CORONER'S INQUEST.

Evening Post, Volume VI, Issue 263, 19 December 1870, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at noon to-day, before Dr. Johnson and a jury, on the body of Captain j Matthews, late of the brig C4azelle. Dr. France deposed that he was called in on Saturday about midnight, and- on his arrival found deceased lying on a sofa quite dead, and presenting the appearance of having died from exhaustion ; he made a post mortem examination this morning, and found that deceased had suffered from dysentery j all the organs were healthy, but in a state of collapse ; from the various symptoms, he concluded that deceased died from exhaustion, caused by [violent diarrhea, possibly of dysenteric nature. Dr. Grace then said — I wish to volunteer a statement, your Worship, for the information of my fellow citizens, if you will be good enough to accept it. Doctor Grace, being sworn, said — It was by a mere accident that I did not see Captain Matthews on Saturday night ; I had gone to bed ill and with a toothache ; at 12 o'clock I was called by my bell, and putting my head out of the window, was asked to see Captain Matthews at the Commercial Hotel ; I parleyed with the messenger for a bit, anxious to discover the merits of the case, and presently said " the night is too wet and miserable for me to go out ;"' the messenger took it very quietly, and appeared to acquiesce in that opinion ; I paused to think it over, and presently stretched out my head to say that 1 would dress and go down ; I heard a click at the gate, and stretched out my body to try and fetch the man. back ; he i was gone ;- 1 thought to myself, shall ll hollow, but considered what an awful noise I would require to make to get him to hear me ; I then thought of rushing down stairs after him, naked as I was ; but soon felt that was absurd, the man would be out of reach ;" I was completely j puzzled by the messenger's speedy disappearance; felt that perhaps after all it was- some drunken, J row ; thought of following him, but felt convinced that before I got to the hotel my neighbor, Dr. Kemp, would be before me, and consider I was unfairly interfering with his business. H. Bradfoot. manager of the Commercial Hotel, and William. Levell, waiter, were ex- | amined, but their evidence disclosed nothing beyond the facts already stated. Mr. Fyffe proved J having supplied deceased with a sedative draught on Friday, and the jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of death from natural causes.