THE KAKANUI TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2408, 26 April 1900, Page 9

THE KAKANUI TRAGEDY.

OAMARU, April 18,

At the Magistrate's Court this morning A. Eddingtpn, H. Eddington, and R. Burne were charged with the murder of Peter Oar bridge, Of Kakanui, on 'April 14. The case arose put of a stone-throwing episode. The inquest net yet being finished, the accused were remanded for eight days.

Dr James Whitton, in giving evidence, said he examined for marks of violence, and found a lacerated wound over the right eye, having a horizontal direction, 2^in in length, and lin wide in the middle, extending to and laying bare the bone. There was also a contusion over the bridge of the nose, and another an inch and a-half long over the left eye ; blood Gtains on the nostrils and on the lips. The skin was abraded on the left hand over the root of the thumb, and on the right hand on the first finger lowest knuckle joint. Speaking generally, the rest of the organs of the body were healthy. On examination of the brain there was evidence of there having been a congestion in the membranes of the brain. He examined carefully the bone:; of the skull, biit found no signs of fracture. The brain itself was healthy. The organs in the chest and abdomen were all healthy. He found the cause of death to be hemorrhage from the wound over the right eye, accompanied by concussion of the brain and nervous shock. Death appeared to have taken place rapidly. To the Foreman : The wound over the eye could have been caused by deceased falling on the road ; but he thought that improbable, there being evidence of more violence than" could have been produced by a fall.

To a Juryman : He found no foreign matter, such a^ slone or iron, in the wound. The wound could have been caused by the kick of a horse.

To Mr IN ewton : Witness had been informed that deceased was liable to fits. A man subject to such fits would be more liable still to them if in an excited state of mind than when placid. One of the results of a certain class of fits would render a man incapable of standing, up. A fall on a stone might have caused the wound. It would depend partly on the violence with which the man fell whether the wound could have been sd'eaused, and partly on the nature of the object on which' he fell. A man of his height and weight, running quickly, and falling, might have come by such a wound if he fell on a sharp stone. Those conditions, if they happened, would account for the wound. Either the hemorrhage, the concussion of the brain, or the shock alone might account for death. The hemorrhage alone from such a wound might cause death. There was no direct evidence in the brain of concussion, though he inferred such concussion was present from the nature of the injury. There was no direct anatomical^ evidence of concussion of the brain. He thought that shock to the nervous system was the immediate cpuse of death. Thore was evidence of ■ongestion of the membranes of the biain, which meant an abnormal quantity of blood present on the meinbrauss. This was indicative of either congestion or of excitement before death. The wound could only be catised by a heavy blow, and if by a stone thrown at deceased it might have been about two pounds in weight. Much depends upon the violence with which the object came in contact with deceased.