THE DEATH AT THE GAOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7008, 3 May 1884, Page 6

THE DEATH AT THE GAOL.

CORONER'S INQUEST. A coroner's inquest was held at Mount Eden Gaol yesterday at noon by Dr. Tennent, coroner, and jury (of whom Mr, Bayne was chosen foreman) on the body of Patrick Aloran, a pensioner, aged 73, who died in the Mount Eden Gaol infirmary on Wednesday morning, and four of whose ribs were found to be fractured. The jury having viewed the body at the Gaol morgue, the following evidence wae adduced : —George Sinclair Reston deposed that he was gaoler at Mount Eden Gaol. -Deceased was admitted to the gaol on Monday last, at three o'clock p.m., under a sentence of three months for vagranoy, and stated to be a habitual drunkard. He was dirty, and in a weak, delicate state. Deceased was put into a bath and then to bed. Dr. Philnon saw him next day, and ordered him to be removed into the prison infirmary. 'The doctor informed witness that deceased was suffering fiom having several of his ribs fractured. Deceased died on Wednesday morning. By foreman: He was sensible before his death, and accounted for his

injuries by saying that a portion of a bouse he was assisting to shift in Victoria-streel fell upon him.—-Dr. Phils on, surgeon to Mt. Edea Gaol, deposed that he knew deceased, Patrick Moran, who was a pensioner, and had served in the 83rd iiegiment. He was admitted to the Gaol Hospital on Tuesday morning. Deceased complained of pains in his right aide, coughing, difficulty of breathing, and died on following morning. He eaid that on Thursday, 24th April, he fell from a ladder at a building in .Victoriastreet,' and had been very ill ever since. On witness examining deceased he found that several of his ribs on the .right side were fractured. The pulse was weak, and Mβ condition critical. Witness had deceased bandaged and put to bed.' Wine, milk, and suitable medicine. was. given to him. He (Dr. Phils'on) saw deceased" again on the same night (Tuesday), when he appeared to rallj somewhat, bnt it was evident he could nol survive. Witnese viiited deceased for last time on Wednesday morning ; he was then comatose, pulse gone, and died at halfpast seven. He had that day made a post mortem examination of the body. It was in an emaciated condition, and he found the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth ribs on the right side fractured, and lacerating the pleura, which, was exceedingly inflamed. About half a pint of serum, mingled witt lymph,. was found in the cavity 'of the plenra. ' The heart and luogß were healthy, md there were no other signs of- disease.

Ihe 'bauae'..'."of'.death . wae exhaustion trom excessive violence' and probable exposure.—By the Foreman : deceased 3tated the accident to him happened on rhoradsy, the 24th of April, and that next lay he went to the Hospital, bnt was reiu»ed admission. Witness first saw deceased >n the following morning.—By a Jnror : He 3onsidered that Moran would have been a St person for admission to the Hospital when he made application.—Constable Bern, who irrested Mbran on Saturday morning last foi irunkcnness, Constable Mitchell the lock-up-keeper, and Sergeant McMahon, the ncnjommiesioned officer on duty, gave evidence. The gist of it waa that deceased, who appeared to be suffering a recovery from a bout of' drinking, never complained to them of having received any injuries; that he was kept in the lock-up till Monday, owing to his being too drunk on Saturday when arrested to plead at the Police Court; that the charge of vagrancy was put against him as an act of charity to give the old man f.ood and ehelter; and that so far from appearing to suffer from internal injury he asked on Sunday forasecond ration- for breakfast,, kept up-.with the other prisoners on Monday in walking to and from the lock-up, and ran forward to pick up the stump of a cigar. There wb3 nothing to indicate by his bearing or conduct, that his ribe were fractured.— John Henry Richard Bond, House Surgeon at the Hospital, deposed that he did not know deceased. Did not remember deoeased having.applied on Thursday, the 24th April, at the.Hospital for admission. Witness had made inquiries, and could find no record of any such application having been made. He would hav6 admitted deceased. Witness was not at the Hospital at all times. He got the Lady Superintendent to act during his absence in cases of slight importance, and in serious cases he would have to be sent for. —By the Foreman : There had been cases of refusal of admission to the Hospital, owing to lack of room. His. subordinates at the Hospital would not have refused deceased admission, or turned him away. They would have kept deceased in the convalescent ward till his (witness's) arrival.—By a juror : There was no person at the Hospital except members of the medical staff and himself, who had power to refuse admission to any patient applying for admission.—The jury, after a brief consultation, returned a verdict to the effect that deceased's death was accelerated by having four of his ribs fractured by a fall; that they felt satisfied deceased received all necessary attention on his arrival at the prison, and that no blame was attachable either to the prison or police authorities. The jury also expressed their conviction, from the dying statement q£ deceased, that he had made application for admission to the District Hospital, and been refused admission to the same.