BLOW OR FALL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 893, 12 August 1910, Page 5

BLOW OR FALL.

' ; AN AUCKLAND MYSTERY. (By Toleurapb.—Press As&ortatlon.l Auckland, August 11. Some , fresh facts bearing on the death of a steamer's fireman, named John, Lewis Sheard, as tho result of.a street occurrence on Monday evening ' last were brought to light at the adjourned inquest to-day. ■ ■ .: When the inquest was opened on Tuesday morning the principal'evidence was that given by Alfred -J. T. Lindsay, who stated that deceased .was holding hiß little girl on his back, and he pulled the child away, whereupon deceased, who was staggering as from the ellects of drink, fell backwards in the gutter, striking his head against tho kerbstone. To-dav William Craig, a young man, stated 'that ho witnessed the fatality. Ho had l»cn waiting to meet a mate, when he saw deceased in the gutter. Ho did not see hiin with the child on. his back, although there was a little girl close by after he fell in the gutter. When, deceased got up from the ground Lindsay was standing in the middle of the footpath, a lady was standing just in front of witness, and' a lad was . also. ,in/ the vicinity. When deceased rose Lindsay struck him on the' chin, and. he fell' again. Before the blow was 'struck de-' ceased said, something to Lindsay, and the latter made a .-reply-'which, - however,/ .witness did not 1 distinctly hear. After deceased rose a second time he staggered over against' tho fence and did not movo again. Witness's mate (Marshall), Lindsay, and a third man rarriwi deceased down a lane, where he remained in a sitting posture against a wall. ' Witness could not say whether he was then dead. The jury, after a; brief retirement, found that death resulted from cerebral hemorrhage, but stated that there was not sufficient evidence to enable them to determine whether the deceased diod aa the result of a blow or of a fall.