SAD RESULTS OF OVERWORK.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1188, 7 December 1894, Page 28

SAD RESULTS OF OVERWORK.

An inquest was , held at the morgue on December sth before -Mr Ashcroft, coroner, on the body of Cohstable Patrick John Leahy, of Stratford; who had been committed to the Wellington Lunatic Asylum, and died in the train on his Way thither on Tuesday night. .- . .. Constable Roche, of New. Plymouth, stated that he was placed in charge -of the deceased oh November 29 last at New Plymouth to look after him until lie could be taken to Wellington. He was deranged, and was committed to the Wellington Asylum on November 30. _ Witness.took him to Stratford after that, and started with him by train for Wellington on the 4th instant. They had to take, him by force out of his house to put him into the cab; they were careful not to hurt him. They also had to use force to get him into the train, but he was at last got there safely. He tried to get out of the carriage, and at intervals he would jump up and try to get out. At Bunny thorpe, about 6 p.m., he made strong efforts to get out, and it Was all witness and two others could do to hold him. After leaving BuUnythorpe he was quiet as far as Palmerston, when they had to change carriages, which deceased did quietly: Near Otaki, seeing he looked pale, witness went to feel his hand, and found he was cold.' lie thought he was either dead or in a fio. .Mr Gould said he believed he was dead, and subsequently they found that he was dead. Deceased, who had been about 15 years in the force, was stationed at Stratford, where there was no other officer besides him. He was also clerk of the Court, clerk of the Licensing Committee, and bailiff. - Witness had often heard him say he had too much-to do. It was the hardest station along the line. Some remarks were made by people' at Stratford after he was committed to Wellington that it would be better to keep him there until the following Friday. He applied for a month’s leave, and could not at first get it, and when he got it he fell ill. He was a power fill man, about 40 years of age. Dennis O’Mahoney gave a similar description of the journey down to that given by the previous Avitness. He added that he had known deceased for years, and for some time past he had been much overAvorked at Stratford late at night and early in the morning. He attended to the Labour Department in addition to his other duties Dan Mouton, guard on the Wellington and Manawatu Railway, said he was quite sure the deceased was alive at Longburn. Just before getting to Waikanae Roche told him the man had been dead about 10 minutes. James Baring Gould, stationmaster of the Manawatu Station, Wellington, said when he saw the deceased at Shannon he looked very pallid, and witness could not say he heard him breathe. Witness noticed he never moved, and shortly after leaving Otaki they found he was dead. Witness thought he had been dead an hour cr ■ more; he was stiffening. He could not say he Avas alive at Shannon. Dr Tripe, who had made a post-mortem examination of the body, said he found the brain softened . very much and full of serum, and the centre of the heart was full of uncoagulated blood. The cause of death, he considered, was syncope from failure of the heart’s action, accelerated by softening of the brain and violent strug-o-iincr. The man could not have lived longt and he could not suggest that anything could have been done by his attendants in the train to save his life. _ < The jury, of which Mr P. G. Ritchie Avas foreman, returned a verdict in accordance Avith the medical evidence, and added the following rider : —“ That the-attention of the Police Department should be called to the apparent overwork from - which the man suffered, and Avhich seems to require that further assistance should be given m such cases.” - „ , „ Deceased leaves a widow darighter or Mr Renall, of Masterton—and three children, and his untimely decease will be greatly deplored by the residents of the locality in which he was stationed. He Avas atl, one time m charge of the Clyde quay and Petono police stations. , Bv Te leqrapli o wn Correspondent. Stratford, December 5. Dr Nicolls, of Stratford, had given a certificate that Constable Leahy was not fit to travel, and his friends wanted him to stayin Stratford, and interviewed the New Plymouth doctors and the Stipendiary Magistrate, but the doctors declined to interfere. Constable Leahy was for 14 yeais in the Colony, and was stationed for sometime at Clyde quay, then at Featherston and at Petone. He had two sisters m Ireland who died recently, and this upset him. He was considerably overAvorked. Constable Leahy leaves a and p three_ children. Great sympathy.is felt tor them all over the district. Deceased was a very popular man.