DEATH UNDER PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 32

DEATH UNDER PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

j A death under somewhat singular circumstances occurred at St. Clair on the sth met. The deceased, Mr Henry Lawson Johnson, was well known in sporting circles, and at one time occupied % farm at Berwiok, but has latterly lived at St. Clair. He wae a keen sportsman with the gun, and at different periods was the owner of Taoehorsee. Of late years he had not enjoyed the best of health, and on November 25 met with a slight accident, which appears to have been instrumental in causing his sudden end. On that date he had a corkscrew in his hand, and in stooping under the dining room table to pick up something inflicted a t small wound in the head with the corkscrew he held. It was noticed by his wife and Mr Dj, D. Macdonald, who resided with him, that he wae bleeding profusely from the wound, and Mr Macdonald made a pad with which he stopped the bleeding. During the next few days whenever the pad was removed the bleeding started afresh, and on Wednesday evening Dr De Lautour was called in, and bandaged the wound. It is understood that deceased refused to let the bandage remain on the head, and removed it with some violence, and it had to be readjusted. Early on the sth inst. Mr Macdonald heard a noise proceeding from deceased's room, in which deceased was alone, and hurried in. Mr Johnson was found to be so unwell that a medical man was sent for, but by the time he arrived Mr Johnson was dead.

THE INQUEST. An inquest was held at Norfolk street, St. Clair, on the 6th met., into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Henry Lawson Johnson, \*ho died on Thursday morning under somewhat peculiar circumstances. Mr C. C. Graham was the presiding coroner, Sub-inspector Norwood represented the police, and Mr James Archer Burton was elected foreman of the jury. The first witness called was Agnes Mary Johnson, wife of deceased. Witness stated that her husband was a. farmer by occupation, and of late resided at St. Clair. He had been in a very poor state of health for some time past, and had of late ye are been indulging to excess in stimulants. On the evening of Monday, November 25, the deceased, Mr D. D. Macdonald, Mr Ibbotson, and witness were spending the evening together in deceased's house. All were sitting in the front room conversing and having music. After a time witness came to the conclusion that deceased had had too muoh whisky, and accordingly took a whisky bottle from him. He asked for more whisky, but witness refused him, and he thereupon became violent. Witness placed the bottle, which had a corkscrew in it (with a pointed wirebreaker at one end of the handle), underneath the table, and then started to play the piano in order to soothe deceased. Being still refused the whisky, deceased commenced to grope underneath the table. Witness could not «ay whether deceased obtained the bottle, but he stood up and ran out of the room, and returned again in a few minutes. He sat down on the sofa, when witness noticed that blood was flowing down his face. Mr Macdonald asked deceased what was the matter with him, and witness ran for a towel, which she placed round deceased's head. She next procured a basin of water, and, after washing tho wound, put a pad and a bandape over^it. That stopped the bleeding. Mr Macdonald saw Mr Ibbolson home, and on his return decea-sed- was put to bed after a good deal cf trouble. The next morning Mr Macdonald informed witness that tho wound in deceased's head wa6 bleedin? a^rain. Th« bleeding recurred frequently after that, but deceased thought nothing of it. On Tuesday, December 3, Dr -de Lautour wa.« sent for, but he was not at home. On Wednesday morning deceased went out to the Waterloo Hotel and procured a bottle of whisky. He returned to the house and asekted witness with some of her work, and then both had a nip of whisky. Deceased continued to interfere with the wound on hie head, and when witness remonstrated with him he said ii was only a scratch. When deceased interfered with tho wound the blood came out in a small spurt, and witness again stopped it 6 flow ; then went into town, but while there became anxious, and rang up Mr Macdonald and asked him to send out Thomas Low to look after her husband. Mr Low reached the house about 2.30 p.m. Witness hertelf returned to rluhouse about 6 p.m. along- with MacdcrriM and Mr Burton. Mr Ibbotsson and Mr Lov.- were then at the house with deceased. When deceased went to bed that night- the bleeding started again, and he called our to witness for a. towel. The wound was then bleeding very freely. Witness tailed in Mr Macdonald arid Mr Ix>w. An endeavour was made to bind up the wound, but deceased kept pulling the bandacrc oft". Th<->n went for Dr <le Lautour, who airi\ed at the hou*e about 10 pm. The doctor washed deceased's head, and then remained alongside him until he foil into * ftleau. Witness retired

to bed, but shortly afterwards deceased called witness twice and asked for whisky. There was no bleedingafter Dr de Lautour . had visited deceased. On the 'Thursday morning witness asked Mr MacdonaM, who was up early, to go and see if Mr Johnson was all right. This Mr Macdonald did, and then informed witness that ha thought there was something seriously wrong with deceased. Mr Low was awakened, and he, along with witness and Mr Macdonald, hurried to deceased's room. Deceased , said something, but witness did not know what it was. Witness then ran for Dr de Lautour, who on arrival at the house informed witness that her N husband wis dead.

