COROMANDEL.—INQUEST ON HENRY JAMES MITCHELL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5359, 20 January 1879, Page 3

COROMANDEL.—INQUEST ON HENRY JAMES MITCHELL.

A veuv painful case of death, under very peculiar circumstances, took place in the hospital on Sunday, the sth inst., which has shaken this little community to its centre. Rumours of foul-play were very rife, which, unfortunately, had a certain foundation in fact, but, like all other rumours, lost nothing in travelling, and which, when medical and other evidence had beea taken, proved to have been 1 i only rough play, and had nothing what- j ever to do with the illness aud death of deceased. But the Coroner, knowing the strong feeling which existed, very wisely telegraphed to Auckland for a medical man of high Btanding to make a post mortem \ examination of the body. A jury was etnpanneled, of whom Mr. A. Silk was chosen foreman, and, having viewed the body, adjourned till evening to take the medical ' evidence and allow Dr. Haines to return to Auckland, after which the inquest was again adjourned to Weduesday, to allow a solicitor to be present on behalf of Mr. Richard Nazer, father of the boy implicated. The facts of the case are briefly these. The deceifccd, Henry James Mitchell, a lad of < 17, was employed by Mr. Bucklaud, ; butcher of this place, and on Boxing Day was on the racecourse with other boys, amongst them Thomas Wells and George «azer (about 14 years old). These two were squabbling together, and Wells called deceased to come and box Nazer, which he apparently did, striking Nazer a blow on the chest with his open hand, and then turned to run away. Nazer followed, and made a kick at the deceased, but the deceased twrniug suddeuly, received the blow iu the abdomen. The evidence here is very conflicting. The witnesses, all boys, were more engaged with the races, aud none of them appeared to have seen what led up to the kick. Wells says he turned and saw deceased lying 011 the ground ; another (Campbell) was 20 yards away, and turning suddenly saw Nazer kick deceased. Auother, who was with deceased, apparently tried to kick deceased's shins. Another tells a very improbable story, that deceased came up to Nazer and struck him in the breast, and they then stood opposite cich ether for live miuutes without speaking, and then Nazer kicked deceased in tho belly. Deceased then fell down, aud lay on the ground for half-an hour. There is grave doubt whether ho was on the spot at all. None of tho other witnesses saw him there. Deceased lay from five minutes to half-an-hour on the ground, according to the different witnesses, complaining of great pain. All this occurred just as tho last race was about to start, which accounts for the fact that none of the witnesses saw the whole affair. Deceased, in his dying deposition, says, " I boxed up to Nazer, and Btruck him on the breast with my i open hand, and turned away, when hearing some one coming behind me, I turned round, and George Nazer kicked me 1 in the stomach. I was in play, and I think 1 Nazer was." George Nazsr, in his evidence, fully corroborates this. He says: "Deceased struck me in tho chest, and turned to run away. I followed, and made a kick at him behind, but he turned round, and it hit him iu the stomach. I never meant to kick him there." The same evening deceased « took homo his employer's cows, milked f them, and took them back. Next day (Frig day inorniug) he went his usual rounds on horseback. He saw Wells, who asked him how ho felt. Deceased said : I feel a little pain. Later in the day Nazer met him, and . asked him how ho was. He said: "lain all right," and no one after that appears to have heard him complain until Saturday f night, when ho told Mr. Buckland that he J felt sick. Mr. and Mrs. Buckland, in their c evidence, said that deceased was usually a 1 very small eater, but that on Chribtmas Day < he ate a largo quantity of plum-pudding, * aud on tho thres following days he ate a t great deal of pastry, cakes, tarts, &c.; that he came three or four times each day between meals and asked for tarts, &c., and got them, and on Saturday night ha ate about $lb. of tinued salmon for tea. Three hours after he complained to Mr. Buckland of being sick. , Mr. Buckland chaffed him, saying hs had a been eating too much pudding, &c. The o following day he was worse, and it was then 0 that Mr. Buckland tirat heard that deceased 1 had been kicked. He ordered a mustard 1 plaster to be got for him. Deceased got steadily worse, and was removed to the S hospital on Friday, Daring that and the following day he romittd large quantities of

bile, pieces of salmon, rawoniona, &c. Death ensued between 4 and 5 o'clock on Sunday morning. Dr. Haines, who attended from Auckland, made a post mortem examination, 1 and in his evidence said: I examined the 3 body very carefully, and saw no marks of 7 violence upon it. I then opened the abf domen, and fosnd that death was caused , by peritonitis, apparently caused by eating t large quantities of indigestible food. In , cross-examination, he said : I examined tho b body very carefully, and saw no marks of . violence whatever, either inside or out* 1 side. If a kick had caused those symp« L fcoms, it would undoubtedly have left 1 traces discernible by anybody. Dr. ' Hovell also corroborated Dr. Haines's evidence. After a short deliberation, the jury 1 brought in a verdict of death from poritonitis, in occordance with the medical testiI mony, — [Own Corresj^ondent.]