of it. Deoeaeed aaid he would " give m." They then shook hands and witness went to bed, It would bo about ten minutes to ten o'clock when wltnetra left him. In the worning witness saw the deoeased again. H!a bedroom door was half open, and wltuess saw him as he passed. He seemed to bo sleeping. About half an hour before this witness heard him speak to Thompson. Something to the effeoh of the following words " All's right, old boy, I'll be down directly-" Witness was not sure of the exact words. Thompson wont to Methven, and soon after he had left, his wifo asked witness to see if Wilson was ooroiog down to breakfast Witness went up and saw Wilson, who seemed to ho f »et asleep. Witness oarao downstairs again and told Mrs Thompson that deceased had batter be allowed to sleep on. Sometime after this Mrs Thompson and witne3B went upstairs. Thedeoaased then looked like as if he were breathing heavier and he wbs beginning to shake hit arm* " Wilneßß said to Mrs Thompson that he thought the deoeased was going In a fit or had the " horrors ou him," and he (witness) nuggestzd that they should go downstairs and get Mr Tinch to tee hlnit Tiach came up and Baid that the deceased seemed aa it he wrb going into a fit; After* wards a man named Faion, a bailiff, and Tiech went up to deceased's room, and oa their coming down Tisoh made a remark to the effect that the deoeaned seemed tohe much tha same. Subsequently Mrs Thompson nnd witness again went up and found the deceased breathing then muoh the same aa previously, but he wrs shaking more— both his arms and legs shaking. Tnis was about a quarter to twelve, and about half an hour afterwards witneis, by Mrs Thompson's request, again went up. Ho opened the door of the deoeftted's room and saw that he was lying motionloss. Witness then went downstairs ani told Tidch t) go up and have a look at Wilson because witness thought h« waa dead. Ttsch weut up and came dowa shortly afterwards and Baid that the man was dead. Witness proceeded to Methven and reported tho circumstance to the police. Archie McOormtck was present* Witness did not throw tho deoeaeed. They had alwAyn baen good friends. They had been mates during the last harvest. About fire weeks ago deceased began bleeding at the nose and he told the men, at the camp that his h-tad reeled and he: fell, He got np and fall the second time,; He again got up, but before he had walked^ a chain he fell, the sensation coming on him and he laid down. In reply to a question suggested by Dr Trevor, the witness s*id that he did not sea the deceased vomit on the morning of his death. By the jury : It was m consequence o£ the "whisky" that the deceased &n<s witness had the quarrel. It was m thebar of the hotel that the a flair took plaeev Deceased struck witness first cad witness only struck him m eel f defence » They never had any previous ouarre). The. publican was not present when the row took place. The firat time the deceased; raa noticed to be ill waa about nine o'clook. In the morning, and he waa found dead about three hoars afterwards. Regarding information being conveyed to tho police, Thompson asked the mailman to take* tidings. After waiting norae time for a poJicoman witness went. The idea of witness's going wai his own and Tboaaneob'i jointly,

By the Ooroner : The deceased did Sot make any complaint of Injury on the night of the quarrel. He did not look Any more ill than previously, with the exception of the mark on his eye where witness had struck him. Archibald Mcdrmick, contractor, rr. aiding at Alford Forest, said that the deceased and the last witness had been

working for him. Witness was at tho Alford Foreat Hotel on Tuesday evening,

Kerr and witness had a drlog when Wilson came m and the two commenced »n argument about roof leg a housp, Wilson said at last "I know what y<H want," and told Kerr to put up his hands. Wilson rose from his Beat and •truokKarr. They both struggled, and Kerr hit Wilson onoe or twioe, and Wilson fell against a bench. Thompson then came m and took Kerr out to the ■table. Witness saw no more. The alteroatlon only lasted about five minute. Wilson was the worse for drink, but

Eetr was sober. Witness had known both the men for some time, and thought them Tory quiet. They had always been good friends to this time.

