A MYSTERIOUS DEATH

Evening Star, Issue 13145, 29 December 1908, Page 3

A MYSTERIOUS DEATH

MARKS OF VIOLENCE. THE INQUEST ADJOURNED. tPEE United Press Association.] WELLINGTON. December 29. An inquiry into the cause of the death of -an unknown man found near His Majesty's Theatre on Sunday morning was opened at the morgue before Mr Geo. Lambert, acting coroner, yesterday. Dr Kingston Fyffe, who performed the post mortem, said the man was sft sin in height. The body was well nourished, and was that of a man probably between forty-five and fity years of age. Witness described the tatoo marks on the arms. The hands were marked as if by the use of a- pick or in handling sails. At the top of the forehead there was a slight abrasion, about half to a-quarter of an inch long. There were two small abrasions on the left side of the nose, which appeared to be more recent than the mark previously described, and some small scratches on the neck. Blood had been effused under the skin, where these marks occurred. The larger marks were such as might be produced by a man taking hold of the deceased by the throat, and the smaller might easily be the marks of finger nails. The marks looked like a right-handed grip, which had been shifted from the front of the throat. There was a recent abrasion on the back of the left shoulder. Witness found no marks of constriction on the neck. The tongue was bitten on the left side close to .the tip. The Coroner: Do you infer that the i roan was seized from the front ? Witness : Yes.

Continuing, he said the gullett was normal, but the larynx was very congested and blue in color. There were numerous ecchymoses all over the interior of the lungs. The left lung was congested, also the right, but not to the same ext«nt as the left. The cause of death was stoppage of the heart's action, due to injury fco the luugs. Inspector Ellison: What duration of time would be required to stop the heart's action ? Dr Fyffe : Pressure on the lungs, if applied with force, would cause sudden death. In answer to the coroner, witness said it was probable that the man bad been seized by the throat. The deceased had nothing in the state of his organs to cause death. Inspector Ellison : The injury would have caused death? Dr Fyffe : Yes, undoubtedly. The pressure on the larynx would account for death. In answer to another question, witness said that a sudden blow across the larynx might kill a man instantly. Death was not due to suffocation. It was due to sudden shock. Dr H. A. Gilmer said he was called by tho police shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday to see a man lying near His Majesty's Theatre. The man had been dead for from two to four hours, and his clothing was disarranged. The right pocket of the trusers was ripped out. There were marks on the neck (such as those described by the hist witness) which he ;-ttribnted to violence, bnt no blood was noticeable. Witness was present at the post mortem examination, and concurred in Dr Fyffe's evidence. Constable Moore, who was on duty in Courtenay place on Sunday morning, stated that about 2.30 he discovered the "body of rv man lying near His Majesty's Theatre. He described the condition of the man's clothing, and said that the body was cold. Witness made his usual rounds of Courtenay place on Saturday evening, and had not observed the man previous to finding him dead. Neither had he noticed anvone about His Majesty's Theatre after" the regular employees left about 11 p.m. On the application of the police an adjournment of the inquest was granted in order that evidence as to indentifieation might be obtained.