INQUESTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11937, 10 January 1901, Page 7

INQUESTS.

. FOUND DROWNED. , An inquest as to the death of Alexander Smith, one of the orew of the s.s. Aotea, who : mi found drowned at Port Chalmere on the Bth inst., was Held yesterday in the Courthouse, 'Port Chalmers, before Mr C. C. Graham and a , jury of six, of whom Mr E. Godfred was chosen foreman. The jury having viewed the body, "'. William Heglan, a greaser on the Aotea, deposed that he knew the deceased, whose body ■=-he identified. Deceased' was about 24 years of, ago, and his father lived in Invercargill. Wit- - ness.last saw hhn alive on Boxing Night. They were in Filleul street togother, and left there to catchthe 11.15 p,m. train for Port Chalmers ■They had been drinking during the afternoon, . and ; were both under the influence of liquor.- ■ ; Witness, lost sight of deceased on the railway platform. They were the best friends in-tho world. • . • . .. ■ To Sergeant Geerin: Had heard threats made r by sfc man.uamed Woodstock. Smith had previously; Btmck the man, who threatened to pay nun put. Witness saw Woodstock and a fir'e- (. man named Knowles in tho street at Port Chalmers on the same night, but knew of no quarrel occurring on board during the voyage out, Smith was missed on the 27th December, tout nothing was thought of it, as he had • threatened to clear out. Woodstock and Knowles were in differcnt-'watches. He' could not. identify tho hat produced, iuid was not 1 certain that deceased got into the train at DUnedin on the night of December 2G for Port Chalmers. Ho thought he did. He identified the body by the clothing and marks on it. Henry Knowles deposed that he was a fireman on the Aotea, and last saw deceased on Deeember 26 with several others. They were ' ell. more or less under the influence of drink. Witness came down*with deceased in the train, and saw him on the Dunodin railway platform. Saw blows pass between deceased and a man named Woodstock. There had been no provocation previously. ' Witness could remember nothing after arriving at Port Chalmers. He found himself on board hie ship next morning. . . To Sergeant Geerin: Did not know the cause of -the quarrel betweep the two men: Deceased struck tho first blow. He had only been in company with the others for a short 1 time. Had' seen deceased drunk in London. Thomas Woodstock deposed that he was a fireman on the Aotea, and knew deceased. Hβ was not intimate with him. Witness went to. Dunedin by the 1.20 p.m. train on December 2G, Deceased and or five others were in the train. Ho met deceased again about 11 p.m. that day in the Terminus Hotel, and both were drinking, but not together. Afterwards went to the train. Witness was talking on. the platform to an old shipmate, when Smith came up and struck him on the mouth. Witness did not strike back, but pushed him- away. Smith repeated the blow, and then witness stjuck him back. Witness never saw Smith afterwards. When they arrived at Port Chalmers he looked for him with the intention of having it out. Someone struck witness <mi {he back. He did not know who it was, but thought it was Smith. L Witness then called out " Good-night; we will continue this axgii- ...... mrot to-morrow,", and went on ,hoard the r' Aotea. He had no previous ■ quarrel with "'• Smith, ' ■ ; To Sergeant Geerin: I did not drink with Smith, nor have I ever quarrelled with him. I once ordered him out of my room on the voyage when he was meddling with my books without asking my permission. I never threatened I would not allow Smith to go on board the ship again. I had no scuffle with him on Port Chalmers wharf. Deceased wore a.hat similar to that produced in court. I have' been on good terms with Smith during the voyage out. Constablo George il'Quarrift deposed to finding the 'body on the Bth inst. under the George etreet wharf. Alexander Hendry,'a duly qualified medical practitioner, said he saw the body of the deceased in tho morgue on the Bth inst. It was fully, clothed; with the Exception of the hat. The clothing was sot disarranged, and the body from its appearance had been in; the water for. a considerable time, There was a wound about an inch and a-half long on the left temple, and two small punctures on the right side of the head. The bones of'the head were uninjured. There were no marks of violence on the body. The wounds were apparently caused ■ after death.' . Frederick Sheppard, -chief engineer of the Aotea, gave evidence that the men under his control were a very orderly lot of fellows, and there had not been the slightest unpleasantness ■- during ,the passago out. ' .'Aftf.r the Coroner had summed up, the Jury ( without retiring, returned a verdict of " Found drowned." : THE DEATH AT THE HOSPITAL. 'An inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of Mary Josephine Trbwer was held uf the hospital yesterday afternoon before Mr Coroner Graham and a jury of six, of whom Mr Drew was'chosen 1 foreman. Mr Ji M. Gallaway" appeared on behalf of the deceased. Thomas Trower, dealer, residing in Dunedin, deposed that the deceased was his wife. She ■was 38 years of : 'age. 'She was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, the 6th inst., suffering irom the effects of heavy drinking. Ho-saw her on Monday last,'in the ward. She then ■ eeeined to be getting better, and spoke quite sensibly. ' ~' •To the Foreman: Deceased had been a heavy drinker for the last 17 years. Witness had done his very best ifor his wife in every way. He' wanted to get a prohibition order put/ against her, and also to! get her into an inebriate stitution.:--To Sergeant Gilbert: Witness's wife often left home when he was up-country, and be did his best together back, ■ To.Mr Gallaway: When witness's wife was ' not drinking she was a 'quiet, respectable, religious' woman, attending to hor children and going to church regularly.