By the jury ; The altercation was owing to Wilson ; ft was his fault that Kert strnoK him, By the Coroner : After the quarrel there was some blood . on Wilson's cheek. He was qu'ts sensible and visa speaking to witness afterwards. Witness had beard some of the deceased's mates last winter say there TfM something the matter with him. Dr Trevor said that he had made a post mortem examination of the deceased, Wilson, at the Atford Forest Hotel. Ibe body was that of a strong, well developed man. External examination showed that both eyelids were blackened by bruising. There was also a considerable bruise on the upper part of the left cheek, and m one plaoe on that special part the ekln had evidently been broken. There wbb one very slight and small bruise on the parietal bone on the right side. There Ware no other external marks of violence. Share was oonsiderable post mortem llvldlty on the back of the neck and the posterior part of the trunk to a leseer degree, alao on eaoh arm to the elbow. The abdomen was greatly dlsteuded by gai, the consequence of decomposition Witness first removed the scalp. There was no extravasation of blood under the bruises of the eyelids, thus showing that they were very superficial, neither was the whole of the eye discolored There was tome extravasation of blood corresponding with the bruise on the left parietal bone. The under part of the ■oalp on the right side was Bomewhat con f ested, as also the covering of the right parietal bone, which corresponded with the email external bruise. Witneaa then removed the skull. On the right side, corresponding to the right parietal bone and between the dura mater— the coverIng of the brain — and the brain itself, was • large olot of bood, of a dark color, firmly coagulated and nearly the siz? of • man's fist. The entire covering of the brain was very muoh congested, bat mote 10 on the right then on the leftside. The ■nbitanoe of the brain was he U thy. WitDeis opened the chest and abdomen. He fonnd the heart large, of a pa'e color, and flabby. In ihe right ventricle there was only a trace of blood. The ventricle was muoh dilated- The left ventricle was quite empty. The valves of the heatt were normal. The left lung was strongly adhering to the walls of the cheat the remit of old pleurisy. Both longs were considerably congested otherwise healthy. The congestion was of recent origin. The liver wis a very perfect example of the result of spirit drinking ; it would be known In England as a "gin drinkei'a liver:" The stomach waa healthy and empty. Witness did not raakft any further examination of the body. The causa of death was the olot of blood on the brain producing apoplexy. Witness had vety little doubt, considering the state of the heart and the liver and the drinking habits of the deceased, that the apoplexy -»"*• the entire result of drink. By' *^ c P°H ce :— Witness had heard the evU* eDoe °* err an( * tho otber witneßH and he thought that the quarrel had little If any. 4 Mng to do with death. Tbe apoplexy mus^ have occurred on Wednesday morning, mtf on Tuesday night-the night of the fighfc. Witness considered the apoplexy was the entire result of drink. All the blows were of a very superficial nature, though tbe decaased was pretty well punohed about the eyes, is waa not moie than any ordinary fight, and witnera could not connect the blows with the apoplexy. Witness might Bay that he had seen many instances of men dying In this way from the effectu of drink without there being any violence. By the jury : Witness waa confident drink was the cause of desth. If the evldenee relating to the giddiness and falling down some wetks previously wbb true the deceased was at that time near a similar atUok to that which caused his death. Thia was all the evidence the police offered.

At bis own request, Samuel Thonrpson, the licensee of the Hotel m which the death occurred, was examined. He Baid that he saw Kerr strike Wilson once. He separated them, and tock the former out to the etableo. When he came back Wilaon had gone to bed. On the following morning witness had to go to Methven, and when he went upstairs about seven o'clock, rapped at WiUon's door. Iq reply to his ecqniry, Wilson said he would be down to breakfast m a few minutes. Witness went to Methven, and .on arriving home about two m the afrernoon he found Wileon dead. The ■witness was proceeding to make a statement with regard to the case which had been taken to the police, but as his evidence was of a hearsay character it could not be taken.

By the Jury : The deceased did cot drinlr to excess at witnens'a pl&oe. Be was short of money and witness would not supply him. The deceased was not drunk when witness took Kerr away.

' By the request of the Jury : Archibald ' McCormlck was recalled m order to give 'evidence as to whether Thompson was present daring any part of the quarrel He fluid tra 1 ; be believed Thompson came m at the door just as Kerr struck Wilson. Samuel Thompson was recalled by ore of the jury and said that during his absence en the day of the death witness's wife was m charge of the hotel. There was a portion present who could prove that the deceased bad had proper treatment. The Coroner pointed out that there was no allegation against Thompeon that the 'deceased had not proper treatment. Ulti- j Jnately it was decided to take the evidence of the person alluded to m Tbompaon'a "evidence. ' John Tiach, m reply to one of the Jury, oaid that Mr Thompson and himaelf tried to give Wilson before he died some milk and br ndy In a teaepoan but he coald not drink it. Wl»ness opened the window and looted the deceased's neoktle and told If err to nee the deceased evety ten minutes or so if he couW. Kerr went np twice , the second time he returned and asked witness to look at Kerr. Witness found him dead. The Coroner briefly reviewed tbe facts of the case, stating that after hearing the very full medical evidence ha had no hesitation m expressing his opinion that Kerr was m no way connected with Wilson's death. The jury without retiring returned a verdict of "death uf natural causes."

The Coroner, on the application of the police, ordered the discharge of the accused, Ken? from custody.