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John Harbourd, on his oath, saith as follows: lam a prisoner awaiting trial in the Invercargill Gaol. I last saw deceased, John Wilson, alive yesterday morning, about 9 o'clock; he was in his cell. We spoke together ; he seemed about the same as usual. Thomas Edward Armstrong, on Ms oath, saith as follows : I am a prisoner in Invercargill Gaol. I have known deceased for two months. Have heard him complain several times. Had a conversation with him on Sunday last, 4th April. He was lying on the floor in the washhouse. I asked him if he was worse. He said, " Tes ; very much." He said they would have to carry him out of the door feet first very soon. I asked if he had not better see the doctor. He said the doctor told him he was " gammoning." I asked him if he would have a drink of tea. He said I would not be allowed to give him any. Allan Charles Toung, on his oath, saith as follows: lam a prisoner in Invercargill Gaol. I have known John Wilson for twelve months. I have heard him complain frequently of being ill. He was on different occasions occupying the same cell as I did. On or about the 22nd March he was out with the gang, and not able to keep up to time with the other men ; ho was behind with his barrows. Warder McKellop was with us. He said he must keep his time with the other men, or stop in the next day. He staid in. When I came in that night, I asked him how he got on. He went out with the gang on the 25th March, the day before Good Friday. As far as I remember, he was at work on the 25th March. He had his hands on his chest on that day, stooping almost to the ground. When he was moved from my cell he was put into the next cell to me. I heard him nearty every night moaning, and one night saying, "My God !My God ! " I heard the night-wardsman visiting him nearly every night. Last Saturday week, the 29th March, deceased told me he was brought before the doctor. On the same night he asked me for some of my medicine. He said he would lay his death at the governor's door, if he died. I have seen him begging tea of the cook, and hot water; he got it. I saw the cook give him tea in a pannikin. They always said he was scheming. He was not getting the nourishment a sick man ought to get. When we were coming home from work the last day we wore out —the evening of the 25th, I believe —in Warder McKellop's charge, I saw him lie up against the wall of the gaol with his hands to his chest, panting. Warder McKellop saw him. By the Jury : I do not think he saw the doctor on the 23rd March. Frederick Middleton, on his oath, saith as follows: lam a prisoner in Invercargill Gaol. I have been in the gaol three years come June. About three weeks ago, 16th March, deceased complained of being very ill, and wished to see the doctor. He told the warder he was not fit to work, and asked to be allowed to stay in; and the warder told him if he stayed in he would have to be locked up in his cell, on which he said he preferred to be out at work. He continued at work for a short time, but was very ill when he was out at work, getting worse during the last three weeks. He went out to work the day before Good Friday; he came in very ill, and said he was nearly dead. In the middle of tea Warder McKellop took him before the gaoler. From there he was taken to his cell and locked up —I should say as punishment. I was cook then, and half an hour afterwards Warder McKellop came to me and told me to put him on half-rations and no tea for the future. When I say half-rations, I mean No. 2 rations—our men not doing hard labour. From 25th March he never eat a half-pound of solid food —his rations were brought back as I gave them to him. I told Wheddon he ought to tell the warder of it, and he said he always did. He asked me to give him a little drop of tea, and I gave it him. This was on Sunday, the night before he died. He laid up for a week some time ago; he was locked up in a cell, and he said he would sooner go to work. The sth April, the day he died, was the only day he was allowed blankets and pillow ; they were taken out at morning and put in at night. It is usual to take away the bed-clothes in the day-time.

Colony of ") Informations of witnesses severally taken and acknowledged on behalf of our New Zealand, > Sovereign Lady the Queen, touching the death of John Wilson at the gaol at to wit. ) Invercargill, in the Provincial District of Otago, in the colony above mentioned, on Monday, the 12th day of April, 1880, before Henry McCulloch, one of the Coroners for the said colony, on an inquisition then and there taken on view of the body of John Wilson, then and there lying dead, as follows, to wit : — William Fraser (recalled), being sworn, saith : I produce rations scale for prisoners as provided by the regulations. If a prisoner is certified to 4>y the surgeon as being a malingerer, it is the usual practice to bring him before a Visiting Justice for pretending illness, under the 62nd regulation. I made no charge. I intended to make a charge when the Visiting Justices should come to investigate charges against other persons already on the book. The bedding of the deceased was not taken away from him at any time. On referring to the books I find ho did go out on the 25th March, contrary to instructions. ]STathan Potter, on his oath, saith as follows :lam a prisoner in the Invercargill Gaol. I have known the deceased for about five months—since I came into the gaol. I was in the habit of messing, sleeping, and working with him. I have heard him complaining of feeling ill several times. He said he had a pain in his chest. I never heard him at any time complain of ill-treatment from any of the officials of the gaol. I did not think the man was very bad. I never heard him complain of any illtreatment in the gaol. He ate his food as well as any of us. He was not a large eater. Horace Gooch Button, on his oath, saith as follows : I am a duly-registered medical practitioner, and medical officer to the gaol. I first saw deceased on 3rd September, 1879, and prescribed for him for a cough. I next saw him on sth March, 1880 ; he then complained of a pain in his chest. I made him take his shirt oif, and examined his chest carefully. I could find no indications of disease in any of the organs of the chest. I prescribed for him a blister on his chest. 1 saw him on the Bth, and he said he was better. I prescribed a tonic mixture. On 13th March I again saw him and repeated his medicine. On 15th I again saw him ;he said he was no better. On 17th I again examined him carefully all over the chest, back and front, and I could find nothing the matter with him, and on that day entered that he was quite fit to work. On 25th March I again saw him, and prescribed for him on