DEATH WHILE IN CUSTODY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 127, 29 May 1914, Page 2

DEATH WHILE IN CUSTODY.

I CASE OF HERBERT LOCKWOOD. B\TJ>nS"iCE AT THE IN'QTJEST.

Thp circumstances eormected with the ; death of illerbort Jx>ekwo-ori, a remittance man. aged about 50, airly y*eter- | day morning, after having been arrested ] un a charge of drunkenness the previous night, were before Mr. K. V. Fraze.r.. S.M.. at the Coroner's Court ■ t-h'ns morning. i • l-ohn All*rt Kndean. liceneee <>f tho ; Waite.raata. Hotel, deposed that be had; known the dewa«ed ifor IS or -JO yea.". Hi- was jLvlfrk. and oamr from the Kinc ; i fiuntry Tiicenily. having *Tt.p|x-d j>. tin , i VVaitPOMU Hoti-1 fur nearly two wpeke. j Al-out :< p.m. <- 7 i Wednesday In- told wit ■ iip*k that lip was going back ti> the King j I'linniry thai evening. Ixiekwood was then e<ohpr. During tin , fortnight he was \ staying at tbe h"tel. ho drank, hut wit- . Un , influence "f liquor. j Uγ. Mftguire. medical --iipermtpn.lp-nr. of thp Auckland Hospital, eai.l tha.t the Ikm]\- of the deceased, w» s tnk<m to Hip hospital -shortly after si_\ nV.lrii.-l. venteril.iv morning. On exam inn vo n witfiess . found -Miat death h-.id oeyurred. :ini he ordered liin reincrral tr> the morgue. ; To Sub-Inspector Johnston : 11,. did | not pee any external marks of violence i on tiie body. I Walter VaJethorp Rimftl. commercial , traveller. residing in ■Rem.Ui'fji, deposed '■ ihat he was near the side entrance '« the railway at ti-bmit 10 p.m. on Wedneeday. lie fi«' di-<-«ise<l staggering in the centre of thp roadway of the railway; entrance. Tliinking he might if.il , .. wit- i w:ie rontempknting giving his n►-••-j ~t - ancp. when 1.-oekwood. after getting on to the footpath, reeled, swung righ! rouihl. --in.l fell, hitting t!ip linvk of Ins head heavily against the pavement. ""-Vit nc-ss pick.-.l' up .hie pipe and shook lri-n, | Imt the man -appeared lo lip p-iralytk' drunk, and unable to move. i\fter a punser-hy had refused to help in lifting liim on io the footpath. Pwe. :iw Holli.canio along. Tlip latter |0..kel :it the man. who was breathing ii'l lig'it. :\n.l did not appear to b<- very Iμ llv hiii-t. Tlieri- vv.-r,. Tio apparent injuries to the hej.l. Dcteetivp Hollis and a oiwtable lifted him into :i nrotor ear nnd hp was taken away. IVtmrtiveSersrl. ITollis d.-p,\sp.l tint h," . first saw the lying on the f«v :• j path near thp entrance to the railway. He w,n ntrctch.M out on <lii« ha-k. H"d fr.im wliat ■the previmis witness toll him. lie i'f>nchuled that ilie man helplc\s*ly drunk. ITis p\\V<- was normn!. ; ! and there wa s notkins to in.lic-.U,' tliat j lip wtw errioiKly hurt. lAVitivesM ffffc ; j ConstaliV rirant to fllon-j a. motor \ ; pit. and lip assisted to lift 1,0,-kwoou in. Tliere w.m no Wood or anythinp to indirate That he had hurt himself. They > nlaenl his oap under hi« h"fl'l to prevent him from knoekinjr himself, -which he ai»r>par,<i likely to do when frvinjr to r.ii«-e himwlf. :'«nstali|p (■raiu stafp.l that «-hen lip to ihe .-ill of I)pteet ivp-S.-rprf. JI oil in hp ear Loekwood Vyin-sr nn the footpath in what appnreil t«'Hft A Wlp I H>vi state of <Irunkenn«->«. lie enuM Finell liq.ior on tlm man. Thp latter Crn-tai>]e Dow helped '" t.'^' , hi»n in. While !.<■ was! on t'.ie iVoo r !ip Iried to n-~n liimrti'll. an,l wh<-n askr.l liia naiiK rii.l Asked if he had t.pen idrtnkmfr nmeh of laic. he saiJ "a, poo.l I .tail." lie -wauted to get up. >■• Lhev.ap«ii,tej him fo hin feet. T>tertire Qnartprmai!i. ronntβ-ble Dnw nnd witnrFts rpI nioveil liiiu to nn<> of the ii'',]~ an-l ma<lp I hint .