INQUEST.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2239, 23 September 1864, Page 6

INQUEST.

An inquest -was held yesterday at the Provincial Hospital, before Dr. Philson, the coroner, on the tody of the late John Hntchinson Wood, who met his death on Tuestlay last by a fall from his horse •.— Thomas Robert Abraham deposed I am a private in the 3rd Waikato Regiment, and am at present on sick leave in Auckland On Tuesd.iy evemng, September 20, between the hours of (3 and 7 o'clock, inst at dusk, 1 happened to be walking on the ICyber Pass Eoad, in company with a friend, returning to Auckland fiomthe races held at Ep«om I had ai rived at the top of the cutting, where the Graf ton Eoad runs into the Eyber Pass Eoad, when I heaul fomc one say, '"Look out." I turned round immediately to see the cause, and saw a man in the act of bein« thi own fiom horseback on the Kybcr Pass Eoad. I went to the man (who was a stranger tome) ami found him in an insensible state. 1 observed blood issuing from the mouth and nose. He lay on his back on the road. I raised his he id on my knees and kept him iv that position until a conveyance arrived to remove him. In a few minutes a ciowd of people had collected. I assisted to place him in a carnage, and accompanied him to the Provincial Hospital. "When we armed theie he was dead. The body Mas handed o\ er to the house surgeon, who pionounced life to be extinct. 1 had not seen deceased at the races on the previous pait of the day. Icannot say whether deceased was mliquor er not at the time he fell from his horse I have seen the body, as it now lies m the Hospital dead-house, and recognise it as that of the mau I saw fall from his horse on Tuesday evening last. William James Marks deposed I am a plumber, residing in Chapel-street T knew deceased I was in his company on the racecourse at Epsom, on Tuesday, the 20th lnstmt We left the couise together, ou our way home, about the same tune, namely, five o'clock p m Deceased was walking, and I was driving, and a mutual fuend (3>lr Louis James) lode behind on a spiuted hoise When we arrived at Bud Giovclheaul someone say, "' There's James oil," meaning that he had fallen fiom his horse I stopped the carriage and caught the hoise, which had broken loose Deceased then came up and asked me to let him ride Sir. James's horse, winch I did He mounted the horse and rode off quietly I followed in my carriage On ainving at the Junction Hotel I saw deceased in tlie act of leaving the hotel and remounting his horse I did not sec him again until, on reaching the top of the Eybcr Pass cutting I found a mob collected, and, on examining, I saw deceased lj ing ou his back in the road bleeding and insensible. I called him by name, but received no answer I think he was dead at that time, which was nearly seven o dock p m I had the body leinoved <"o the Provincial Hospital. Deceased was perfectly sober when I gave him the hoise He wai a good horseman He had no spurs. The horse 13 a quiet .imm il. but spirited Deceased was unmamed. His age was about 28 years. He had been an ensign m the Waikato Militia At the time of his death he was not in any employment He had been m the colony about a year. I chink he came from Yoikshire. Walter Chailes Brackenbury deposed I am a captain in the 2nd Wai'»ato Eegiment, and am stationed 111 Auckland. I knew deceased intimately Some time ago he was under my command m the -uihtia I last saw him alive on Tuesday, the 20th instant, immediately after the last 1 are at which time he was perfectly sober He wis on foot When I knew him he maintained a chai actor for steadiness andsobnety I know the hoise from which deceased was thrown, aud do not regard him as a-dangeious animal Eobeit Elliott Fisher deposed: I am a member of the Royal College of Suigeons of Edinburgh, and house surgeon of the PlOTincial Hospital On Tuesday evening, 20th instant, between the hours of G and 7 o'clock, deceased was biought to the hospital in a carriage. I went out to the carriage with the nurses, and assisted to cany him into one of the wards and laid him on a bed. I then found him to be quite dead His face was covered with blood, and his clothes were saturated I think that death had taken place about 10 or 15 minutes before I saw him I have this day, at the desire of the jury, made an external examination of the body of deceased. I discovered a scalp wound of an inch in length, and clown to the skull over the back of the head. I did not find any fiacturc of the cranium, but there was bleeding from the right ear, which commonly attends fiacturc ot the base of the skull. I believe that death occasioned by the injury I have now described, and was probably produced by a fall from a height against some hard substance I did not perceive any smell of liquor about the person of deceased when he was brought to the hospital Mr. Hampton took charge of some money on the person of deceased. The jury returned the following verdict — " That the deceased was accidentally killed by falling from hoiseback, on the Kyber Pass Itoad, on the 20th instant."

