SUDDEN DEATH

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20892, 23 November 1937, Page 5

SUDDEN DEATH

INQUEST ADJOURNED Alighting from a car on Saturday afternoon to open the gate to the Oplhi Reserve, Seadown, Mr John William Ritchie, a fish merchant, collapsed after walking several yards in the direction of the gate. He was dead when medically examined threequarters of an hour later. The inquest was opened yesterday and adjourned slnl die by the coroner, Mr H. Morgan, to enable the police to secure a record of the deceased’s war history from the Pensions Department. The party with which he was going to the Oplhi Reserve at Seadown, had reached the gate to the reserve about 3 p.m. on Saturday, said Charles L. Ritchie, brother of the deceased. His brother got out of the car, which witness was driving and walked about six yards towards the gate and collapsed. Witness thinking that he had fainted rushed to his brother's assistance. Witness then drove to the Seadown School and communicated with Dr Scannell, who arrived about three-quarters of an hour later and found life extinct. His brother, who had been treated recently for a poisoned finger, had not complained about feeling unwell, said witness. He was a returned soldier, and although he had been away for about three years he had not been injured. He had attempted to join the Navy at the age of 25 years but had been turned down because of palpitation of the heart. He had not complained of palpitations during recent years.

Lilian Margaret Ritchie, wife of the last witness said that she h. d treated deceased with cold water thinking that he had fainted. He had no. moved or groaned from the time he collapsed until the time of the arrival of the doctor.

Dr W. R. Fea, who performed the post-mortem examination, said that he had known deceased for about tea years. All the organs were in a healthy condition, with the exception of the heart and lungs. The heart showed a blockage of the left coronary artery and the lungs showed congestion due to the lesion in the heart. Death was due to coronary occlusion. The septic finger for which he had been treated had had nothing to do with death. Mr Ritchie, who was unmarried, was a member of the Timaru firm of Messrs Ritchie and Sons. He was a returned soldier and served with the 34th Reinforcements.