INQUESTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10597, 18 February 1896, Page 6

INQUESTS.

DEATH AT ASHBURN BALL,

An inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of Christopher Hume Macalister, an inmate of Aihburn Hall Asylum, who died at the institution on Friday afternoon, was held before Mr Coroner Carew on Saturday.

Mr F. E. Chapman was present aa deputy inspector of asylums, arsd Mr W. 0. MacGregor appeared for the relatives of the deceased.

Dr John Macdoaald, who was acting as medical efficer at the Asylum in the absence of Dr Alexander, deposed that on Tuesday last he h»d a conversation with the deceased, who talked rationally enough, but was evidently depressed in spirits. As witness knew be had attempted to commit suicide before, he asked him if he thought he waß likely to iujnre himself agaia, bat could get no answer, and fslt that deceased was not to be trusted. Deceased was suffering from suicidal mania. On Friday, at about 20 minutes to 9 am, the groom of the asylum called at witness's housa and asked him .to go to the Esylum as Mr Macalister had done something to himself. Witaeiia went with the groom at once, and arrived at the asylum a little after 9 o'clock. He found Mr Macalister in bed, and two attendants in charge of him. There was a punctured wound on th« left side of the throat in the region of the large bloodvessels and other important structures. There had been great loss of blood, and the tissues of the left side on the neok were distended with blood. The loss of blood had been partially arrested by pressure over the wound. Seeing the very serious nature of the case—the larga bloodvessels having apparently been divided—witness at ones telephoned for Dr Brown to coose to his assistanoe, having previously ordered the pressure to be kept up with a pad of cotton wool to arrest the hemorrhage ss far as possible. Dr Brown arrived aoout half-past 10. They immediately saw the patient together, and saw that it would be necessary to cut down and if possible secure the bleediog points. Witness administered chloroform, and Dr Brown enlarged the wound so as to admit of a linger. He then found that »11 the vessels and lifisues had been divided right down to the bone. Dr Brown told him that the patient admitted after recovery from the chloroform that he bad stabbed himself in the neck and had worked the knife about in his neck. That would account for so mane of the vessels and parts bsing cut about. Dr Brown said he could leel no pulsation in the main carotid artery ; aud the internal jugular and other veins were divided. Dr Brown attempted to secure the bleeding points, but the bleeding was so profuse and uncontrolable that it was evident that if he had continued the operation the patient would have died under the operation. As Dr Brown knew the patient's father was on the premises he resolved to put a deep otitch in the wound, bring the parts together aud apply a pad again so as to arrest the bieediug » muck a» possible and give the iacher an opportunity of seeing his son alive. The patient rallied slightly from tueoperation and his father taw him. Witness gavo t,he patient a teaspoonful of milk, but it excited a good dt>al of spasm, showing that the nerves of the upper part of the windpipe had been divided. The bleeding »till continued, and the patient died at half-past 2 o'clock. Dr Brown had previously loft. He and witness agreed that nothing more could be done for the patient. Witness regarded deceased's case as one that required clote watching on account of his suicidal propensity.

