DEATH FROM A FRACTURED SKULL

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13454, 5 April 1907, Page 5

DEATH FROM A FRACTURED SKULL

ROW IX A WHARE.

fItV TELEGRAPH. — PRESS ASSOCIATION*.]

Napier, Thursday.

Tin-: inquest ou lie man Geo. Read, who died in the hospital oh Tuesday, was concluded to-day. Evidence was adduced to show that deceased had gone to Hastings on Saturday evening and had returned to Ngatarawa early on Sunday morning in an intoxicated state, and had commenced smashing windows and furniture in tinwliaie occupied by a youth named Windus. Read struck Windus on the face with a broom, ami also struck him with a table leg, with which Windus subsequently hit Read on the legs. A scuttle then ensued, the two men closing, and after a, struggle both fell together, Read being underneath. Windus then hit Read two or three times on the. face with his hands, and Read went away, returning later on with a pole, with which he struck Windu* on the head, stunning him. Other station hands coming on the scene took Read away, and so prevented him from further assaulting Windus. Windus stated in his evidence that there had been no quarrel between Read and himself. Read was about the station on Sunday and Monday, but did not complain of feeling unwell, only saying that his eye was sore. On being driven to Hastings on Monday afternoon he said he must have been given some, very bad liquor at Hastings on the previous Saturday to make him behave as he had done. Windus' evidence as to the row was corroborated by two of the station hands. The jury returned a verdict that death was due to a fracture of the skull, hut that there was no evidence to show how the injury was j caused