CORONER'S INQUEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1298, 13 January 1868, Page 3

CORONER'S INQUEST.

On Saturday an inquisition was taken by Dr. Goldabr, Coroner, into tho circum3tanee3 of the death of "Wni Miller, who died suddenly in Mount Eden Gaol, on Friday morning about seren o'clock. Dr. Philson, Provincial Surgeon, and Dr. Fisher, attended to make a post mortem examination of the body. Thomas Young, acting gaoler, deposed, that dceased was received into the gaol on 3ri December, 1866, for trial; was tried Ist uf March, 18<57, at the criminal eessions, (Supremo Court), for stenlirjr a watch, and. sentenced to eighteenmoriths , imprisonment with hard labcr. About three weeks siuce he was reported sick at unlocking, and he lay hi bed until 10 o'clock— when he got up. He said then he was better, and wus ablr to go on with his worlc._ I directed that he should see Dr. Philaon, and it was reported to mo that he did sea the doctor and received medicine. I heard of nothing further being the malter until yesterday. It was roporte.l to me yeaterd-iy by warder O'Brien that Miller was very bad in tho tailor's shop. I saw him immediately, and believed he was either dead or dying. I eent for Dr. fhilson who was in attendance in a few minutes, nnd pronounced theniau dead. That is the body now lying dead.

Richard Dumfrey, a prisoner, deposed, that he was with tha deceased yesterday moiniog in the tailor's ahop. I heard Miller aay that ho was short of breath. Hβ sat down on a form alongside <;? me, and fell head foremost Inwards me.' I caught his lead in my hands laid on my thigh. I tinned him over oa hie baok. Ho EEemcd to work like amuninufit.with assistance I movf.'d the body on ono 3ida, and luisl his liead on some cloihce. Uo groaned as if he was in gre.it pain. I told some of the men to call in the overseer. He irevor spoke after lie fell. The time was at moet fifteen minutes from the timo he Ml, till the time he died-. "When I first saw him he was taking breakfast, and seemed as well as he had been for some time. He had been for some time delie.ite. He frequently complaioed of lightness in the che3t. The doc:or had given him some cough mixture. The deceased -was frequently obliged to lie down a3 he could not move about. He said the cough mixture was no use to him. He also said the bitters were of no uae to him. By a Juror: Did not consider he was fit for work for the last month. He was n: t capable of doing any laboring work. His employment was looking aftor the prison clothing which were to te dried. That wa9 not laborious work. He made no specific charge of waut of attention on the part of the doctor. He simply said the medicine did him no good.

James Boyle, a prisoner, deposed: I was present at the time of deceased's death. Jit was about seven o'clock on Friday morning. I was in the tailor's shop. Miller was sitting on a. stool. There was un argument about the mending a pair of irousere, and the deceased beecaine excited. The argument, was with a man named Muliett. The deceased jumped off hie seat and tried to hit Mullet, -they bej?un to struggle and attempted to get one another down, but there were no blows struck that 1 could see. The last witness Bung out to the two men " to drop it," meaning to cease quarrelling. He (Dumi'rey) told me to get up and part them. I parted them. Deceased again eat on the etool, a*id said it- was •' a good job" be could not hold his breath, or he would " give it" to Mullet. About a few minutes afterwards deceased fell off the stool.

Dr. T. M. Riilson, (Provincial Sur»eon), deposed : On Fridnv the lCth inst., a little after 7 o'clock a.m., I was sent for to come to the stockade to visit a prisoner enid to be dying. Od arriving at tlio stockade I found deceased lying on a >.ed in tlio tailor's shop. On examination I found :hat he was dead. Hβ had been dead only a very short time, the body beina warm and the limbs supple. I saw no marks of injury on the body. Two cr thrfe apot3 of blood were visible on the shirt collar of deceased. He kad not been a patient in the gaol hospital, and I have no distinct recollection of having examined him. This day, twenty-eight hours after death, with the assistance of Dr. Fi-jher, I mado a post mortem examination of tb.e body. The only mark of external injury was a very slight abrasion on the left ear. All the organs of the body appeared healthy, except the heart, which wait about a third larger than natural. The aorta was dilated, thickened and calcifiel in the interior. The valves were shortened and incapable of performing tKeir function. There was a great deal of fat on the light tide of the heart. I believe the cause of death was sudden stoppage ot the heart's action, and any violent mental emotion would le sufficient cause for such cessation of the heart's action. There was no rupture. The mau wus ;in other respects in perfect health. The disease of the heart must have existed for a long p«iiod. The jury returned a verdict th»t the cause of death w«3 disease of the heart, and that death was accelerated by excitement.