INQUEST.

Evening Star, Issue 5608, 28 February 1881, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Hospital to-day into th death of Iknry M-.yo. Mr 1. N. Watt, KM., a Actimr-Cotoner, presided ; and Mr John (;o!<!er \va chosen foreman of the jury, Mr B. C. Haggitt watched the proceedings on -ehalf vi the Government, and Mi Machrrmotton lehalf of the relatives of the deceased. Inspector Wcidxm wa> al*o prc-ent. Henrj* \V. Maunsvll, duly registered medicd pr&cti. tioner and honorary sureccn of the Duuedin Hospital, stated : The Mayo, wa?, I believe, admitted te the Hospitd on the evening of the 23rd ins>t, under the care of Dr Borrows. I first saw him at eight o'clock the next morning'. He wa« then in a dying; condition—speechless, almost pulseless, and un.ible to swiliow anything; but partially conscious. Be had an enormous wound at the back of the head nnd another over the forcliead, and the scull was fractured through the base. Ho died on the morning of the io'ili from thesa injuries. I eaw him daily ard he never sccn.ed to rallr.

Michael Keys, cab proprietor : I was driving- my cr.b on the evening- of tho 23rd hist, along the St. Kilda roul at about a qnatter past eight o'clock. I took six men into the cab at llutton'B Hotel to bring them into town ; I fancy deceased mid Charles Armstrong were amongst them, but the others I did not know. When 1 had got within fitfy yards of the Kensington railway crossing, I pulled" the horses nearly into a *»-alk in order to listen if a train was approaching. I heard nothing, so went on at a brisk trot again. Just as the horses got on the railway I saw the engine of a train saike them and the fore part of the cab, and I know nothing more of what occurred until I came to ray senses and found mvs?lf on the oufeido of the platform fence. I wt'.t round to tho cab ai. well as I could, and asked the peopie to look niter the passenger?. I was then taken to the H-.-sp.ta). I know that a man named Johnston keeps a store next the cresting, but, 1 do not !:;:<.\v him by No one th.tt I know of called en me to stjp'bcfi'ic rc'dih.g the crossing, or held up his hands to me. I think 1 should have seen anyone doing this, although Ihe liiu'ht was di;k. MrMaeDciiivltas-ked, w behalf of Mrs Mrye, to. be .V.'.owe-l to < t'".e wituet"".

T.iu .'!(■:;>\',- i.'iw.'.zr ?"i>! ho w-. 1 * net iiware. that the le.'.nief! counsel hid any status there except to watch the y-rofisedingf ; if h3 hid ijiicetions to suggest thty might be put '.hicugh the acting Coroner. Witness continued, in reply to questions by the acting Coroner, and alter baying been cautioned by the latter : I did not bear anyone caution me when I was 100 yards eff the crowing. Neither of the two men who were on the box Mat {with me was 'under the influenca of liquor. It is difficult to hear trains appreacbir.fr, and you fret right on to the rails before fretting a view of the line. YuU c».Bnut hear the whis'lo either unless it it blown ver* loudly. I heard no whistle. There was another cab close behind mine. I have been driving along this road regularly for nearly four years between the houis -of 9am and 11 p.m. I urn ilo* acquainted with the times at which the trains psss, the lime-table fceing coiiPtantiy changed. There U a railway Eiirnalmsii stationed "at the crossing till abort seven o'clock in the lama wryt can ions when hpproaching thig spo\ After slack«i"i«tr t:\xci und stalling again I would bo driving at aSout eix miles sn hour. The night was dark and rathe.' windy, i>ut there was no noise in particular, except ttut made by the cab. The road it Kbi.iit 40ft wide just there, from fence to fcuc*. I was on the near side, that nearest the engine. I could not see a train approaching unless I got out of the cab and looked up the line. I a!w»j» bear the whistle when trains pafw, but did not this time. I did not notice anyone staudirg a* tbc crossi' ■%. To Jurors : T.-.e Mg.:ahnan hts often stopped fmc from croesin-r whin a train u approaching. He wavt s a white fl-g for that purpose Wticu he Is theic at ni B ht ho waves «. light. The wind was blowing against th» way that the train was comic?, standing at the croesiiir one ccu?d in da\ light tee a tram coming Trom Caverebam when SOO or 400 yards away. I'it •sere not.for the bulidli-g* close hy I could ice trains a good defence off. 1 htd not Veen drmk'.ug a drop dunng that d«y. A Ju-or hero offered the opinion that the witness \na ni.'ig orcsscxam'ned. a? d that Mich was unfair. | Tee Acting-Coroner iutitmted that the inqui y was -h ing held to afctrtain the caufo of the drain »t Hemv Mnyo, »nd that the duty of those pr'sent w*s (i u-e their uiinort endeavors to find that out iiid lo put the hiamo on the right shoulders. lie s.v.l that i.he Police rcpoit st ted th it the nitnvsJ ani tho aenple i'» the c b had a glass of bier each at Ha ton's hotel—that a girl iu the har there state 1 so. Wi .ncss denied that he had any driuk that day.

A r.crv journal, fch,e «Jiuller Miner,' is published at Westpoi|.