Inquest.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5193, 26 December 1884, Page 4

Inquest.

♦ On Wednesday afternoon an inquest was held at the Eoyal George Hotel, East Belt, before Dr Coward, Coroner, and a jury of 13, who chose Mr Thomas O'Connell as their foreman, touching the death of William Benjamin Kidman. After viewing the body, the jury heard the following evidence : — George Collier, licensee of the Eoyal George — Deceased came to my house on Monday afternoon about 5 o'clock. I have known him about six years. He was for years a steady hard working man, but when he took a drop did not know when he had had enough. When he came here he was perfectly sober, and said he was going to stay for a week or a fortnight, he did not know which. He was alone. He was a single man. He said he was not well. When I questioned him, he said he had been drinking a little and felt rather queer. He said he had come down five or six days before, and had been staying at Brown's boarding ' house. John Collier : I was sitting in the taproom about four o'clock yesterday afternoon when Mrs Collier came in and said, " For God's sake, father, go into No. 6 room ; there is a man there cutting his throat, or something." I went up, and found the door one-third open. I saw deceased, and a large quantity of blood on the floor. I ran back to the landing, and wished a doctor to be sent for. I went into the room, and found deceased working at his throat with a knife. I was under the impression that he was cutting his throat. I got hold of his two wrists and in a minute or so he dropped the knife produced on to the floor. It was an ordinary two-bladed pocket-knife, and he was using the small blade. He continued bleeding, more or less. He was speechless when I saw him first, and did not live more than three or four minutes. I looked at my watch, and it was 10 minutes past 4. I had tea with him on Monday, and I could see he had been on the " booze." He was otherwise quite well. I did not see him drink anything in the hotel yesterday. George Brown : Deceased came to my house last Thursday with a letter from Mr Mape (letter produced) ; it said deceased had been "on the spree," and that he (Mapp) would pay for a week's board and lodging, for deceased. I saw him, daily, till yesterday morning, when I saw the last of him at breakfast. He drank nothing intoxicating while with me, and did not appear the worse fo drink, except that his nerves seemed shaky. He had done his drinking before he came to me. He showed no symptoms of being out of his mind. The jury found a verdict — "That deceased died by his own act, but that there was no evidence to show the state of his mind at the time."