An inquest was held before Dr Philson, the colonel", yesterday, on the body of a man, name unknown, who ■was run over by a horse and cait, wliilq returning from the racecourse on Tuesday. On a ]my being BWorn, the following evidence was taken — George Lauience deposed lam a commercial clerk, in the employment of Captain Salmon, and live in Auckland. On Tuesday evening, September 20, I was returning xrom the races, between the hours of live and six o'clock, in a fcpnng-cufc, dnven by M.itthew Shaw Teesdale (who is now present), and hao. passed through the Newmarket lollbai, when we came into collision with a man, who was walking towards Auckland. The lefthand shaft struck the man on the back, •n ho was immediately knocked down, and the left ■wheel passed over his body. The horse was tiotting when this occurred I heard the duver call to the man to get out o£ the way, but he never looked round. I think he must have been either drunk or deaf. He was ■walking on the lefthand side of the road. There was plenty of light. I did not hear the nun gioan, 01 make any noise. We stopped immediately, and got out of the cart. The drivei went to the man's assistance. I left the cart, and proceeded into town on foot. The man lay on his face on the ground. I do not know deceased. He was an ehjeily man, dressed in a blue smotk, and blue cloth tiousers There were thiee of us in the cart. We were all sober. I have just now seen a dead body, in the Provincial Hospital deadhouse, which I lecognise as that of the man ovei whose body the cart passed, on Tuesday evening last. The

drivel halloed to the man Iwooi three times, andtned to pull the hoise up, but was unable to do so 1 think that deceased swerved somewhat in our way The duvet had hid dunk, but I considered him quite capable of taking charge of the e.vit. William Millson deposed : lam a f airier nnd live nt New market I was on the Epsom Road on TuestKj evening last, September 20th inst , leturnmg fiom the inces, between the houis of five nnd six o'clock; and a litlle on this side of Newmaikct toll-bai, I saw a ciowd. I went to the fepot and saw an elderly man ljmgon his back in the road. He was alive, but bie.ithed l.ithei haul. T spoke to him, but he did not ansttei me. Theie was some blood about his noso and uppei lip. I saw the last witness and Teesdale, the duvei, attheplvce He seemed veiy much excited. I could not tell whether he had had much hquoi or not lie had passed me on the load a- few minutes piiiviously, and I did not notice anything lemai liable in Ins manner of diivmg. T assisted to lift the mainnto Teesdde's cmt, and diove it to the l'ioMiicnl Ilospit.il. Teesdile accompanied me as fai as Seccunbe's Biewei y, .md then left me to duve on alone to the hospital Ido lift knowwluuo he went I coin eyed the man in the cut to the hospit.il, and handed him ovei to the house suigcon. I then took the hoiso and cut to tl-o Auckluul police-station. It was dusk when I was at the hospital Deceased neve< spoke. To the foreman I think the 110130 might have easily been pulled up in the space of ten yaids. Alfred Chappell deposed 1 am a contractor for stone bieakmg to the (J)ty Boaul, nnd live at Fieeiuin's Bay. 1 knew deceased. I engaged him to bieak stones last Wednesday , Septcmbei 14, and he commenced woik on Tuesday, September 20, in a field neai Seccombes Btewery Ido not know his mine Hu age was about 5C yeais. In my brief acquuntance with him, I lemaiked that lie was haul of lie xi ing. I nevei saw him the worse foi liquor. I thmk he went to the laces on Tuesday afternoon. I heaid of his death yesteulaj, and ha\ c seen his dead body. Kobeit THiott Fi'-hei deposed lam a licentiate of the Royil College ot Smgeoiib of Edinburgh, and am house suigeon ot the Piosmcial Hospital, Auckland About G o'clock on the evening of 'I uesd iy, Septembei 20, deceased was bioughtto the Pioviucial Ilospit il in i spmnj eait by a man named Millson Oh examining into his state hefoie he was lemoved fiom the cait, I found him to be quite dead. 1 noticed a few abtasiohb ibmit his, foiehe id md nose, and theiewas a small quuitity of blood on his face I have this day made a post-iuoitem eviminaloii o£ his body In addition to \\h it 1 have niLiitioned abo%e, lobsei\ed a daik contused spot in the bick, below the nsjht shimldei blade, and a little to the left. Theie is> no se.ilp wound oi fiactme of the skull. In the chest, I found ten of the light ribs bioken, .and the lowei lobe of the left lung waslacuated in foul places, and about fom ounces of blood weie found in the light pleuia The loft lung was uninimcd. On opening the abdomen I found it iilled with blood, pioceedmg fiom an extensive laceiation of the light lobe of the lnei The stomach contained about two ounces, of fluid, whichsmt.lt of alcolnl. Gitat \ioknc" must ha\e been inflicted bj' collision with some body in lapul motion, and the pissing of a hea\y body ovei the tiunk ])eith le-ulted fmm the above mjuiies Veidict- "Accidentally killed b} being urn o\ei by a cait, du\en b^ Mitthew Shaw Teesdile, on the Epsom Road, on the 20th nMant " Two of the ]ivy dissented fiom the above, and found maushughtei