INQUEST.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIX, Issue 1928, 21 September 1863, Page 4

INQUEST.

An inquest was held on Saturday, before Dr. riiitson. Coroner, on the body of Margaret Burns, who died suddenly on the morning of that day. On a jury, of which Mr. Alfred Edmonds was foreman, being sworn, the follow ing evidence was tnken :—: — Mary Shea, being sworn, wid : lam the widow of Timothy Shea, late of Auckland, labourer, I live in Barrack-street I knew deceased. Her name was Mrs. Burns. She was the wife of Henry Burns, who it a carpenter, residing in Chancery-stret. Her age might have between forty and fifty \ears. I last saw her this morning, September 19th, between ton and eleven o'clock, lying at the threshold of Mrs. Grace* door. Mrs. Giace lived next door to deceased, in Chancery street She appeared to be in the act of retching or vomiting, and was trembling all over. I did not see anything coming out of her mouth. I handed her some tea in a saucer. She took it into her month, but it ran out again. Her face turned fir*t livid and then yellow. She uttered no cry and did not speak. I remained supporting her head four or five minutes, and feeline weak, went away for a little. On returning to her, I found that she had been removed to her own house, and was lying on 'her own bed. At that time she was quite dead. We employed the usual means to relieve a person choking, and sent for a doctor, but could not find any one. She was a woman of weak constitution. Fiom five to eight minutes elapsed from the time I first saw deceased till she died. Jane Grace, being sworn, said : Tarn the widow of Stephen Grace, late private of H.M.s 65th Regt , who fell in the late action with the rebel Mam is at Camerontosvn. I live in Chancery street. I was •lightly acquainted with d -ceased. This morning, Saturday, the 19th, between the hours of ten and eleven o'clock, she ran into my place, with her head Btooping, and suffering great distress She said "There is a piece of meat sticking in my throat." I clapped her on the back. She was quite black in the face, and spat out a portion of flesh meat mingled with plilesrm. It was a very small portion and I did not perceive it. Slie was not relieved and seeing that she was very bad I ran out to procure a doctor. The neighbours had now begun to fill the house, and when I returned after the Ispae of five minutes, I fount? her dead. I believe she died from something (ticking in j her throat. She was quite sober. Hannah Pell, being s«orn, said : lam the wife of Walter Pell, labourer, living in Victoria Quadrant, j L have known deceased six or seven years. This morning, between the hours ot ten and eleven o'clock. I was called to the assistance of rtpcea^erf, whom I i fount! sitting on the floor of Mrs. Grace's house, apparently very ill. I offered her a drink from a sauce--, but she was unable to swallow any of it. She died in five minutes from the time t fir«t entered the house. I helped to carry deceased into her own hotiFe, and to lay her on her bed. I obseived on a table in deceased's house a cup of cocoa, and a piece of broiled beefsteak on a small plate. This piece of meat I now produce in court. No medical man saw deceased. Tt is my belief deceased was choked by something in her throat. | Thomas Bnitton Kenderdine being sworn, said : I am a legally-qualified medical practitioner, residing in Auckland. I knew deceased and this day, September 19th, I have by tho desire of the Jury examined her dead borly. I laid open the upper part of the pharynx and oesophagus or gullet, *nd found impacted therein a piece of gristly meat, being beef, of the size of a walnut and nearly an ounce in weight. Part of" this projected into the glottis, or upper aperturo of the windpipe completely preventing the entrance of air into the lungs. The bit of meat is evidently of the samo kind as that now lying on the table and found in deceased's house I was unable to reach the piece of meat by thrusting my finger into the mouth. Death must have taken place in * few minutes from the time of attempting to swallow this mass. It in evident that deceased died of suffocation caused by a foreign substance (kicking in the throat. I did not make any fuither examination. The Jury returned the following verdjet :—": — " That deceased Margaret Bnrns met with her death on September 19th, accidentally, in consequence of a piece of j^ef, which she waa in the act of swallow ins, sticking in her , windpipe aud causiug suffocation." '

TjßNimns for a Bridge. — The Superintendent invites tenders for pulling down fcho ol<l bridge called Botany, bridge, near BTovriob, and erecting a new one on ita lite, according to the plan and •peoificaiion to be «eenrn application »t Hie Roads andWwJw