A Fatal Drinking Bout

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5603, 14 August 1889, Page 2

A Fatal Drinking Bout

HOW SOME BUSHMEN GET RID OF THEIR MONEY.

| WAIPAWA COEBESPONDENT.J

An inquest was held at the Courthouse, Ormondville, on Monday, before Mr. S. Johnson, Coroner, on view of the body of Hiram (or Hiram Sydney) Smith, commonly known as "Yorkey" by his associates. The story ns developed by the evidence is as interesting as a novel, and I will endeavor to repeat it briefly-. I may just say that a patient jury sat about eight hours endeavoring to ascertain the cause of death. The following story is gathered partly from the evidence and from hie wife's letters from Home, which wero found in a pocket book belonging to him : —Ton years ago Smith left his wife and infant (nearly two years old) to tho cave of his parents at X , in Yorkshire, aud came to New _.ealand, probably to Christchurch. Ho appears to have been a roving scapegrace, and only seldom wrote homo. Why he left it is not clear. He appears to have shifted about the colony, and did not writo to any of his family for the two. years before Christmas last, when he wrote saying ho was ill, and had spent all ho had saved on the doctors, aud asked his wife for money. She, poor thing, had a small income of os weekly for tending his mother, seventy-two years of ago, and sho scraped up £10, aud the mother, who lived on tho rent of a shop, and in her own house, added £15 and sent it away to Smith through the bank at Danevirke by a letter of crodit in February and March. As the letters were addressed to Danevirke, it would seem that he has been working about thero for somo littlo time as a bushman. Ho paid somo bills, amounting in all to a little over £2, in Danevirke, and got on tho drink. On 10th July ho was passing through Makotuku on tho train, when he met with a boon companion named Gibson, and at his instance and expense Gibson got into tho carriage to prolong their yarn. Ou tho way Smith pulled out a bottle of whisky and handed it round to all but Gibson, to whom he remarked that lie had been drinking already. At Takapau thoy got out aud waited there for tho return train, when they went back to Makotuku. There they went to Essex's hotel, whero they had sundry drinks, and at hist Gibson cleared and wont to a whare whero he had been camping. Sometimo during the night Smith "followed, bringing with him two bottles of beer, and they remained till morning. On the 17th sometime they went to tho township and knocked about all d*y, first at one " pub." and then at tho other; eventually they got a botth. of brandy and went to Butler's whare, where tho Butlers helped them to drink tho brandy. In tbo evening Butler and tho two men wont to Essex's,- where Uicy had more drinks. Gibson remained by tho fire to dry his wet clothes, whilo Smith went to Marsh's whare, and finding tbe owner from home, stayed all night, eating a fish between them. Next day, the IStb, they visited Essex's again, hud a few glasses, and then a walk—across to Gasson's hotel, whoro thoy had glasses at intervals; so passed that, day, and ultimately they remained all night, much tho worse for the drink, and taking no food. On Friday, 19th, thoy wont to Booth's whare, where also the owner was absent, taking a bottle of brandy with them, and wero joined by George Russell, who professed to givo them leavo to stay. Smith by this timo had become "stupid," and Gibson could no longer keep pcore. On Saturday the threo went off for it drink, aud bought some peas, which by tho aid of somo bacon they found in Booth's whare, they made into soup. Again thoy had "a bottle of grog." Sunday's exploits aro unknown, as Gibson's memory failed him, but tho same gamo was kept up, Smith finding all the money. On Monday they went to Essex's and had more drinks, and took away half a pint of brandy in a bottle. In the afternoon Gibson, whilo at the train, saw Booth alight, and ran off to get Smith and his own swug away from his wham. Hero there is a hiatus, but on Gibson going down again Liter he found Russell anil Smith in Lyoett's men's whare near the mill, the latter being asleep. Smith had told Gibson when he met him first that while ho had a pound he was welcome to half of it, and at some period of the " booze " it appears he did give Gibson lb to enable him to sue his employer for his wages. On Monday evening the three men again visited .Essex's and had more drinks. At last Mrs. Essex thought Smith had had enough, and promised him another when ho went to bed. 1 need not prolong the story. The succeeding days wero passed in a similar manner. For two nights they slept at Lycett's whare, and one at Gasson's hotel,