Avis A. Corlett deposed that ehe was a nurse in tho ward where the deceased was lying. Deceased was admitted into the ward about 4.30 p.m; on the 6th inst., and was entirely confined to bed. She was in a good deal of pain at first, but the pain , got better and.-she became restless.' On Tuesday, at about 8 p.m., ahe became very restless, and had a hypodermic injection of morphia, which quietened her. Wit'ness was in attendance about 9,30, when deceased was lying in bed bound down with straps. These had been placed on her an hour before, as ■ shehad become very violent and would not remain in bed, and-two of the nurses were unable to hold her. Deceased ivas all right at 9.30, and witness went into the'main ward, she being in the special ward off it. When a little dis- ■ ianoe off' witness heard a crash. She returned at once , and found the bed empty and a paue of glass broken in the window from which deceased had thrown herself. Witness rushed . down into .the'main corridor,- and gave the alarm. . Nurse Donald aad some of the men ■Went into theyajd and found the deceased lying there. Her jstraps were left in the bed. Tho feet steps .'were unbuckled, but not' bo tho. hand straps. The deceased had evidently withdrawn 'from. these and the- body sheet. She •was certainly out of her mind at the time, Witness had not left the patient two minutes when she heard the crash. Tho straps were put on by Nurse" May Thomson ind one of the warders. The straps wore put on as tightly as they could be without stopping the circulation. Witness saw the straps at 9.30, and they appeared to be all right then. Deceased was screaming out, and was very noisy. That was why she was put in the small room off the main :Ward. ' ■ Dr O'Neill deposed that the deceased was admitted into the, hospital on Sunday between 4 v and 5 o'clock. She was suffering from the effects of alcohol, and it was reported that she nad taken poison. . She was able to walk into the ward and give an account of herself. There weje biuises about her face and.her body. She said that she had taken a littleirat poison, and that soon afterwards she had been given an emetic, which made her very sick, When she ■was admitted she lad no symptoms of irritant poisoning beyond slight pains in the stomach, but as a precautionary measure, and acting on a line pi .treatment for poisoning and alcoholism, the stomach was washed out with magnesia and water. There was nothing to epeak of in the stomach. She was treated generally' for" 'alcoholism ' afterwards, That night-.she' had- a certain amount of pain, and -appropriate remedies were applied, *. t. aext morning ' she was seen by. Dr Roberts, who prescribed for her. She passed a pretty fair day and a splendid night. - f He saw-her on his rounds On Tuesday morning about 3 o'clock.- She seemed all right then, He saw her again about 1 p.m. She was then beginning to be very restless, and seemed to be suffering from incipient delirium tremens- A hypodermic injection was. administered, and witness saw her again at ,. 3 [f ci ? c k inih ? aft «noon She was then a' little better, and another injection was administered. Witness saw her again about halfpast 7 in the evening, and she was better than she had been in. the aftemdon, but still a bit restlesß, He told the nurse to keep an eye on her and to apply restraint if necessary, Witness ,did not see deceased again until he examined ite body. She had a scalp wound sin long extending from the centre of the scalp to the outer side of the right eye. The skull was smashed i& to all this extent. There was evidence, of bleeding from the mouth and ears, pointing to a fracture at the base of the skull. The. injury was. sufficient fo cause almost instant death.' There was also a fracture of the right knee, cap and some cuts- on , the right ihand. -.' .-...■ '

To the Foreman: Witness thought.that tho room the patient was put in was a suitable one to put her in. There wore two windows in the room; but tho woman was pat under proper restraint. The Coroner, in addressing the jury, said ne did not think that any want of care had been shown on the part of anybody at the hospital, The nurse seemed to have actod to the beat of her judgment, and he did not thiiiK himself- that there' was anyono to blamo for what had happened. It was, however, for tho jury to say what they thought. ' The Jury, without retiring, returned a verdict to tho effect " That deceased died from a fractured skull caused by falling from i window' while in a state of temporary insanity, and that there was no blame attachable to anybody." At. the conclusion of the -inquest the foreman expressed the opinion that there should be a more suitable place provided for people suffering with delirium tremens. A juryman remarked that he thought tho place was quite Euitable for the purpose. The Foreman: I hive not seen the place, but it, has two windows in it, and I do not think that is a suitable place.