SUDDEN DEATHS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2693, 10 July 1923, Page 8

SUDDEN DEATHS

FOUR INQUESTS YESTERDAY. EFFECTS OF EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER. No fewer than four deaths were inquired into by the coroner, Mr. A. .1. I Graham, at the Courthouse yesterday I morning. Sergeant Power appeared ] for the police. FATAL HEART ATTACK. The first concerned the death or Charles William Peacock, 56 years ot age, married, who dropped dead in Main Street, on Thursday evening. Evidence was given to the effect that i 1 he irian suddenly collapsed in Mam I Street West when proceeding toward the railway station nf about Y. 20 on the night mentioned. Dr. D. W. Bett deposed that when summoned to nttend the deceased he found life extinct. Titer© was a .slighf Impression on the head ana other injuries which would be consistent with the man's falling. The post mortem showed no evidence ot any external violence. All the organs were healthy, except the kidney.-', which were chronically inflamed, ana the heart, which was extensively diseased in one valve. In his opinion, death was due i'o valvular disease ot the heart. A verdict, was returned in accordance with the medical testimony. COLLAPSED AT TE MATAT. The. next inquiry related to the death at Te Matai on Saturday night of Annie Emmerson, a married woman. 53 years of age. , Evidence, was given by Matilda Turner, residing nl Te Matai that the deceased had visited her for 1;'. years,] and had been living with witness for the last five or six years. She last saw the deceased in bed at about ■< p.m. on Saturday, when the latter declined a cup of tea. Decea.sed hart! appeared to be in good health, but I witness knew she wa.s subject to fits. Witness enquired if she was feeling! alright, and received a reply in the afflrmat'iVQ, She went in to see the; deceased about nine o"clock and found i her asleep, but on returning later before retiring for the nitrhr, witness became frightened at her appearance and her ron found that the woman had expired. Medical aid was summoned. Dr. McKay, practising at Palmerston ] North, gave evidence to being called! to attend the deceased at 2 o'clock; e.n Sunday morning. The woman was then dead. A post mortem examination revealed that the heart. lungs and liver were not healthy, the hearth showing signs of extensive disease. Witness considered that death hart been due (o the extremely cold nights' congesting the lungs and liver nnn throwing a strain on the heart. Pe-| ceased must have suffered from disease of the heart for years. A verdict was returned in accordance with the medical evidence. CHINAMAN'S LAST SLEEP. At the coronlal enquiry concerning' the death of a Chinese cook named' John Kowing, also known as Ye.pl Chun, about 67 years of age, it. trans-; pircd that the old man had apparently! gone to tied and passed away in his: sleep.

James Ling, a cook, said he knex the deceased, who was also known a Yep Chun. Deceased was formerl; employed as a cook-, but he had no done any work for some time. Wit ness had noticed that decea.sed of lat< years had coughed In a peculiar manner. Tie seemed alright the nigh previously, but he was noticeably fee ble in going up the stairs. H c wai found dead the next morning, appar ently having passed away in his sleep There were no marks of external violence. A verdict was returned that deatr had been due to natural causes. WOMAN FATALLY INJURED. The distressing accident whiel terminated fatally for a. married woman named Mary Wilson residing with her husband, at 74 Church Street, was also the subject ot coronial investigation. Deceased, whe wa.s 4 7 years of age. sustained injuries as a result of falling across f table on Saturday morning. Dr. Forrest, medical superintendent of the Palmerston North Hospital, said that the deceased wa.s admitted to the institution on Saturday morning, suffering from abdominal injuries. She was operated on in the evening, bu died from shock the following day When admitted, decea.sed was suffering considerably from shock. She was not in very robust health. Witness attributed death to shock, following the injuries sustained. Evidence was given by Percy Wilson, husband of the deceased, that he was assisting his wife to remove some furniture, when, in attempting to picl< up a (able, which was lying on its back, his wife slipped and fell across it'. • Medical aid was summoned. De-i-eased wafl not very strong at the time. The coroner found that death had been due to shook, following injuries sustained a.s a result of the accident described.