INOUEST.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 12287, 21 September 1897, Page 2

INOUEST.

The adjourned inquest into tha cireumst»nc63 attending tho death of John Pottar, which occurred at the Hospital on the 16tfe, was hold yesterday afternoon bafora Mr Kettle, District Coroner, and the following jury : -Wiiliam Cse (foreman), J. Cronin, T. Armstrong, W. Watson, T. Moody, and W. fllcOormack. Coßßtabla Moon appeared for tha police. Dr Connolly, oae of tha Hospital surgeoas, Eftid the deceased cams in by ( ha night train on thb Bth, whon tha night nurse telephoned for witness. Witaoss found tbo d«ceased semi-consciou?, and he remained so until he died, on ihe 16' M. Dfcsassd appaarad to be suffering from some depression on the brain but, not kaowing anything About him, witaess could net definitely say what was the matter witfe him. Witness was unable t* muke anything out of the deceased, ivhose remarks ware nninteUigibla. He could never make oat whst the man m*aed to convoy. Witness considered ka either bad a tamor on the right siis of the braie or else suffered from apcpUxy. Witness mad« a post mortem cxamiaatioa. On the right aide of tho bruin ho fonn«l a clot of blood, due to apopiaxy. He seemed to have had a second attack, for there appeared to be a fresh clot ue*r the other. In his opinion, tha cause of death was apoplexy. It was imprudent, in his opinioo, to aencS n man in tha decea ßed's condition all that way by train. Witness would not hare sent him on auch a journoy. He formed tbe opinion when he saw the man — not that he had been a man addicted to drink, and tbe post mortem var.fisd that opinion, even out si ie tho apoplexy altogether.

By the foremnn— He did not, from the first, think the man could recover.

Andrew Stepheuson, of ' Maneawelra, who had known the deceased for the last

18 months, said he was a brickina^er by trade, was not married, and had no flxad place of tbode. The deceased had been

working for witusEß some four mouths ago, and after about four weaka witness

paid him off. He paid him part of what ha owed him in Maahan'a Commsrcial

Hotel Five weeks subssijaantly, witness pbw him af>ain, at his (witaer-b's) wUnr?, and he eomplniaed of being bad. The de-

ceased had, in the meantiiro, been working for Jim Hammond, Ihe deceased eaid he had la grippe, and did not acpaar the puine man. He ptaysd at witness' p?ace that day, and next morning went airay, faying ha would be ba-ik in a fortnight to mak=) witness a VVu of bricks. The nest thing witness saw of h ; m was at his whare again, a little more than a.

weak later, when witness f jund him sitting on the bank. Decea ed said, " I feal bad "and threw the piece of bread and rafat he waa eating on the floor, saying, " I can't eat it." That gave witness the impression that he had been drinking. He was a heavy drinker. He got his drink where he could, but witness nerer saw him get it other than at &i hotel. Daceused u«ed to go io Ohingaiti fo* his liquor. Witness told him t j go to bed, and hedid.Deeeasedgi-oatiedsU nij»hr,>»nd next tnocning asked witnoss to go down to tha chemist to got htm some medicine for hi 3 head. Witness told him that he had ho money to gee medicine for him, as, being under the impression that he had been drinking, he thought a good sleep would put him right. A little later a man , named" JftcV Smith, wfo knew deceased, came into the whare, and said he knew that he had been suffering from la grippe. Witness then wout and bought a bottle of eucalypti, and gave him a doss. While witness -vas away, the man shifted from witness 1 bunk to tho bad, and then witness saw that the man was really sick and ' bad. Witness asked him if he had been drinking, and he replied that ho had not, that he had had onlj three or four drinks at Ohingaiti, and that aa he could not get a bed there he had come to his (witness') place. Witness went down for Gower, tha chemiEt, who came up and examined him, after which witness, under Gower'a instructions, administered the medicine prescribed. That was an a Friday, and on the S"atnrday_and Sunday ths man seemed about the "s'a"me;~"Ss--coulda't eit, and was continually craving for a drink. Wifcnms gave him tea and beef tea. On the Sunday, at deceased* wish, witness went for Goner, who again came out-. Witness* place was 8 fow chains of Maugaweka, where the chsmist resided. On tha Mondiy deceased seemnd to take a terrible change all at once, and became dalirioun. Witness a?ain f arched tho chemist at about 10 o'clock that night. Witness, before he went down, asked tha docoased if he had better not get to the I Hospitul, and he eaid that he would. All that night witness sat up with him. Dr. Smith came up aboui 5 o'elook on the Monday, but could miita nothing out of him. Witness asked the doctor about the Hospital, and the latter replied that if the man stayed whera he was ho would never recover. The doctor did not kaow exactly what was the matter with the man, and said that witness must get him to the Hospital as eosn as possible. Witness I hen detailed how tha decsaasd was placed on the train at Mangionoho. The deceased was a splendid worker, a hard drinker, earned a good deal, and epjnt it in drink. Witness did not know of any relatives or friends of deceased.

Cbarles Knight gave evidence ad to bringing the deceased down to the Hospital from MaHgaonolio, Tbia being all the evidence, the jurj returned a verdict of daath from natural cau?e3.