CASUALTIES.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17170, 13 June 1921, Page 9

CASUALTIES.

J?"™ inquest toucluug tho death of /iWUUain' John Giand, ,i retirad rarriior, y,?ars,.who jusided at 258 Fitzavenue, was held on Saturday £""■ nlornyig, jbofoic Mr S. E. McCarthy, i Cproneu ,'tJ)i|; W. J?. Browne stated that on \i the", morning or; Friday, 10th mst., ho «' v \vas'polled to 258 Fitzgerald avenue, & tho v d. cased lying uu- " back yard, w itn a bult'/'Jflt wound in Ids head. He hnd him -lempvcd to the 'Hpipifal. v >V»>Dr.;o< H. Thomps6n said that when TO£&tniifgd tq^.the.Hospital Grand wns 'Jroni a bullet -wound in of the skull, which *3*iflßW-Sy*^ b tcicd. Ho sank lamwy, and Mf »JoJf a.m., x .Gl'J\nd, sister of tho d ceased, l||!||hQ< saw deceased pass thiorfgh to the prOiacU outfit* house, and shortly afterheard a shot. * She wont to an saw deceased lymg bedoor, and mini'diately sent assistance. Ho had been in suffering from a nervous |sV breißtdown, 'and had boon unable to £"S«S£PTor> some time, Wilson said that in response for/assistance he vent to tho ptEdecoased' ) ftnd Ijioko down the of din outliouso,. wheie ho found th<» floor in i pool A revolve;-> wns lying oh Ig'iph&jlofcrfbeside him.* ,\ tj said a ak-rbarnbor 'lp^TJfor Coroner -l-ojnrncd a veiflict that

deceased died at 10.30 a.m. on tho 10th instant at the Christehurch Hospital, as tho icsult of a revolver-shot wound in. the head, sclf-infliefc.>;l, whilst in a state of ncnous breakdown. sequel ro motor accident. An inquosu touching on the death of Frank Keenan, a bushmah, who died at tho Chriotdhurch Hospital on Friday as a result of injuries received in a motorcat accident on road on the previous Tuesday, was opened by the Coroner, -Mr fe. & McCarthy, yesterday. . - Sergeant Packer conducted • the enquiry on behalf of the police. Thomas Anderson, clerk, residing at tre Gladstono Hotel, gave evidence of identification. I>eceased was about 44 years of ago, and had no relatives in the Dominion. l>uisy Kelly, aged 28 years, waitress, employed at the Oxford Hotel, said 1 that she met deceased on tho day previous to the acoident. On tho following day, witness and deceased arranged to for a motor-car ride. Deceased wont to tho post office to get some mousy while witness gut ready. .Deceased returned with two,other men, t>hd witness and tlio three left in a taxi aboub 2.45 p.m. Witness did not have any drinks before leaung thajbotel.,. fcho could not say whether Iho three men were under tie influence of liquor. After loavmg the hotel thc> picked up two lady friends Witness Knew only tho Christian nn ncs of deceased's two men friends, >ind also his two lady friends; one of tho \ omen w as picked up from a house m Armagh street, and tho other from t boarding-nouso in Manchester htree., t\ie party left for the Yaldhunt Hi tel, but on tho Way a stop was made at tho Royal Hotel garage to have a tyrel inflated. They all wenfi into the lloyil Hotel, with the exception, of the crjver. Fito of them had drinks, cno <t the men standing out, They 'had cry one drink each. Tho jioxt call ma e was at the Yaldhuretr iHotcl, where they arrived, about 4 n.m. AH the inerab srs of the partv weut into tho sitting-rijbm of the hotel, where thoy had drinks. Witness giad no more four dfinks; she could not say -whether -all pad the same kind ol? drinks 'throughout. Witness did not feel any effect from the ;,ort w-'no md '-lemonade sho had hadj and tie men. were not affeaUSl; they weru not merry. It was just becoming du<sk when they •left Yaidhuret. The first witness knew,of the-accident.was when she received a blow on the right side j?f the i-iead-The car was travelling oir the lefthand side of the road. Something

struck'the car on the left side, and the 'driver swerved! to tho right. The car ] was travelling between 17 and 20 miles an hour. After tho accident, witness and the ear-driver went to a telephone.box, and on returning they met Con--'staple Hannalin. Witness did nob refuse to give the constable her name. A statement to that effect would be, an untruth. "Witness accompanied Keelian to the hospital in a taxi. If the ' hospital people said that deceased was drunk when he was admitted, witness would still say tlhat lie did not appear to be drunk. Tho Coroner asked witness what she would say if the hospital authorities said that tho deceased developed deliriunii tremens after lie was admitted!. Witness replied that she did not know whether the man was a 'heavy drinker or not, a« she met him only the day'before. To Sergeant Packer, witness said that) she was particular about , tho company she kept, and .liked to know their names before she wont out with them, but Mho. did not know tho surnames of the men in this party. Under further questioning, , witness admitted that she remembered the name of one man, Thomas Anderson, tho, previous witness. Witness maintained tliat she did not know the names oi ! the two women in ifeo party. Witness said that she had never been. ; interviewed by a' Health Department I nurse with regard to her keeping com- ; pany with various men.'" The two women in the party visited witness at the Oxford Hotel the day after the accii dent. They called to gee how witness j was ; they said they did not wish to- bo i dragged ' into the business." • Witness j promised that she would not give thenif away. I . Sergeant Packer: And you are sticking to that promise, now?. Do you value your promise more than your oath P | In reply to questions from the Coroner, witness said that one of tho | wotaen was named, Lily Williams and the other Freda Yeadman. She did not know the name of the other man, except that his Christian name was Jack. He was a resident of Dunodin, and had stayed at the Oxford Hotel till Saturday. Witness gave tjie number of the room the man occupied at the hotel. Sergeant Packer said rhat the man Denton, whr> had been convicted; in the Magistrate's Court Inst- week fo T being drunk while in charged' a horse and cart, had the right, to cross-examine the witness, and he would r<sk tlhat she be subpoenaed to appear when the enquiry was resumed. Tho Coroner agreed to fin's, and tho inquest was adjourned sine die. Thomas Jackson, of Kaikoufa, while rising from tho breakfast table, slipped and brake- his thigh. He is. receiving attention at the Jiaikonra Hosjiitnl. On Thursday his wife was found unconscious on the floor. She was removed tu tho Hospital, and died later in the •day- . Deceased had resided in Kailioura for over forty years. (press association telkgrams.) AUCKLAND, June 11. Ac tho inquest on Hu<dr Shcrson, killed by the fcapsize of a char-a-banc on Wednesday, the Coroner fouud that : the mishap was accidental. No hinma : Was due to the driver.