INQUESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 24

INQUESTS.

MR CHARTERS'S DEATH. Before Mr 11. A. Young, S.M.. the inquesr, was resumed on Monday touching tlie death of the late Mr William J. J. Charters, who died on the 11th inst. from blood poisoning, as tho result of a scratch from tho thorn of a tree known as the "monkey puzzle." Mrs Catherine Shannon, sister of doceased, deposed that her brother visited her at Woodlands last December, and went into tho garden for a smoke. In bending down to pick up a straw 'to clean his pipe, his head came in contact with a branch of a "monkey puzzlo" bush. A thorn on it pricked him above his ear. They thought tho result was only a pimple or a boil, and applied Joyes fluid to it. On his way home by train to Mosgiel deceased cornplained of-throbbing in the head. He. consulted Dr Peters, who lanced and dressed tho wound. For a day or two deceased seemed better, but subsequently became excited, and his temperature rose. Dr Church was called in, and ordered the removal of deceased to the Dunedin Hospital. Deceased was not a very strong man, and suffered from bronchial asthma for years. Dr Wishart, house surgeon at the Dunedin Hospital, said deceased, when admitted to the Hospital on January 11, was in a semi-conscious condition, and his pulse was very weak and irregular. Deceased died the same night. The cause of death was septiccemia. A scratch from a "monkey 1 puzzle" thorn would, having regard to tho condition of deceased, be likely to cause death. Witness could not say that there had been any want of care shown in the treatment of_ deceased before his admission .to the Hospital. A verdict was recorded that deceased died from septiceemia, accidentally caused by the prick of a thorn of the "monkey puzzle" bush. MR ALEXANDER HAMILTON. ■ An adjourned inquest was held in the courthouse on Monday concerning the death of Alexander Hamilton, veterinary surgeon, who was knocked down by a horse at the entrance gate of Tahuna Park Show Ground on the first day of last Dunedin Show, and subsequently died at the Dunedin Hospital. Mr H. A. Young, S.M., was the coroner. Senior Sergeant Murray represented the police, Mr J. M. Gallaway appeared for the deceased's relatives, anc| Mr B. S. Irwin for'the owner and rider of the horse. i Elizabeth Ellen Trotter deposed that on November 28 she was present at the Dunedin Show, and rode a horse belonging to Mr Docherty. Whilst in the ring the horse became very restive, due, she thought, to too many horses being in the enclosure. The horse refused to jump, and she was called off by the stewards. When she came out of the assembly enclosure the horse made, off 'towards the outer gate, and got out of control. Just as she reached the gate she saw an elderly man ahead of her, and called out "Look out I" and the next instant the toe of her boot struck the man's elbow. She did not see what happened to him. She shortly afterwards go* the horse under control. She had ridden the horse at the Taieri Show at Allanton the week previously, on which occasion he behaved splendidly. She had a good deal of experience as a horsewoman, having been accustomed to horses for 14 years.— To Mr Gallaway: The horse she rode was named Dr Bill. She used an ordinary snaffle bit. She hunted him all last season, and used the ordinary snaffle bit, and he showed no signs of bolting. Dr Wishart,. house surgeon, Dunedin Hospital, deposed to the deceased being admitted to the Hospital. He was in a dazed condition, but conscious. He had a cut about an inch long above the left eyebrow. He attended the case up to the deceased's death on January 11. The cause of death, in his opinion, was senile decay. The accident to some extent accelerated his death. William Blackford, agent, deposed that he was gate supervisor at the show, and witnessed the accident. Ho heard the rider of the horse call " Look out!" The lady seemed to manage the horse very expertly. The deceased being fair in tho middle of the gateway when the horse came up, it was impossible to avoid an accident. Tho gate was a double one, half of which was closed at the time. Edward James Docherty deposed that he had owned Dr Bill for about 12 months. He purchased the horse from Mr Keith, in Canterbury. He bought the horso for his girl, who was 12 years of ago. He was an exceptionally quiet horse. Questioned on the wisdom of having the enclosure at the show ground, witness stated that he passed the remark to Miss Trotter that "the enclosure was the silliest thing he had ever seen." Ho considered that it unduly excited horses. They were herded too closely together. The Coroner, in giving his verdict, stated that the deceased died on January 11 from senile decay, his death having been accelerated as the result of injuries received through being accidentally knocked down by a horse ridden by a lady, the horso having got out of control. The horse was under ordinary circumstances a quiet _ one, but, by reason of the unusual conditions existing on the show ground, became excited. The e-vidence showed that the enclosure provided for the horses was altogether unsatisfactory, and the matter was one requiring consideration by the officials of the Otasro A. and P. Society. The lady riidng the horse exercised all care and skill, and no blame was attachable to her.

