The Reporter.

Southern Cross, Volume 14, Issue 52, 6 April 1907, Page 11

The Reporter.

FOUND. DEAD

Samuel Hay Warnock, aged 36 years, in the employment of Messrs It. T. Carswell and Co., was found lying dead in a sitting-room in Deschlor’s Hotel early on Sunday morning. At the inquest, held before Mr W. B. Scandrett, on Monday, David Warnock, Bay Road, deposed that deceased was his brother, and that before entering the service of Carswell and Co. ha had been travelling for a firm of wine and spirit merchants for seven years. Witness last saw him alive on the afternoon of Good Friday, when he said he was going for some medicine. He was somewhat addicted to drink.

C. A. Ross, merchant, deposed that on Saturday afternoon deceased called at his office, and said he had come from Bluff. He had two bottles of whisky with him, and was a little the worse of drink. He left an hour iater with Mr De Reya. About nine o’clock the same night witness saw Warnock at Mrs Jolly's hoardinghouse. He was asleep, and witness who tried in vain to rouse him, considered that his condition was due to the effects of liquor. Witness returned at 12.30 a.m. on Sunday and woke deceased, who talked rationally, and was not like a man under the influence of liquor. They went to Brokensha’s fish saloon accompanied by two friends of deceased’s, named Montague and Price, but failing to get. either oysters or soft drinks, went to Deschler’s private hotel, where deceased said he usually staged. Witness, after seeing Warnock go into a sitting-room, loft the place. Deceased had periodical spells of drinking, usually lasting about a week.

'C. Do Reya gave corroborative evidence. He stayed at the hotel, and y'as called between seven and eight Sunday, and found deceasc'd L ing dead in the sitting-room. John Alex. Montague, labourer, stated that he and Warnock lay down on a sofa in the sitting-room, and when witness woke in the morning Warnock was lying on the floor. Witness woke him, and he told witness to leave him alone —that he was all right. Witness left, but returned in a few minutes. Warnock was breathing heavily, but appeared to be all right, and he (witness) then left the hotel at 6.30 a.m. Belore deceased went into the sitting-room ho he wont into another room, and taking a bottle of what appeared to be the medicine from his pocket, mixed it with water, and drank it.

Dr. Hendry deposed that he had made a post mortem examination. The stomach presented the appearances of acute poisoning, and the condition of the brain, was quite consistent with this, but the nature of the poison was not determined. The symptoms indicated any acute poison.

To the foreman ; Did the symptoms indicate alcoholic poison ? —Witness : No. They simply indicated any active poison. It will be necessary to retain the contents of the stomach if you wish to pursue the examination further. It will require a slldllod anaIvst.

The Foreman : Did the state of the liver indicate prolonged drinking ? .Witness : No, there is nothing- in the origans of the body to show that the man was a confirmed drunkard. Further questioned by the foreman, the doctor said that a man who was in the habit of having a debauch occasionally was more liable to alcoholic poisoning than a persistent drunkard. There was nothing to indicate what the medicine was that deceased was stated to have taken on Sunday morning.

(Tt was explained that the police had not come across any bottle, either on the deceased’s person or in the room ho had occupied.) Dr. Crawford also gave evidence. The Coroner Said that if the jury were not satisfied, the contents of the stomach could be sent to Professor Black for analysis. There did not seem any reason for suspicion that there had been foul play, or that deceased had committed suicide. After consultation, the jury brought in the following verdict : “That the evidence points to the conclusion that deceased, Samuel Hay Warnock, died from alcoholic poisoning.’’ RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR RAKAIA. The special express which left Christchurch at 10.45 p.m. on Thursday, March 28th, with a number of passengers for Ashburton and intermediate stations, collided near Rakaia with a train carrying volun-

teers to an encampment at Sheffield. The' crash of the impact was heard half a mile away. - The fronts of the engines/ wore smashed in, and the car and horse-box behind them were wrecked, one horse being killed. The driver and firemen of the Christchurch train and several passengers were slightly injured. Some time'before the collision a number of passengers shifted to a carriage further back from the engine' on the Christchurch train, and volunteers in the other train also left a carriage behind the engine. But for this there would have been great loss of life. It appears that the trains should have passed each other at Bankside, a small station four miles north of Rakaia, but the Christchurch train, after waiting there for a time (but without entering a siding as instructed) resumed its journey. The volunteer train waited at Rakaia, and then came on, with the disastrous results stated. In connection with the collision it has been pointed out to the Otago Daily Times that the special train advices at present issued to guards and enginemcn are far from satisfactory to the officials concerned. At times it is found necessary to amend the instructions issued,- and the guards and enginemen are notified of the alterations by means of supplementary circulars, the result being that on many occasions the officials have to study several advices, and have some difficulty in understanding what is actually required of them. Another disadvantage under which these men labour is that they frequently receive their* special instructions just as their train is on the point of starting its journey, and in consequence they have not a fair opportunity of. thoroughly acquainting themselves with their duties. At the last conference of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, hold about a year ago, it was decided to ask the general manager to give effect to resolutions bearing on this matter, but he refused to do so.