INQUEST

Otago Witness, Issue 3524, 27 September 1921, Page 47

INQUEST

The coroner, Mr H. Y. Widdowson, held an inquest on Saturday on the body of James Walker Shearer, who died at the hospital that day. The evidence went to show that ihe deceased was a single man about 49 years of age. He had served at the war, and was discharged on September 17, 1919. In March, 1920, he went to the Malay States to work on a dredge there. He returned to Dunedin in the early part of this year. The deceased said that he had had malarial fever. On July 27 last he was admitted to the hospital at 4 o’clock in the morning when it was obvious that he was suffering from the effects of some poison. He had been found in George street by the police. They had taken him to the police station and had then rung up Mrs Stenhonse, who kept the Railway Private Hotel in Castle street,, and where the deceased boarded. The police had stated that the man was not drunk, but that he seemed sick. Mrs Stenhouse sent her son and another man to bring him back to the boardinghouse, and he was then taken to the hospital. Deceased had firmly stated that he had not taken poison, but that he had met two men on the previous evening and they had given him a drink. lie had rememi bored nothing more till 9 o’clock. His mouth was sore, and he had asked a policeman to take him to the hospital. Deceased had never given particulars of the two men who had given him a drink. The medical evidence was that the cause of death was malnutrition following on the results of the cerosion of deceased’s throat ' by the acid. ! 'i lie coroner adjourned the inquest sine ; die.