THE PORT CHALMERS FATALITY". The adjourned inquest into the death of a seaman named Edward Lockyer, who fell over an embankment at Carey's Bay on January 12, and was picked up in a semiconscious condition, and died at the Port Chalmers Cottage Hospital the next day, was resumed at Port Chalmers on Monday by Mr H. A. Young, S.M. Mr B. S. Irwin appeared for Mr John Crammond, jun., and Mr C. N. Scurr for the Seamen's Union. Sergeant Dougan represented the police. John Crammond, jun., blacksmith's assistant, said that on January 12 he met deceased near the naval shed, between witness's home and Port Chalmers. Another man subsequently joined them. Deceased was drunk, and witness, who saw a cartridge in a rifle he was carrying, told him to watch where he pointed it. Witness went for a drink, and on returning snatched the rifle from Lewis, saying ho knew nothing about rifles, and challenged him to shoot for ss. Lewis, witness, and deceased each had a shot, and .then, as *he rifle jammed, Lewis took out his pocket knife to clear it. Four more cartridges were in-

serted, but only two were fired. < Deceased then called both Lewie and witness German spies, and rushed at witness brandishing the rifle, and striking him on the right shoulder. Witness knocked the rifU out of Lockyer's hand, and pushed him away. He fell on the road, and rolled down the bank into the estuary. Witness, knowing ho was drunk, went home, leaving him TyinjT clear .of the water. Ho could not eay if deceased's head struck anything on the bank. Witness had never seen him before. There were stones below the bank and broken tree stumps. To Mr Irwin: The tido was out and tho stones exposed. The water would be about Bft or 9ft from the bank, which was about 6ft high, and sloped down to the water. Deceased was all right till he was cautioned about the rifle, when he seemed to go mad, but wutnees took no notice till he was attacked. Lewis had gone ■ away by that time. Deceased was 10 minutes' walk from tho ship, and had asked witness whero to go rabbit shooting, but had finally given witness the rifle to hold while he went for a drink. To Mr Scurr: Deceased rolled ■ sft down the bank, and witness then left him lying on his back, with his feet towards tho water. Witness intended to look at him when returning 'to Port Chalmers. He ' did not think of .reporting the matter to the police. Deceased was breathing regularly. Witness told the police about what had happened on Sunday. Dr Borrio said that when he visited Lockyer in the cell deceased was bleeding from the nose, and had a slight abrasion below the right eye. Ho appeared to be under the influence of liquor. Witness left instructions to be called if there' was any change. He was called again between 5 and 6 on Sunday morning, when he had tho man removed to they Cottage Hospital. Deceased was still unconscious, which he should have thrown off by that time if it had been the effect of liquor. Witness left instructions with the- nurse, and/- when he returned the patient had just died. The only marks of external violence disclosed at tho post mortem were a slight abrasion below the right eye and v one on the right wrist, also a small bruise over the spine in the lower dorsal region. These might have been caused by striking a stone. The internal organs were healthy, except the stomach, which was very much inflamed, and contained some blood, probably from the nose. On examining the skull, witness found a clot of blood at the back of the head. There was hemorrhage under the brain, and witness considered that death was due to compression of the brain from this hemorrhage. Probably deceased had fallen on something hard with a soft covering. The bank was grass-covered, and might have concealed obstacles. Henry Thomas Glengarry said that when going home on January 12 he saw Crammond, jun., Lewis, and another man having an argument about «. rifle. The man was drunk. While 'the three were shooting the rifle jammed, and. when Lewi? went to clear it deceased got excited, and called him a German spy, and then said the same to Crammond, whom he attacked, Crammond knocked the rifle away and pushed him off. Deceased fell, and rolled down the bank. Crammond was sober, and was not excited. When witness returned he saw Crammond, sen. and jun., with deceased at the shed, but witness went on to the pictures. Crammond did not hit deceased in the eye, but only pushed him John Crammond, sen., blacksmith, said that when going to Port Chalmers he noticed a man lying beside the shed. He (witness) tried to rouse him, but the man $ seemed to be drunk. Witness waited till the police came. • Thomas Edward Lewis, fisherman, said; he left M'Kay's hotel about 6 o'clock on January 12, and met J. Crammond, jun., with a' rifle in his hand. He saw no blows George Hill, of Carey's Bay, also gave evidence. The coroner's verdict was that deceased died as the result of injuries received by falling and rolling down a bank. The evidence showed that deceased was drunk, and very excited and quarrelsome, and that Crammond's push was not strong enough to foroe a sober man over the bank. Deceased fell, and then, in a drunken state, rolled over the bank, sustaining injuries to the'brain from which he died. Crammond had no intention of doing injury, and if deceased had been sober ho would not have gone over the bank.