-..mfortiil-le, plae.ing a blanket under his head and em-rrinc- Yin up. Pub-rn»pp<'tor Johnfl-fon was prpspnt. im-media-ply after was tj).kon in. Up appeared to V like fhe "ordrnary hi'lples* drunk." Dot'vtive CJn.irtiTnTnin i-orrrvborntrd tlip evidence of t 'onwebie C.thtit po far tip removal nf the man to the epln*. ! llv believed him io Iw helplessly drunk. and saw no ert-ernal mark? of violence. When laid on his bark lie muttered "all rip-lit." I Const-able Dl>» . tlipht iv a tch-hon;<e ! k(WjMT. corrifborateil the evidencsi nf !Coi»tH-iile <ir«.nt and the ewiue r<-latir£j |tn !1,.e placing of IXK-kwood in the cell. , U'itn/?** visit'eil t!n- cpl! about diftp.ni imimrtes U;«r and on several <wa(-i<rns iup tv 4 a.m.. when he to be in j a eound sleep. bTPatliing deeply and i c-no rim;. T'.iere ■»«■* nothing in h> r>. nulrLinn to pause anvicty. ' Coro««.bl<- Bourke, Trho n-liewd Irtable J),-.w at 4.4Tj a.m.. said that « hpn >-,' went into iiie cell Loclcwood ap-pe-aTcd to be in a drimken plumlv.r. "WitI n-ese trie.l to roii?e him and a< thp JTn:in a-ppearpil to be unconscious wit- ; n--hs telephonwl for 1)t. < '-a^piTumt AirkLn. wh-> arrjvefl shortly afterwards, ■and onlcrpcl the man"* removal to the ■ hospital. "SVitnei-s went for Hip ambii'lance and Pent him to the ;i >f=p :.il in eliarge «f Conetaibl* O'Neill. To the Coroner: AVitnei-? war- nof Uiippie.iiius of anything .being wrmij; until 'af'.-'T l.v tri.-d to wake Loi-kwood. Cnwtabli' (VNoill deposed to havina .aeeompanieil to the Hospital While the arohulanee wax y roeeedin.L •'up Symouili" street LoekwoiMl made onp •or two <oiiviilsivp movements. On arrival at the Hcapital witness helped thp attendant-; to put Loekwood to bod. ' Witnpp- could not then ilptoit any 1 breathLnjr. '■ Dr. ( a.-piiiPiit Aicken htnteil that on arrival at the wateji-huiise h« louiitl IxK-.kwuoJ iim-onseiiiiwi. ln a breathing ' irregular, and hi* puj.-e ali-ut the nor- " tnal rate. Then- was a rtlijrht f-wi-liiiig on tin. ri'iht Hide of tiie head I not d> •■oiour'-di. 'ml mi other external mark". ' Tlip sini-11 >.f u!i-n"aol .-onld l.c detee.l-il .in hiri brcalh. T:io ri<rht eye was t]inti " •iir-.Mi-:'.' , r. Thi'i-e was oci-asi.'iia 1 twite!. •ml.' ..f the rij_-ht b-2 and the left le? » ;<,- riyz.l. Wiin-s-t or.lere,! lilk retniivul !• ilie llu«pit.il. and. later, condiictei] s . p () -tiiiort.-rii examinalirin »1 t:r,> .k- ---., caf'il i in turning lia>'k the ecul; there ua- ii hloud i-!..i "ii th- ripht . 't-i |c. a uiear iraf-lUli , ■■! tlti , kUuII hi .|;h,- f.S.it fi.le. but no ■• I , tiie boil" lli.it ui'eounli'd for the -i!. ■I .-fine ~' -. :.■ μ-l utii.-i ill th- i-ariy ptajf'3 ■ Vf«3e!it ili'-ide tin' «kull had 1.'.-.-n lon - J triiin tin- "iir.'a-i- i>! the lirain. <auKim f esteiMive ii.-nii.irli.iv-. Tit.' i-iti' ■i i death α-i-, in m (In- l.raln. :p •iThi- injiin »!i- ..mi- rtlii.h I'ir.iUi 'lin. "] i» t-n ■ilii.-.-.i 1.-, .i f.ii: !, I ■;,, ;■•„■ i ,»roii. i : Tin ii.it r- -' th, in n To Mih liwp,., ;,,;■ .luhriMon: lla,| , ' iiii'

The Coroner: I wanted to ha»e that point cleared, because if there ia no blame attaching to the police it is only fair that this should 'be made known. The verdict returned was: "That de- j ceased, died at Auckland on ilay 2S. j 1913, the cause of death beinjr hemorr- | hapje of the brain, due to a fracture of 1 the skull, caused by the deceased fall- I ling OJi the footpath on the railway entrance at Auckland, on the nijrht 0-f the ! iTth iren." The Coroner adJed: I think it its only i fair to the police that I should add. in j accordance with medical evidence, that j the police are not in any way to blame j for not having- discovered hi<s condition i-ooniT. and that as soon as his condition Wii> realised prompt steps were taken by Conp table liourke to rienire | medical assitstancp. !