Inquisitions.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1516, 22 January 1886, Page 5

Inquisitions.

An inquest was held at the Harp of Erin Hotel, Qusenstown, on Saturday, before H. S. Hickaon, Esq., coroner, and a jury of twelve (Mr J. H. Pasco, foreman \ touching the death of Ah Chee, a Chinese miner, aired 34 years, and lately residing at 12-Mil«*. Lake Wakatipn. It appeared from the evidence of Sew Wee, a mate of deceased's, that there Here three in the party, and they were working together in a sluicing claim, at 12-Mile, on the morning of the 15th instant, when an ordinary slip came dswn and completely covere I deceased. Witness and his other mate. Ah Chung, tried for half-an hour to t:et deceased out, and being unsuccessful, gave information to the police at Queenstown, hat before doing so got a party of Englishmen in adjoining claim to lend a hand. The scar on deceased's head was not there before the accident. Henry Fisher, a miner, deposed to living about a quarter of a mile from the claim of deceased, w horn he knew. Sew Wee and Ah Chung came, on Friday previous, to the claim of witness, and asked himself and mates to help and get deceased out of gravel in which he was buried. Witness and mates then went down and started to unearth deceased ; got him out at last ; hid him out, cleaned the gravel off him ami took his body up to his mates' hut; and there took his old clothes off, washed him and put clean clothes on. Witness and mat s then made a stretcher on which to bring the body to Qaeenstown, which they did, bringing it part of the way by l»oat. Witness had no doubt that deceased met his death through tl>e fall of earth referred to by previous witness. This closed the evidcii'-e. ami the jury, after a brief deliberation, returned a verdict of accidental death.

An inqnest was held on Monday last, at the residence of the late Peter Lynch, Maori Point, Shotover river, Iwfore W. Warren, Esq., actingcoroner, and a jnry of eight persons (Mr \V. Palmer, foreman) touching the said Peter Lynch, who died the Saturday mo. ning previous. According to the evidence of Joseph Anderson, a labourer at Skippers Point, deceased—who had been cutting timl«r for the I'lnenix mine, Skippers reefs—came dow u to the Point on Friday evening last, seriously ill, when witness accompanied him to his (deceased's) residence, ami arrived at Maori Point al»out half-past 9 o'clock. Before proceeding home, however, deceased had a basin of maizena, and. on enquiry as to his ailment remarked that Mr Evans, manager of the Phoenix mine, and Mr H. K. Moore had said it was congestion of the lungs. He did not complain on the journey home, but seemed a liit!e worse at the latter end, as he could not manage his horse very well. To the knowledge of witness deceased only had one glass of brandy liefore leaving Johnston's hotel, Skippers Point, ami a very small drink of brandy when riding down.

Mana Madeline Lynch, wife of deceased, deponed tint her late husl.and left home to work for the P'urenix mine on the 23th Deeemlier last, and she did not see him till Friday evening last, when he coi-plained of hiving a cold, tie had a little brandy when he first pit home, anil a little more, with an egi» Inat up in it, at a'out 10 o'clock. He seemed to he a little easier after this, and laid doun on the sofa iu the ttittm. room where his head was propped up with pillows. His head was very hot, and his pulse throbbed very much. Witness put a cold wet cloth round his head from time to time, from which he Seemed to derive great rtlief. Witness and deceased were talking quietly together till about one o'clock on the following (Naturday) morning, lfirh instant, when he died. Deceased was talking until aliout ten minutes In-fore his death. At the moment of his death he never move*l a muscle, and witness (who had hold of his hand) hid no intimation of it except that she missel th>' throhhing of his pulse. Ihceasel mule a sli.dit at the throat a little liefore death, .as fnmi the effect of a cold. There was no one in the house at the time of of death, l-at witless and her children. Witness then went out a id cooed across the river to Mr Fraaer and Mr Cildwell, her nearest Deceased was tr-ated for heart disease about nine years auo by Dr Ja-kson, and al>out IS mouths since for the same disease hy Dr Douglas. Deceased was a Uotn hi Catholic, a native of County Clare, Ireland, and 52 \ ear* of age at the time of his death. He was iu \ i-tona in the early days, and afterward.came to New Zealand, and was mining till about July li-t, when he went to work in the bush for the IMiutuix Coinpauv. Henry Donaldson, a duly registered medical practitioner, of Arrowtowu, deposed to having that morning made a /»o«' mortem examination of tlie Imdv ot deceased. There were no external marks of violence. Internally he found the walls of the heart very thin and dilated. There was also extensive ossification of the aorta. The left was slightly congested. Had no doubt death was nearly wholly due to diseased condition of the he ot. Did not think it would have made any material difference in prolonging the life of deceased had he remained at Johnston's hotel on the evening of his death. Witness found sufficient cause for death in the diseased state of the heart and lungs without examining the stomach. There was no douht that de-eased had been suffering from disease of the heart for nine \ears.

This concluded the evidence, and the jury, without reininn, returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, namely, of death from disease of the heart.