A SUDDEN DEATH. BENEVOLENT HOME INMATE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2857, 16 December 1908, Page 52

A SUDDEN DEATH. BENEVOLENT HOME INMATE.

At 4 a.m. on the 9th instant a man named Nathan Barnett, an 'imate of tho Benevolent Institution, t>6 years of age, was discovered dead in one of the police cells. About 11 o'clock the previous evening he had been taken in charge by Constable Mullen, who found him wandering about the streets. The police had been communicated with earlier in the evening; by the manager of the Benevolent Institution, who reported that this man, who had left the home to visit the HosmtaJ, was missing. He had asked the police to keep a lookout for him, and informed them that if they found him after 11 o'clock he would send in for him the following morning. Barnett was put into an empty cell, and made comfortable with a stretcher and blankets. Shortly before 2 o'clock Constable Cameron, who was in charge of the watchhouse, paid him a. visit, and he declared that he was all right then and quite comfortable. About 2.20 Barnett went along to the watch-house with some wild tale that he was being murdered, but he was conducted back to his bed, where he was again seen in a satisfactory condition at 3 o'clock. At 3.50 Sergeant Forster and Constable Cameron visited the cell and found him dead. They sent for Dr Gordon Macdonald, and applied artificial respiration, but without avail. At 12.30 yesterday an inquest was held before Mr Hutchison, coroner, and Sergeant Forster and Constables Mullen and Cameron gave evidence. Dr Macdonald said his examination of the body disclo&ed the fact that the legs were considerably swollen, an indication of heart disease in some form. Dr Gloss said that for several months he had been attending deceased for valvular disea.=e of the heart and dropsy, and that his death might have been expected at any moment. Deceased was slightly imbecile. The coroner's verdict wa-& in accordance with the medical evidence. THE MATTER BEFORE THE BENEVOLENT TRUSTEES. The Rev. A. T. Chodowski appeared before tho Bene\oleut Trustees on W-cdnesday afternoon for tho purpose of making a statement re/ardins; tho death of Nathan Barnclt. He >aul that morning he had vi-nerl tho Polite Station in connection with thi^> case and the Burial S-ccien, and had there seen the body. ft was fully dre«' n d. He had been informed by tho police that Barrio tt had boon an mmat"> ot thi> 13fiio\olonL Institution, and, beniif rh--LO\oro(l by a constable on duty wandering- about the >treet.i, was taken in charge and conducted to the police colls. It was seen ai once that he was in a low condition, and apparently ill, and about 11 p.m. the manager of the institution was communicated with by telephone, and informed of the man's whereabouts. The manager promised to send for him in the morning. In the mealtime, between 3 and 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Barnett died from, it was after wards shown, heart trouble. He (Mr Chodowski) thought that the manager of tho home had not s'^own a proper attention to his duty by leaving this man in the Police Station. The medical gentleman attached to the institution and the manager were aware of the extremely critical nature of Bainett's complaint, and the manager inu«t have known, in view of his condition, how dangerous it was for him to he left in the police cells all mpht. The nolico probably were not aware that anything- serious was the matter with him, beyond the fact thßt he appeared to be in an enfeebled condition and somewhat eccentric, and they therefore had not provided him with medical attendanc-p. In view of the circumstances he thought hnr-self J us *'" fied in bringing ti.o iiiai.u?r befoie the trustee*. Mr .Ta'col), had accompanied him to the Police Siation, aiif' could <onfir.n all he had said. The polic- had told him the inquest was to 1 c at 1 r/clo-k, and ho had purposed benifr pi^oni, but tho inquest instead took place a 1 our 12 o clock and tie harl not thejL-foie L^aid the evidence tenderer! lh<MO.

Mr Moo, t!'o iraiK.R r r of ill" institution, who v.V 1/ir-c-iit, -aid that tho fncts were not cviirrttlv -:.■: '1 Kamc-tt had boen linked a.lor.t 7 </< !<,< k the pi^iio.-.s nigl.t. and f<.ur of iht home'o tmartc&t n.Cii had

1 immediately been sent out in search of him. They were unsracessful, and he then rang up the police, and told them of the matter, and they said they would took out for the man and see if they could not piofc him up. About 10.30 p.m. he again called 1 the station up on the - telephone, and was iaformedi that-" so far there was mr ttaice of Bennett, ;.He ..discussed /.the- ' matter, with, tbs . police, and.it was $greed.:ifch*t if the. map were found at a later hour, it-W.as-besß, that he should be kept at the station until; the following morning, as. ,it .would .be difficult to 'move him about after H, p* clock,,. Early the -following- morning 'he called ujp, the police,' but 'could riot get "info"-conver-sation -with thetti, and later they rang himf up. and. told him -that Barnett was" in -the" station, dead. Until that moment he waa not -aware! that Barnett- had been found, and he had "certainly done all in Jiis,-power-to .find *the man. ' . v Mr Tapper said the trustees Jiad no. con- , tror bveT a person who voluntarily left the home, and were not responsible for that, person. " The Fact that Mr~ Mcc had!' attempted to find Baraett.fiand' had ranpr up the police late- in the •evening 1 , showedthat he had done his dufouiiullyi - \ Mr Chcdowski said he; wasri positive, that the police told him they -ijang.^ip $£r' Mee. after the man w.as, , . fO[Uod—^ba^ IX o'clock. If that were soj ano'M^r Mcc hadtaken no action until fine "following, morning, he had not carried out his^ duty. Mr Gallaway'said that how that theHe'v. Mr Ohodowski "had gone* so far, he should lay before the trustees a formal complaint against the manager of tl»e home, and they could then ask Mr Moo for a report. lathe meantime the police might be interviewed and the whole matter sifted to the very bottom. ' This suggestion was agreed to by Mr Chodowski, and he thanked the trustees and retired.