SAGE'S LANE FATALITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1218, 29 August 1911, Page 7

SAGE'S LANE FATALITY.

THE INQUEST, The ccToner's inquest touching the death of John Win. Long, who died on August 21 last from tho effects, it was alleged, of a blow delivered by William Francis Downian, during a fracas which occurred in Long's backyard in Sage's Lane, was concluded before Dr. A. W. M'Arthur, S.M., District Coroner, yesterday. Downian, it should be noted, was subsequently arrested on a charge unlawfully wounding. The principal witnesses were Drs. Fyffe and M'Lean, Mrs. Long, wife of the deceased, Thomas M'Gregor, and Detective M'llvency. Dr. M'Lean deposed that the general appearance of Long, whom he was summoned to attend, suggested alcoholic fits. The knowledge (hat he had had a fall might havo led him to a different conclusion. He was dangerously ill, and lie 'told Mrs. Long that her husband might not come out of the fit . The abrasion on the man's forehead was not sufficient to cause death. , Dr. Fyfte's evidence was to tho ellect that the cause of death was fracture ot the skull on the right side, with rupture of the middle meningeal artery, causing compression of Hid brain, and so death. Certain marks on the face led him to conclude that the man had been {tenting. Alico Long, tho widow of John William Long, said that her husband went to work as usual en the morning of Saturday, August 19, and, as far as she knew, he was then in good health. Ho didn't come home to lunch at the expected time, but reached home between 3.30 and -1 p.m. He camo alone, and he was drunk. U hen he reached' home Downian and Thomas M'Gregor wero in the kitchen with her. They had their meals at her house. They had had their dinner, and whilst her husband was having his dinner Dowman and M'Gregor went to their hut at the back of her house. When Long had finished his meal he went to the hut, and about a quarter of an hour afterwards she heard a noise at the hut. She saw her husband coining from the hut with an axe in his hand, and from this and the noise she judged that he had been smashing a washing copper. He said he had not dono it; Tommy had done it. By Tommy ho meant M'Gregor. M'Gregor then came out of the hut and said "I'm not going to take the blame Jack. I didn't do it." Long then struck M'Gregor in the face. She-pushed Lou<; away from M'Gregor, who was a cripple, and Long then came with his clenched fist tn hit her. Dowman came to intervene, and pushed Long away. Long banged against the wall of the house and then fell on to the brick surface of tha yard. He lay there for two or three minutes, and M'Gregor and Dowman then carried him into the house. ■ It was then about halfpast four. In the evening she, Dowman, M'Gregor, and the children went to tho pictures, and they all went home together. She then sent for Dr. Shand. Shortly afler sho sent for Dr. M'Lean, Dr. Shand not being ablo to come. By that timo it was nearly noon. Dr. M'Lean arrived about S o'clock. She retired about midnight, leaving Dowman, who had agreed to sit up on watch, in tho kitchen. She was "up and down all tho night," and during that time her husband remained about the same. She finally got up about i o'clock, at which timo liev husband had stopped groaning, and told Dowman, who was asleep in tho kitchen, that her husband looked as though he was dead. Downian spoko to her husband, and got no response. About 5 o'clock she sent Dowman for Dr. M'Lean, who did not come. Sho thf-n dispatched M'Gregor to the. Mount Cook Police Station, and two constables arrived about G o'clock, and a little later about 7.30 a.m.—had tho body removed to tho morgue. No doctor had seen her husband since Dr. M'Lean's first visit on Sunday evening till his removal to the morgue on Monday morning. Witness related that sho had a conversation with Mrs. Cochrane before her husband died, and told her that her husband had hit Tommy, and ; that she,.had She did not say that Dowman "had knocked her husband down."

To Mr. Jackson, her husband, was a djiaivy drinker, and when drunk was violent. ,Had Dowman not appeared on the scene at the tirao of the disturbance, her husband would hare struck her. Thomas Chalmers; Leslie M'Grcgor, a labourer employed in Luke's Foundry, and residing nt 17a Sage's Lane, corroborated the evidence of tho previous witness. Detective-Sergeant M'llveney gave evidence as to interviewing Dowman on August 21, and read a statement which Dowman had signed. In this statement, Dowman said that ho went to work with Long on the morning of August 19. They finished work together, were paid, and afterwards visited several hotels. Dowman went homo first, and Long returned homo later in the nfternoon. Subsequently Long battered the coDper with a hammer, and on his wife coming out and asking why ho did it, Long stated that M'Gregor had done it. He then struck M'Gregor, and was about to strike his wife when Dowman pushed him, and he fell to the ground, striking his head on \ the side of the house in falling. Tho coroner returned a verdict as follows:—"My opinion coincides with the opinion of Dr. Fyffe, who held that the cause 'of death was a fracture- of the skull on the right side of the head, with rupture of tho meningeal artery, causing concussion of the brain, and so death. I am further cf opinion that (his fracture was caused, by a blow administered by Win. Francis Dowman in a dispute between him and deceased. I am further of opinion that Wm. Francis Dowman was aggravated by tho deceased before he delivered tho blo.w, which was not given with any intention of causing serious injury to tho deceased, and - probably given to prevent deceased from assaulting nis wife.'

The coroner added that Dowman ha probably acted a. manly part in the affair.