INQUEST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 153, 23 July 1901, Page 2

INQUEST.

An irqusat was held at the Hospital on M nday afternoon before Mr R. L Stanford, Ooroaer, touching the death of Pater Petersen, which occurred at the Hospital on Sunday as the result of the accident chronicled in the News on Saturday morning. The jury cemprised the following:—Messrs A. A. A«ibiidg< (foreman), J. H. R«-vell, Wa. Roberts, Wm. Mclndoe,E. Armitage and J. G. Harker. After the jury bad viewed the body i f the d> o ased, the first ovid»nce called .was that of Dr. Leatham, who stated that deceased war brought to tho Hospital on the evening of Friday, 19th July, and witness attendid hi® immediately and found h ! m to be suffering from broken ribi, Tbe left lung w»s alsi irjursd »y the fracture-'1 ods of tbe ribs. Petersen was suffering much pain, and vory considerably from shock. Witnesi saw him dsi'y, and oo Sunday evening about 8 o'clock found him to be in a dying condition Death was due to the injury of tho lungs producing pneumonia. Deceased told witness fcbat h'. had goi out of the trap, and while gettiog in again the horsd moved on, being a bit lively, and knocked him! down. In witness's opinion it was provable the wheel went over him. A. S. Petersen, wife of deceased, staled that he was in his 72nd year. Her busbiud left home at Waitara tbout 9 o'clock last. Friday for New Plymouth, with their own horse and trap. The ho se was restive, and had run away befo.e. Bbe next saw deceased in the hcspital on Suuday after 1 ooo". He told her he had got out of "he trap, and oa his gettii g in agaio it shied at>d bucked, and after that he slid he knew no more.

J. Holme j , foreman, siid he saw dt-ceased driving along by Fitzroy tin Friday aftenoon. He seemed to be much in hie uu 1 condition. Liter wim«Bi went towards his home at Bsll Block, and found decease ! lying on the rojd. He was motionless, and witnei* moved him to the t-ide of the road. Witn ss went oa a.id met Mr Sampson, who said 'hat a hone and fart bad gone on without a driver. Witness went back to deceased, who siid he knew biui, and then wai'ecl UDtil Resistance came ulonp. D-iceafed raid he w»s in great psiti. Thos. Sampsoo, farmsr at Block, gave evidence of seeing deceased driving past by tUe Waiwakaih> bridge. He was all right, and bad 6ontrnl of th* lierse which was going aljng at a steady pac«. Witness saw him again by the roadside, about a mil» from where he passed witness F)e did not see thi ho se cr trap. Gi'o. Waters, cordial manufa-turer, s'afed he was coming in from Ssntry Hil on Friday eveiinp, and with others found deceased's hers-j and trap «n tbe road, about a mile from wher# he was lying. Trie horse was going towards Waitura Witness saw deceased lyiug by t.be load side, Deceased s*ii nothing. He wis lying jost at the *op of the Mane&one hiil. To a Juror: Witness did no 1 ; notice any about tbe body which would indicate that a wheel might hsive gons over him. , \ Herbert Ballot t, carrier of Fitzroy, gave evidence nf driving deceased to the Hospital. Had known deceased a number cf years and had never eeen him 'he w owe for drink. Tha jury, without retiring, returned a vtiJio* of aeeMont.il death in accordance with the evidence, no blame being attachable to anyone.