and then they removed to Shute's whare, getting drinks by day, but chiefly carrying away tho stuff to their haunts. On Saturday they visited Essex, who remarked that Smith seemed very shaky, and said they ought to have left him there and they would have looked after him. Then they went to Gassou's and had some beer, and Mrs Gasson said Smith had better stay there, md sho would mako him some beef tea. Smith was put to bed there after having three drinks; he seemed very weak, but Gibson did not know what was the matter with him, overlooking the fact that men cannot live on drink alone. On Sunday afternoon Smith again appeared at Essex's, where he seemed so much better and talked quite rational. That night they stayed at Essex's, having lemonade and braudiesand beers. On Monday, 24th, Smith'had a drink in the morning,; tea,: with brandy, in it and toast for. breakfast, jand custard for dinner. In the afternoon Gibson got " properly drunk," and both he and Smith slept at Essex'B that night, having sundry whipped eggs in wine. On Tuesday morning Smith had brandy again, and'during the day a man named McGrath came and as_ed for "Yorkey," when they had auother drink, and Smith went off with the visitor, and Gibson was aout off to Danevirke to fetch Smith's swag,'the latter handing him a cheque of AUa_dice's for 40s Cd, out of which to pay expenses. This job lasted two days, and McGrath came 7\ f £ c ™ ," n- _Ho said Sraith - was at his (MeGs) whare. about half way'between Makatoku and Norsewood, that he was getting on all right, and he would look after him. Gibson then left Smith's swag at Makatoku station, and never saw him again alive. The cost of the journey to Danevirke appears to have been determined by the value of tha cheque. "It cost 5s for horse hire, 25s for accommodation and drinks, and ho had 10s left, which he Spent later." Being pressed by the j ury, he said that he was not prepared to say that they did not have more than two bottles of brandy daily. On the Tuesday Smith's money was done, and he was reduced to "■borrowing, a shilling " from tho barman at Essex's During the - intervening days he appears to have been wandering backwards and forwards * between Makotuku and Norsewood, and-oh Saturday was at Matamau at noon, whence, he. turned up at Makotuku station ■" About- 4 p.m., when he told a bystander, who'asked if he was all right now, that he was going to the hospital, as he did not feel well. . Ho looked ill, and seemed to be recovering from the effects of drink, but quite Ban'e..'°At 4.30 thoy met again, and thon Smith said he had not gone to the hospital because he could not find his swag, which, by th. way, was afterwards found under a seat at the station by the constable. He then went away. About 9 that night ho opened the back door of Mr. Brennan's house, in Newling's road, some five miles from where last seen, a very unfrequented road .leadinfrto nowhere. He asked Mrs Brennan to wash his clothes, and talked rather wildly. Mr. Brennan got out of bed, < and as he was a stranger, showed him out of the house, iind Smith was never again seen alive. On' Mr Brennan's property, at a distance of nearly a quarter-mile, over the ridge, and perhaps a chain within the fence from the road, is a small swamp, caused by a spring j oozing from the hillside Hero a hole two feet diameter and an equal depth, has been scooped to get water in the summer. On Saturday afternoon last, being short of rain water, Mr Brennan's step-daughter, went to the spring for the first time for several weeks, and was horrified to see a man lying in the spring. The constable was informed, who found his head was at the bottom of the water, and his hands flat to his thighs; his hat was lying closo by. In due course ihe inquest was held, and after a retirement of forty minutes the jury returned a verdict that ho was found suffocated and drowned in a water-bole near Newling's road on tho 10th inst. They also added a rider affirming "that Frederick Gibson is partly to blame for not having informed the police of tho state of deceased and for not having restrained him from drinking to excess." The latter was administered faithfully to Gibson there and then, and he was advised to turn over a new leaf.

It appears tome that Smith must have been wandering about at least all Saturday night aud at some time thereafter, perh_4 next morning (Sunday), ho went to tne spring perhaps to drink, when, fallin_r in suddouly, was unable to recover his balance or he wilfully thrust his head to the bottom of tho hole and was drowned. The position of his hands with the palms against the thigh b is not that of ono seeking: merely to drink, and lends force to the last conjecture. However, the jury was considerate, and found an open verdiot. I have told you tho story more fully than I intended, but it is not often we have an insight into the way in which some bushmen manage to get rid of their hard-earned money.