FOUND DEAD

Evening Star, Issue 16909, 5 December 1918, Page 7

FOUND DEAD

The Coroner (Mr J. R. Bartholomew, 3.M.) held an inquest at the morgue this morning on the body of Thfimas Bradbury, who was found dead in a very advanced state of decomposition in a house in Harrow street yesterday afternoon. John Weavers, news agent, living in Harrow street, said that deceased was a widower, and lived by himself. Witness was the rent collector for the house. Deceased used to be employed on the Harbor Board's dredge as a fireman, and was about 64 years of age. Witness had known deceased for about 14 years. He took tho house in May of last year. Witness hist saw- him alive in Bond street about seven weeks ago. At about 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon witness found the door of the house locked. He forced it, and found Bradbury dead on a bed'. He was peculiar, in that he would never answer the door to anybody. Plain-clothes Constable Beer said he accompanied Plain-clothes Constable Kelly to the house yesterday afternoon, and there found the man lying on his bed. He was fully clothed. He was lying across the bed with his feet on the floor. The body wa3 in a very advanced state of decomposition. Everything about the house \va3 in order. Deceased had some distant relatives here. They had not seen him for about three months. He was known to suffer from heart trouble and diabetes. He was known to have seen Dr Harrison about three months ago, but the doctor could not remember the man consulting him. Witness found 6s 6d and a watch and chain in deceased's possession. Deceased hsd a son on the steamer Makura, now quarantined in Auckland, and two married daughters in Wellington. The Coroner said the surrounding cireamstancos all pointed to the fact that was due to natural causes. He would return a formal verdict that death took place about the 9th November last, but there was not sufficient evidence to