Sub-inspeetorNorwood : When yon placed* the bottle of whisky beneath the table was the corkscrew sticking in the oork? — Witness : Yes. Did your husband make anr exclamation when groping underneath the table? — Witness: He said, "I have found the bottle," and then ran out. He did «ot call out as if he had been hurt. He re* turned to the room very shortly with acorkscrew in his hand, and was bleeding at the head. I ha/ye not seen him sober . for 12 years. When he pulled the pad* off the wound he was under the influence of liquor. He was not accountable for his actions towards the end. He was 48 years of age. In reply to a further question Witness stated that her husband left, the room alone when he picked up the bottle. Mr D. D. Macdonald, barrister, wRo resided with the deceased at St. Clair, * confirmed Mrs Johnson's evidence gene-, rally. In witness's opinion Mre Johnson was justified in refusing to give deceased: any more drink at the/ time of the accident. She took the bottle of whisky oft: the table and placed it underneath. The disappearance of the whisky irritated deceased. He looked under the table, and then ran out of the room. Witness did not notice whether deceased had the bottle. He was out of the room a very short time, and when he came back there was blood* running down his face. There was not much blood. He held the corkscrew in hi» hand. Witness said, "What have you been doing?" He made no reply,, except speaking angrily. The wound was such as would ' be caused by the sharp end of «r corkscrew. The blood- was running freely, J but not spurting. The wound was. a small one, but of no depth. The blood was black, and no doubt arterial. When they wound was washed there was a small scabon it. The size of the wound Jas increased) by deceased interfering with it six or seven, times. If the wound had been left alone there would have been no trouble. Xn regard to the manner in which the wound 1 was inflicted, witness's idea was that in groping under the table he was "jabbed" by the sharp end of the oorksorew. Sub-inspector: Did he tell you at anytime how it occurred? — Witness: He could not remember anything as to how it occurred. He was of a very wayward disposition, and continually kept, tearing off the bandages. I myself had no drink that night. ,- Mr Ibbotson said there was' iothing He. could add to what had already been said in regard to the manner in which the accident occurred. ' Dr H. A. de Lautour said he received nomessage on Tuesday, 3rd inst., from Mrs _ Johnson. He was not at his house during the day. On Wednesday night was called upon by Mrs Johnson and Mr Low, and returned to deceased's house with them. On arrival there found the blankets, pillows, sheets, and towels saturated with blood. The whole of the top of deceased's Head was covered with a huge _blood-clot. Deceased was very violent, and would dot allow witness to touch him. Witness finally pacified him with the assistance of Mr Low, and cleaned his head and shoulders thoroughly. Witness then found a small circular punctured wound on the top of the head less than a quarter of an inch in diameter. The wound, which could not have been caused by any blunt instrument, was a. little less than a third of an inch deep and had evidently punctured one of the branches of the temporal artery. Deceased was irrational and violent. Physically he was quite strong. The bleeding was stopped completely, and a good firm {iad and bandage placed on his head, mmediately it was secured deceased tore it off and threw it away. Witness managed to pacify him, and then put on another bandage, which deceased promised to leave alone on the understanding that he would be Allowed to go quietly to sleep. - There were no other marks of violence on deceased's body. Witness remained in the house for 20 minutes or half an hour, and then had another look at deceased. He found that he had again torn the bandage off, but owing to the measures taken there was no further bleeding. Witness ■ remained at the heuse until after midnight in case the blood should burst out again. When witness left deceased was quite composed and sleeping. Witness was called to the house about 7 o'clock next morning, and found deceased" had just died. On examination found no external marks of violence. The opinion witness formed was that deceased's violent, condition was due to his being saturated with alcohol, which had weakened his heart and constitution and rendered him unable to meet the great loss of blood that occurred from the wound in his head. This wound had received proper first-aid treatment from Mr Macdonald, and had it been left alone would have healed up without any trouble. There was no bleeding after witness first stopped the wound until the time of death. Tli is concluded the evidence. In summing up, the Coroner said the jury could come to no other conclusion but that deceased's death, as explained by Dr de Lautour, was due to excessive bleeding from a wound on his head at a time when his constitution was weakened by excessive alcoholic drinking. As to the cause of the accident, it seemed quite clear that, however it was caused, it wa3 caused by him-fc-lf alone. It was probable that his head 1 came into contact witK" the spike of the cork-crew whon he was reaching under the table for the bottle. There did not see»n to be any blame attachable to anyone, and the jury would be justified in coming to the conclusion that death was accidental.

The jury returned a verdict that deatlf" wa«- due to excessive bleeding from a wound on tha head, as to the cause of which" there was not sufficient evidence to show, deoeafied's constitution at the time, being 1 enfeebled by the excesshe use of alcoholic st.mulants.

Frederick Cooper has been arrested at Auckland on a charge of being connected with recent burglaries here.