INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1108, 10 December 1869, Page 3

INQUEST.

On Tuesday last, before T. Hitchings, Esq., Coroner, aud the following jury, John Bur- I dea (foreman), Owen Carter, Peter Gilles£ie, Joseph Hamon, John Higgins, Charles Fooett,; James Lopdell, John Macfarlane,' John M'Leod, James Pocock, and John Eenquf, an inquest was held on the body Qf Charles James .Anderson, Esq;, deceased. The following evidence was taken :-—. ; Alexander Thurnpsaw. deposed :--I am oook at Captain Anderson's, I have lived there nearly two years. I saw my master at 7 a.m. on Suaday last, when he desired me to cook. some fish for breakfast, bf which he and all of us partook. The fish was good. Saw him again at 11 a.m., but did. not speak to him. I cooked mutton attd : ,bacoa for all pur dinners. Mrs. Anderson took my master's into the parlour. Wedined about 1 o'clook. I saw.Captain Anderson every day. He never complained. Ho worked very hard about the place. : James Boyd deposed':-^! am shepherd and overseer in the employ of Captain Anderson, and have: been with, him over fiveyyears; I boarded in the house. On Sunday, the sth, at about 7 a.m., I went ous'-6it tlie run with Henry Davis to shepherd some sheep, and returned about 5 p.m. Mrs. Anderson inquired if Captain Anderson had been with me. I said *?No." She asked if he had come to me during the afternoon. I said " No." - She became alarmed, and began to look for him.. She .said that after dinner she and the child had gone to sleep, and when she awoke he had gone but. She said he had taken nothing but water all day — had «aten nothing for his dinner. Captain Anderson, had been to Napier the Thurs- . day before* and < came back on Friday to tft^woolshed; whioh is distant from his house about seven miles* He returned to his house on Saturday* at 10 p.m.^* I was in his company on Friday and Saturday, There was rum ai the woolshed for the shearers, of which he partook pretty freely. Mr. Tupper was there all the timer and Captain Carter on the Saturday. I'did not see Captain Anderson on Sunday, About 6 p.m. I went in search of hint, and found him on the bank of the Mangaone, . about 200 yards from the house- He was lying stretched out on his stomach, his arms over his face. He had on his' usual dress.' The body was qjttifce cold, i and in my opinion must have been dead about tliree hours. He was a very hard-working man ; never complained of any illness; was very active in his habits* could climb hills without difficulty, and was always in perfect health. He was a I temperate} man. George Ireland Russell, being sworn, deposed :— I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing in .Napier. I have this day examined the body of Mr. Charles Jatotes Atiderson. I first examined the ljsad, and) as, soon as I had removed the scull-cap, I found tho braiii was rather dark coloured and very soft.; On minute exa*__matibn,T perceived no clot or extra-, vasation. There was more scrim in the lateral ventrical than usual, and tinned slightly with blood. On the < posterior part of the scalp I found a bruise on the outside, and the tissues beneath the skin W^re alightly . lacerated, and there was some extravasation of blood. On the right temple there was also a similar mark. On examining the heart, which I found large anxf-Habby iii<'- texture, .there was/bloody seriidi/'ia* the; cavity 'of the pericardium. TAe^O-'gaiiS' of ihe heart appeared quite healthy,' as did also the lungs. The stomach was quite empty, with tho exception | of^ahbul half a wine-glass of dark red grumous fluid. Generally, the internal organs were in a good state, healthy and ' weli^iTherie I was no" smell of alcohol iij. ] te^ofgan. --Aa a resultfof my examina-| ti<M|;,l am Unable to form any decided j ipmoa as to the cause of death. -K. The jury returned the following verdict: —Found dead; cause unknown. '_-^-_M_a-v-«MV-«-M_Ma_a-i-_* '