CORONER'S INQUEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 684, 23 January 1866, Page 5

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest wag held yesterday, before Dr. Philson, Coroner, at the Railway Terminus Hotel, on view of the body of Jame3 Brady, who died suddenly on Saturday last, at Stokes' Point, Noith Shore. A respectable jury having been sworn, Mr. James < Sutherland was chosen foreman j and after viewing the body, the following evidence was taken : — i Mrs. jane Brady, being sworn, deposed : I am the widow of the deceased, who was a labourer and die- I charged soldier from the 58th Kegiment, living at the North Shore on his pension, Is per day. He had riot been working fur anyone fjr some time back, j owing to want of employment. On Friday morning last deceased complained of being anwell, having had stoppage of the urine for three or four days before, j There was no medical man near, and Mrs. Cal'an , advised me to give him g'n and parsley. T gave , Llm on that and the next day about three glasses ] and a half of gin, and as much parsley stewed with oatmeal as he could eat. He was in great pain, and at last refused to take any more of the ingredient ). It did not relieve the pain, and his stomach end body began to swell much, ( for which I applied ferment .tion of hot water, &c. - He had great thirst and drank abont two gallons of , wafT on Friday night, but did not pais any water; : the gin kept down, but the water he threw off his j stomach immediately upon drinking it. There is no , medical man at the North Shore, so I could not get assistance, as I could not leave him, and had no one , to send to town. The symptoms increased, and he ] died in great agony about five o'clock on Saturday afternoon. There was no one with deceased but ■ myself when 119. died. Mr. Callan came after he ■ was dead, and told mo not to touch the body , as there would have to be an inquest upon him. The police were informed of the event yesterday , and they came and took the body over to town. De ■ ceased was taken too ill to be removed to the hospital. He was sometimes addicted to drinking, and received his last pension on the sth inst., which is drawn quarterly, and amounted to £4 10s. Three or four days after he received his last pension he was the worse for liquor, but X do not think that he spent more than 10s. in drink. He got the drink at South's, the North Auckland Hotel, at Stoked Point, where we live. He had not been well for some time past; woul not take his food when he was drinking, and passed large quantities of blood. His was 52 years in August last. X think it was the drink that caused the stoppage of his urine, and that 110 had onlv four davs before he died. Phillip Ca'llan, sworn, stated : I am a settlor, residing at the North Shore. lam owner of the North Auckland Hotel, and Patrick South is the occupier of it. I knew deceased for the past nine years, and saw him alive on Friday morning last, when lie seemed in his usual health, and sober, for he signed a receipt to me for some money matters. I next saw him about seven o'clock on Saturday evening, and ho was then dead. His wife had previously told me that he was dead, and I went down to see the body. The bodv I have seen to-day in the dead-house is the same. Water Police Sergeant Jervis, deposed : —About 10 o'clock on Sunday morning last, I received information from Mr. Callan of the death of deceased, and at once informed the Commissioner of Police of the circumstance, when he despatched us with the Water Police boat to the North Shore. When we arrived at Stoke's Point we found the dead body lying at one side of a shed, on the ground, with a bed underneath it. I examined the body but could find no marks of violence upon it, and t should say he had been dead some hours. I also saw the widow of deceased ; she was perfectly sober then, and told me that her husband died about half-past five the evening before, also thai he was subject to the gravel complaint, and had not been able to pass any water for several days. Mrs. South, Mrs. Callan, and one or two others were in the house when we went I took charge of the body and brought it to town. I have known deceased for two years, and always found him a sober, steady man. Mrs. Brady, re-examined: I have seen deceased in the horrors of drink, but it was not so on this occassion. This being all the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of "Died by the visitation of God from natural causes."