DEATH OF JOHN LONG.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 50, 28 August 1911, Page 8

DEATH OF JOHN LONG.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. Th% inquest on the body of John William Long, who was found dead at 17, Sages-lane on Monday morning laat, wad resumed to-day, before Dr. M'Arthur, Coroner. j Dry H .J. M'Lean, of Vivian-street, deposed that on Sunday afternoon, the 20th, a man called ana asked him to visit 17, Sages-lane. Witness was unable to go then, but promised to call in the evening.' About 9 o'clock he visited the house in question, and saw the patient, who was lying on a bed partly Undressed, but covered with, a rug. Long was unconscious, breathing heavily, and all his limbs' were working. There wa« a small breakage on the forehead, but there Was no other sign of injury. A woman, who was present, and said she Was his wife, said deceased llad come; home very drunk on the previous evening, and that he ffad occasionally fallen out of bed. Throughout Sunday he had, had attacks similar to the one the doctor found him in. From hie examination witness concluded that most probably accused was suffering from alcoholic fits. Had he been told that Long had had_ a fall the information WOttld have assisted him in possibly arriving at a different diagnosis. Questioned by Mr. Jackson, witness gaid that he had told the man's wife that he was seriously ill and might not recover, but that he would see him first thing in the morning. The abrasion on Long's forehead could easily have been caused by a fall or by his running tip against something. It was not severs enough to cause death. Dr. Fyffe eaid that en the afternoon of 21st inst. he made a post-mortem examination on the body of deceased at the Morgue. There was< a small bruise exactly over the bridge' of the nose ahd a Mfl&lleT one on the forehead just above. Over the backs of both arms and ' elbows there were bttiis», and the oatef side of the left 'ankle was excoriated. The post-fflortem examination revealed bruises in the skull above the right ear and a lar"ge hemorrhage. Two inches above the right ear the skull was fractured, the bteak running down about an inch. The cause of death was fracture of the ekull oft the righl side, with Rupture of middle menlngeal artery causing compression of the brain, To- Chief -Detective Broberg: A blow would cause rapture of the artery, and it would be possible for a man to walk about for some time after, but any fresh e*ettk>n would cause fresh hemorrhage. The injuries looked more the effects of k blow than a fa l '. Would a blow from a fist cause such kljtrriea?-"Yes, certainly. Had deceased fallen heavily enough to cause these wounds witness would have expected a t!calp < wound and a great deal more bruising. The marks on the face and one on the little finger, suggested that the man had been fighting and the excoriated ankle wo*uld lead one to suppose that he had been either kicked or dragged over a rough surface. To Mr. Jackson s Rupture of the tnenittgeal artery could only be caused by violence— a fairly heavy blow ot fall. To Detective Bfoberg : The injuries cou'd not have been caused by his fall* *ng out of bed. „ Akixafldei* M'Laifle. bottle gatherer. Of 16, Sages-lane, said he knew \ deceased and last saw him on Saturday, 19th at about four in the afternoon in Sages-lane. He seemed muddled but Well able to look after .himself. Sarah Marley gave similar evidence. Alice Long, widow of deceased, on Saturday, 14th inst., saw her husband outside in the street at about 2.30 p.m. She called to him, but he took no notice^ so she went inside and asked Dowman to bring him home. When Long did come home, between 3 and 4 o'clock ih the afternoon. Dowman aad another man were in the kitchen with her. Long was drunk wheb he arrived, but' he sat dowa to dinner, and afterwards went to DoWfflftn's hoase, which w&s at the back. About a quarter of an hour afterwards she heard a noise, and, going outside, saw hef husband coming from the hut with an axe in his hand. Prom the noise she thought her husband had been smashing a washing-copper, and she asked him why he did it. He said he' did not do H/bafc that Macgregor, who lived with Dowman did it. Presently Macgregor came, and said he wouldn't take the blame for the damage, as he did not ,do it. At this Long struck him in the face, and witness pushed her htisbaid away. He then tried to strike her with his closed fists. Dowman then appear- t ed upon the scene, and pushed i.ong aside against a wall, from which he fell to the ground, striking his head on the brick yard. He lay as he fell tot two or three minutes. Witness asked Macgregor and Dowman to carry him into the house. This they did. He shortly afterwards got up and went aad laid himself down on witness's bed, which he fell off four of five times in ten minutes. He then went to the children's bed, from which he fell on to the floor once mc*e. Here witness left him covered up with a rug. About 12 a.m. she sent for Dr. M'Lean. (Proceeding.)