INQUEST.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2695, 6 October 1871, Page 3

INQUEST.

The City Coroner (Dr Hocken) held an inquiry at the Golden Age Hotel, Stafford street, this afternoon, touching the death of Alexander M‘l roy, late proprietor of the Gridiron Hotel, who was found dead at the rear of the Golden Age this morning. The following evidence was given : John R. Cuttle, compositor, stated that he knew the deceased for some time past. He was 31 years old. Last saw hi n alive at 3.45 p.m. yesterday, when he appeared to be in his usually good state of health. He was perfectly sober. Alex. Muir, publiqjm, stated that he was in the deceased’s company until 10 o’clock last night, when he left him at the Empire Hotel, He was not quite sober at that time. Thomas H. Dodson, junr., said the deceased c. me to the Empire Hotel, a little the worse for liquor, at 10 p.m. yesterday, and remained there until about 11.30 or a Quarter to twelve, when he left, but he did not state where he was going to. He was about in the same state when he left as when he came ; he drank but one glass of liquor of some kind while there. Thomas Hancock said the deceased • went to the Queen’s Arms at about a quarter to twelve o’clock, and remained until ten minutes to three o’clock this morning. When he came he was a little the worse for liquor, but nothing much to speak of. He asked for brandy, but he advised him to take lemonade, which he didi 'Hehadbply besides the iemonade. He was with some others, ■jvhom he asked to drink with him. When hd went away, he left to go home : witness saw him cross the road and knock at his own <ioor; and concluding that hfe wa‘B all ‘right, lie (witness) closed his door. ' Jonathan Kidcr, cook at the Golden Age Hotel, heard a rap at the back doer close to the stairs at three o’clock this morning. It appeared as though some one was knocking to wake the barman, who slept in a room near the stairs. Waited to hear if there was any further knocking, bnt heard none. If there had been a fall down the steps, he thought he should hare heard it, as he slept right over them. At twenty-five minutes to six this morning, he went down into his kitchen, and opening the door, he saw a man lying on the ground about a yard from the foot of the stairs. He looked at him, and saw from bit appearance that he was dead. There were two footsteps on the stairs. Deceased could not have fallen from the top of the steps without witness hearing the fall. The rumbling noise he heard might have been occasioned by the deceased falling down a couple of the steps. ,f Edward Holmes, landlord of the Golden Age Hotel, had known the deceased intimately for five years, having been in his employ for that length of time. Shortly after the deceased was discovered, he examined the steps, and found distinct footmarks of fresh mud of a person having gone up, turned round on the landing on the top, and returned as far as the fifth step from the top or teh from the bottom, where it was apparent that there bad been a fall, as a portion of the step had been chipped off, as if by the heel of a boot. The stairs were scarcely ever used, as they did not afford any entrance to the hotel. He had a week £gq expressly blocked np the dflpf at the head of them to prevent them being used, The cook at the hotel (a Chinaman) said he met the deceased in Princes street last night, at a little after eleven o’clock, when he told him he would be home in about ten minutes. He waited up in the kitchen for him till three this morning, and did not hear any knocking. Dr Hammond, who made a post mortem examination of the body of the deceased, said he found the brain greatly congested, which accelerated by a fall, would be suffi-. cient to cause instantaneous death. There was no fracture of the skull. Deceased’s brain had evidently been highly congested for some time; and in that condition a fall, however slight, >70)114 efiqse , Tpe jufiy returned a verdict ifi accordance with the medical testimony.