"DONE TO DEATH."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1639, 4 January 1913, Page 6

"DONE TO DEATH."

FATE OF MICHAEL MALONE. DR. FYFFE SPEAKS OUT. , MYSTERY STILL TO BE SOLVED. Plain dealing—very plain dealing—wai tho feature of tho evidence given by Dr Fyffe at a city inquest yesterday. . It appears now that Michael Malono who died at the Terrace Gaol on Thurs day evening, had received severo injuries but how he came by them has not yd been found out by the police. Decease* was arrested for drunkenness on Mondaj afternoon last, and bailed out at 7 o'clocl on tho following morning. He 6howcc signs of dight injury then, but, betwe'er that timo and the timo when he was ar rested later in the morning, he must hnv< received much more serious hurt. Tho evidence so far tendered at the inquest, held yesterday, does not throw any light on the subject. Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., presided,yesterday,' and Sub-Inspec-tor Sheehan represented the police. Dr. Ewart's Evidence Dr. Ewart, who was called to the Lambton Quay police station about 10 a.m. on New Year's Day to attend Malone, stated that deceased had sustained injuries about the face, ears, and other parts of the body. Ho was only, partially oon- ; scions, and was suffering from delirium tremens. ' His pulse was scarcely perceptible, and witness ordered an injection of. strychnine, and also ordered his removal. Witness N undc'rstood that the removal would be-to tho gaol. There were at tho time no symptoms to indicate fracture of the skull. .....,, Dr. Fyffe—"lt is Time this State of Affairs was Revealed." 'Dr. W. Kington Pyffe, who saw'deceased after his removal to.tho gaol,' discovered every, symptom of delirium tremens, and treated the patient. At 11 next morning witness rang up to inquire how Malono was progressing, and ho,was called to-tho gaol tho same day at 6.50 p.m. When witness first saw deceased ho made a note that "tho gaol was not the proper place to. treat such cases." ■•:■"■ The'coroner offered-the' suggestion that this was irrelevant. Dr.. Me.; -This is very,important, your Worship. . It is time that this state of afairs was revealed. The hospital'won't to tSf 6 u CaSe3 * a ,i!u d the eaol is no place, to treat them.. The man might have died at any minute, and it is not fair to he surgeon, not fair to the patient, and ten times unfair to the gaol officials! the coroner: I cannot understand why the question-has not been raised before;Continuing his evidence, Dr. Fyffe stated that, there was no bleeding S w^V''^ 0 ?°?»' '■""' taking ihfo : onsiderahon .tho fact, that the man was' Mdr knocked about- tho face, he /witiess) though that it was very probable that -hero were injuries and it was. desirable o have him watched. Ho told the-gaoler Wttf mI tho ' IM t T give instrucons that Malone was to.:receive attenlon, and be seen every, ten minutes. i 0^ n « r r mm l ff tlie post-mortem oxaminaKL °li f yJ l° rcad 'h« note, which Intw™ at ' de i?^ d ' was a ttSn-:.man. t ftjSffi? T e M black ' "d all the-skin of <« nv S( i he 80 / D nnd fI)0 ""dole of uo chin had been torn off. There were liZf f o "'°V an,] *rufee? bn lifferent parts'of the body-tho shoulder awes, elbows, and forearm, but no teeth rere knocked out. There were various enoiis injuries to the skull „„d brain/ larhcularly,,, the right parietal regie," hose included rupture of the ineningeal rei 7 and a fracture, of tho skull, tfiroe nd a half inches long, running obliquely hroug, the Parietal bono towards the md of the Anil,' Witness described the pndition of the other organs,- and menoned the f presence of alcohol , in the tomacb. The cause of death was comression of the brain .following on liaelorrhage, due ,to fracture of tho right' ariotal bono and rupturo of the middlo" lemgeal artery. .-