To Air MacGregor: Witness did not see deceased since Tuesday afternoon. He did not | reside ac the asylum, aud had not been there since Tuesday. There was no telephone at tbe aßylum, tbe nearest one being at Bunt' ing's, about a mile distant. Witness wag a physician and general practitioner. He wad an expert: in skin diseases. He could not s&y lie was an expert in lunacy, but he had had charge of the asylum tor 10 months in 189i-95, and had had charge for two ;. or three months at a tima for several years past, in the absence of Dr Alexander. Tne deceased's wound was a fresh one—probably inflicted about an hour before witness arrived at the asylum. Witness did not think that the deceased might ba alive now if prompt .iuigic.il measures had been taken after tae infliction oi the wouud. The greatest loss of blood apparently was when the attempt to secure the bleeding poiuts was made. Dr Browu had several artery forcep3 with him. Witness saw the instrument—a pocket knife—with which the wound was said to h&ve been inflicted. He knew from the oubo bouk that deceased hid attempted suicids before by cutting his throat. James Hume deposed that he was the keeper of tho asylum, which was licensed under the "Lunatics Act 1882." The deceased was admitted into the asylum in December 1895, from Invercargill, under a magistrate's order and two medical certificates, which showed that he had suicidal tendencies. Just as the goag was sounding for breakfast on Friday morning at 8 o'clock, Mrs Ferguson, the matron, told witness that something had happened to Macalister. He rushed upstairs, and found deceased lying outside his room door, and two attendant* were holding him down. Witness examined him, and found a puncture in hit neCK, which was bleeding. Au attendant was holding his finger in the puncture. Witness immediately sent for Dr M&cdonald, and remained by the patient till he came. He found the kaife—as it was now, broken j —on the sill of a window in the passage Deceased's room was the last one in tbe corridor, »nd the windowsill where witness found the knife wae close to the door of that room. The deceased was always under the charge of an attendant. He wan never left alone, night or day. Attendant Jamea Gillespie was the attendant in charge of deceased on Friday morning. He slept in the room with deceased oa Thursday night. Witness was always telling him to be sure and be careful of the deceased, and not loee eight of him. All the attendants knew that deceased had suicidal tendencies. The patients have knives at their maals, and the attendants afterwards couut them to see that none are missing and then lock them up. There was nothing new or rare in having suicidal c«ses in the asylum. There were otherj there at the present time. In a desperate cass, such as Mr Macalister's, witness found it necessary to put an attendant in charge ot tho patient day and night. There oonld be no donbt that the attendants knew the necessities of tha deceased's o»se. They were all intelligent men. Gillespie had been an attendant for about two months. He was a steady, intelligent man and a capable attendant. To Mr MacGregor: Gillespie had no experience tilt he came to witness, who trained all bis attendants. He had been an attendant to Mr Macalisber since January 11. Witness gave no special instructions to either Searle or Gillespie to keep knives out of Macalister's way. He did not know any of them had knives about them. Gillespie had told him that tha knife produced was his (Gillespie's). Witness had no rulo thai; attendants should not oarry knives, but it was left to their own good sense that they should not do so. He believed the attendants smoked, and Gillespie said he did. There wero few of the male patients who did not pmoke. They mighcask the attendants to cut the tobacco for them. Mr Macalister smoked, aud witness bought cigarettes for him, but seldom tobacco. Witness was in the Dunedin Asylum 18? years, and 13 years at Ashburn. The only case of. suicide in either ot the asylums was in tha Dunedin Asylum many year 3 ago. Witness had trained several hundred attendants ia his time. Junes Gillespie, attendant at the asylum, deposed that he came there on Christmas Day. Be had no previous experience »s an attendant. Ha had to give his whole time to looking after Mr Macalister, and had no other duties whatever. They slept in the sime room. At about half-past 7 o'clock on Friday morning witness brought him his clothes; but he did net prepare to dress till about 20 minutes to 8. While deceased was dressing witness went to the other end of the passage at the head of stairs to wash himself, leaving deceased in the room. Witness's coat and vest were then in the passage. He. used to lock all the clothes out in the passage every night, so that if deceased h»d anything in his pockets in the daytime it would be outside tha room during the night, and he would not be able to' get it. When witness had washed himself oa Friday morning he returned to the bedroom and saw. Mr Macalinier standing a little way from the looking-glass. Deceased faced witness as he went into the room, and witness saw blood coosing from his neck. It seemed to witness that deceated had just made the wound. He got him by tho throat and tried to stop tbe blood, and called out for one of the other attendants. Deceated was struggling to get away from him. Mr Campbell, the head attendant, came, and they got a cloth and put it round Mr Macaliater'a neck. Mr Campbell aleo put his finger in the wound, and kept it there till Mr Hume came. Witness was not away from the deceased two minutes when he wont to wash. He did not see the knife until he saw Mr Hume pick it off the wiadowsill in the passage. There was blood on the knife then. The knife belonged to witness. He had left his coat and veat on the floor in the passage. After the event he found them in the bedroom ; and he believed Mr Maoalijter had taken them there. Tbe knife was, he believed, in one of his vest pockets. If not, it mnst have been in his coat pocket. He always had a knife, and Macalistsr knew be had one, and tried more than once to get witnesi to lend it to him, saying, "Yon can trait me, old man; I won't attempt anything again." Witness had received instructions from the head attendant, as coming from Mr Humo, to be very careful and see that Mr Maoalister got no knife. Witness U6ed to out hiß tobacco at any time ho wanted it cut, and also sharpened his pencil for him. Wnilo Hacstlister was lying in bed after Campbell arrived, he said to witness, " Forgive me, Jim." He also said he could not face it. He :

never tried before while witnsss had charge of him to commit suicide. Witness thoroughly knew he had to be on his guard on the subject of deceased's getting knives. Fart of witness'a instructions were never to leave the deceased | alone uulecs someone else took charge of him. ; Evidence was also given by William Campbell (attendant), Joh> Craig (attendant), and j Frederick Eevans Chapman (deputy inspector of asylums). The latter stated, in the course of bis evidence, that st the request of the deceased's relatives he made an order on Thursday for the delivery of Mr Macalister to his relatives on Friday, but before Mr Macalister, senr., aud a private attendant reached the asylum the sad event occurrad. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased killed himsulf by cutting his throat while of unsound miud. They further paid that they considered that all reasonable pracautions were takan to prevent such an event. The jury further made the following suggestions, but not as a rider:—" That the attendants in charge ef dangerous cases be not allowed to have knives in their possession, and that the institution be plaoedin telephonio communioation with the msdical officar." Mr Hume was called in and informed of the suggestions, and expressed his willingness to see that they were carried out. DEATH OF A CHILD. A child, five years of age, named Alfred Cougblan, son of Michael Cuughlan, a tailor, residing in Water street, Maori Hill, died at noon on Sunday. TAio child had been in delicate health for the past two years, and took dierrbcea, owing, it was snppojed, to his having eaten soms fruit. An inquest was held on the body yesterday before Mr Coroner Carew aud six jurymen. After evidence, daring which Dr. D.'.vie,» stated that the condition of the child was such that he required careful treatment aud feeding, the jury returned a verdict to the efieot that the deceased died from wastiog from consumption of the bowels. \ ;