DIED FROM EXPOSURE.

Evening Star, Issue 7480, 26 March 1888, Page 4

DIED FROM EXPOSURE.

Coroner Carew held an inquest at the Mornington Hotel on Saturday eveniug on the body of John Curie, which had been found on the Town Belt that morning. Mary Boyd Curie, widow of the deceased, said she last saw him alive on Monday morning, the 19th inst. He got up at his usual time, about six o'clock. He used always to light the fire, but did not do_ so that morning. She got up just after him, and left the bedroom about half an hour alter he did. She went into the kitchen and lit the fire, but saw nothing of deceased. He did not speak after he got out of bed, nor since Sunday night at about nine o'clock, when he went to bed. He had had great money troubles lately, and had been very unwell for the last week. He was very dull, but quite sensible. He never told witness of his troubles about business, but she could see he was worried.

John William Curie, a grocer, son of the deceased, said he lived with his late father at Regent street, Mornington. Deceased was formerly a tinsmith, but had retired from business. He looked low • spirited lately, and had not been taking his food much. No doctor attended him, and he had been able to go about. Witness was with him at dinner and tea on Sunday (the 18th), and was with him in the house till six o'clock. He noticed no difference in his manner that day to any other day. He seemed to talk the same as usual. Witness did not hear him talk about business matters at all; he was not in the habit of talking about his business affairs witli any of the family. Witness did not think auy of the family, even his mother, knew about them. Deceased was about sixty-six years of age, and a strong man for his age. Witness knew of no unpleasantness on the Sunday or all the previous week, and did not know of his father being pressed for money. He saw him no more after tea on the Sunday, and did not hear that he was missed until he came home between seven and eight o'clock on Monday night. Witness then went to Constable O'Sullivan and made inquiries as towhetherhehad seen the deceased. Witness went to the constable again on Tuesday morning. His impression was at this time that the deceased would come home again. As long as he could remember deceased had never kept away from his home at night. On the Wednesday an advertisement way put in the papers about him being missed. No drink was kept in the house, and witness did not think his father had been drinking heavily lately. Deceased had been in the colony nearly forty years. John Golder, publican, Mornington, said he had known deceased for over twenty-six years. IJe last saw him alive on the previous Monday morning, between ten and fifteen minutes past six o'clock, in Havelock street, Mornington, walking in the direction of Duuedin. Witness bade him good morning in passing, but deceased did not reply in his usual style. As he passed he just whispered "Good morning " in reply, and witness was struck by his manner. His usual style with witness, from knowing him so long, was to speak in a vociferous tone, calling him by name. Witness turned round and looked at him, wondering at his changed manner, and observed that he had a shuflling, stooping gait in walking, and appeared much weaker than usual. That was the last witness saw of him till his body was brought to the hotel by the police. Witness thought him a most unlikely man to commit suicide. He never knew him to drink to excess. He noticed witness seemed at the meeting referred to to have something under the breast of his coat on the left side, and held it up with his arm. William Asher, commission agent, Dunedin, said he acted as agent for the deceased until he handed the property to the mortgagees. At one time he was well off, but latterly had been in money difficulties. Witness knew his private dwelling was mortgaged, and the mortgagee had threatened to foreclose. His money diiiicultics worried him very much. _ Witness received a letter from him by post on Monday or Tuesday; he be. lieved on Monday. There was also en closed with it a copy of a notice from the mortgagee of his private house, and another enclosure—a letter from his son, Jamestelling him that he could no longer afford to pay the interest on the mortgage of deceased's private residenoe. The note was in pencil and very short. In it deceased referred bitterly to his son, James, and to a money transaction, and concluded 0.3 follows :—" It has brought things to a crisis, so I will bid you a farewell.—J.C." The enclosure, also read, was a notice from the mortgagee, Mr H. North, that the right of sale over the property would be exercised unless L 26 18s Id interest was paid at once. Witness said some eighteen months ago, when money matters troubled deceased, he had heard him say that he thought he had better go and make a hole in the water. Witness's impression was that deceased's property was pretty r. early all gone. Dr Ogston deposed that he had made a post m,ori,em examination of the body, which was that of a man whose strength was failing from age. Externally witness found nothing to positively account for death, but internally he found indications that he died from syncope. Witness thought exposure to the cold would be sufficient to account for that. The bowels seemed empty, and the stomach contained fluid, but no solid food. There were indications of old standing diseases—pleurisy, also fatty liver; and to some extent the kidneys were fatty. There was no smell of any poison. The I body had beea dead probably for three or four days. There was a bright red blush over the front of the body, which was generally noticeable in death by cold. The color of the blood indicated the same thing. Donald Robertson, carpenter, said he was taking a stroll in the bush on Saturday morning from the Maori road to the Queen's Drive, and came across deceased's body in some not very thick scrub. He was lying on the right side, with the clothes all on, and a soft hat tied under the chin. Witness saw a Maori kit a little way from the body, and a handkerchief within reach. He thought deceased was so took him by the shoulder and gave him a bit of a shake, saying "Rouse up, old ohap." He then noticed the man was dead. He oamo out into the opon, but saw no one about, and went to the Dunedln police-station to report the matter, returning with the police to point out the body. It was about a quarter to eleven when he found it. There was no path at the spot, which was about twentyfive yards from the Queen's Drive, and could not be seen from there.

Constable O'Sullivan testified to the position in which the body was found. He had known deceased for eight years, and he was the last man that witness would have expected to have committed suicide. The jury returned a verdict "That the deceased died from syncope brought on by exposure to the cold."