STRANGER'S SUDDEN DEATH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15496, 1 January 1914, Page 8

STRANGER'S SUDDEN DEATH.

SUFFERING INTERNAL DISUSE. An 'nquest was ■ hold .; yesterday morning | Won Mr. Bonald^ Sutherland, coroner, I into the circum^tonceß.:'Burrounaii,i{; , the | death of Robert' Mills, of Te Knit;,, who was found in & comatose condition outside Messrs. ■ Geo and - Potter's ; coschbuildin factory on Tuesday irtotning last/ and died. while being removed.to the.' police stataon. The deceased was identified .by. Onpstablfl .Thornell, of Newmaikbtj'■•' who, on December 26, had a«rested the man on a charge of drunkenness. «He ' then signed ;■ his name as Robert Mills, of Tj Kuiti. Sergeant Rutledge, ''. who .represented the ; police at the inquest,, produced paperu in support this evident , '■• One of Messrs. Gee and; Potter'* ea« plbjeesnaid'thit the deceased visited the. firm's factory at'about'9 a.in. on Tuesday last, and asked for a drink of ; - watyr. V ; He then appeared to be -much the worse, for liquor. Subsequently he lay down in a, corner of the yard, and was removed froa^ there by tho constables, to whom he flf-. peared helplessly drunk. ■_, '",\: ■£ Dr. ; -' Eiiijietsbergflr, who:, made a ; post mortem examination, gave evidence that he ; found no marks of violence upo:rthe body, but several skin abrasions wens discovered on the left 'hand' and right knee, also bruising on the right temple, which injuries ;could'easily 'have resultid from a foil. DeoeiUied suffered 'from chronic inflammation :of ; the kidneys, live;, and muscles of the heart; acute ; pneuroojm,of the right foflg; and acute inflammation of the inner membranes of the heart. .Thesß diseases 1 alone would have made it) imjosaible for the deceased's life to have been saved, ; even ; had 'he bten. attended to ;48 hours sooner. Death ; was;duetto lwart failure,; that organ being already weakened by the' condition of the other. affected or- ! gans/JHid.' unable to bear the .strain imposed upon it. \#" - .' ■ \,\i I--~ A verdict was returned m'■ accordance with the Radical testimony:' y ■ : '^""" i^