Passage Between Doctor- and Sub- V Inspector. ;■'-., In answer to Sub-Inspector-'Shooh'an, witness stated that deceased had fracture of tko skull from tho first time he was seen,' but there were no symptoms. That however, was easily explained. Tho.sub-Wspoctor: Would you account for it by the fall of a drunken man? Dr. Ij-ffo: I don't think so., That man's been knocked about. <- He had •' enormous injuries on both sides'.of tho head., It looks to. mo as if ho. hadrn kick to ,a blow from.some heavy weapon. T : , Tho Sub-Inspector i If "/deceased said that he fell ovor.a guy rope, on the wharf would that have caused the injury? ''■■■'• .Dr. Fyffe: It would'not have caused all those injuries. : Following a further question from the Sub-Inspector, Dr; Fyffe said:-I don't know why the police want to ask'me these questions, arid to always make out that it was an accident. The Coroner: Oh, you mustn't say that; "That.Man's Been Done to Death." Sub-Inspector Sheehan then said that ho did not want to make out anything. He wanted tho witness's honest opinion, j Dr.' I^ffe: Well, my honest. opinion' is' that that man was done to death. The Sub-Inspector: Why did ho make no , complaint? ■ ■ :, • ' Dr. Fyffe: Because ho was non compos ! mentis. . ... In answer to further questions, Dr Fyffe maintained that deceased's condition i was not consistent with that of a man' who had been injured • through rolling about when he .was drunk. Deceased was marked in twelve'or thirteen placos, ; and I those taken together were • very 6orious Witness knew that the hospitals would not take theso 'cases, and that was why ( ho wanted to bring tho matter before tho i public. There should be proper nccom- J modation at tho hospitals for these cases. 5 with male attendants. ~ Tho Coroner remarked \ that he -had ] taken the latter part of Dr. Fyffo's cvi- \ denoo, but considered:it irrelevant. 1 Arresting'Constable's'Evidence. • f Constable Groggan, who arrested Michael Malono, irtatod that on tho after- t noon of December 80 Molone was very drunk and sitting on Queen's Wharf with his:b'aok to the wall.- Ho was bleeding from the left cheek, and was quito helpless, j. Witness assisted him into tho luggage shed, tolephoned for a cab, and removed ? him to the lock-up. Ho was bailed out, and did not appear to answer a ohargo ■ of drunkenness nest morning. He was ? bailed at 7 a.m. About 11.20 a.m. tho 1 4, same day, witness saw Malono on Queen's Wharf again, and tho latter said ho had Cl tripped over a guy rope. His physical p condition was much tho same as when •' arrested the previous day, but. there was e ] a fresh injury to tho bridge of his nose. . Witness took him to the police station s ! on an express, but used no force, as s ! thero was no occasion to do so. Malono 'J was charged with drunkenness again. On " neither occasion did he make any com- C( plaint about being knocked about. .On cl the morning of January 1 Malone was ™ too ill to appear, and was remanded for &' medical treatment. Prom what witness could see of deceased on cither c ' ; witness did not think be was badly TC knocked about. Y Senior-Sergeant Darby, who saw Ac- h ceased on each occasion that ho was jitrested, considered his (deceased's) condi- m Hon was consistent with that of an m ordinary "drunk." When deceased was N> found to bo suffering froni deliriumtremons on January 1 he was made as -t jomfortnble as possible in tho padded cell f! until the doctor arrived. ~,j Sergeant Kelly, who was in charge of J tho night staff from 9 p.m. on December *° W ufttil 5 a.m. on December 81. declared . :hat when he saw deceased in the cell ho ?{ lotioed nothing unusual in jiis condition. J Constable Cnllory, wntchhousc-keepcr on , light duty, was of opinion that when he ! !v witness)' went off duty at i.V> a.m. en ln| December 31, deceased was quite sober, j?' md fit to be admitted to bail. Thoro " vns nothing unusual in deceased's condi- ?, n ion the following night, except that ho ■ ell over when taking a dTink at 4.15 n.in. m£ in January 1. v The faint only lasted • ibout two seconds, and when,witness lift- mr d him up, he (deceased) was all right. bei William Costello, warder at tho Ter- ter •aco ' Prison, also gave evidence., after Ji» rhioh tho inquest was adjourned until pu ,30 «j», to-dim* lan