HOLIDAY MYSTERY

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1640, 6 January 1913, Page 6

HOLIDAY MYSTERY

9— -. . .MICHAEL MALONE. THE MAN WHO DIED IN GAOL. ! V NO OFFICER TO .BLAME. i ONE MATTER FOR DEPARTMENT. ■No light has yet been-let in upon the mystery attaching to the death of Michael . , Malone, who,dicd in' tho Terrace Gaol, on -: Thursday, last. -As previously reported,' Malono'had'been'arrested 'for drunken-l - ■ - uess twice within 21 hours. On New' Year's ■ Day he developed, symptoms of delirium tremens, but his doathy which : occurred during the following day, was eventually found to be due to compression of the brain following on haemorrhage caused by fracture of i the L sknll .and Tupture of tho meningeal artery. _ 1 ■ At-the, inquest (opened on Friday), Dr. i'W. Kington i>yffe had expressed the opinion that Malone had teen "done to, ' d(>ath." Proceedings were oonoluded liefore Mr.'.W, G. s ßiddell, '5.M.,: on Satur- ; ' day morning, the polico being represented by SuWnspector.';Sieehan,? r j s • ■<-. r.-i -j* ,v -:- : . Sergeant I'rehoy," who was in charge of ' the polico squad which wentv6n :,duty fat'-, ' .. 4.45 a.m. on December 31, gave evidence.' He stated that deceased had been bailed out from tho colls about 7 a.m. the 6ame; day. ' iThe Coroner : Did ho appear, to. .be; in a; , :V ' weak condition? . Witness replied in tho negative, and added that: deceased merely tooked like a man who had been' drunk the night be? ; .. . foro, and had slept' off 'the effects. Constable 'Miller,- at : Lambton Quay station,' was called; next ' 'Ho stated that when Malone was admitted, V, ' to bail on December 31 he watf sober,, and v, ablo to talk rationally. : He' had also, ■V; ■ been ablo to-sign his name three times. ;-A:- ' ' at the Wharf. ■ V ■ William C. Osborne, assistant-wharfin. ' !■. v per, who sent for .'.the '-polico .', to ',ar- > • v rest deceased on Deoember 31, detailed the cirdumotances leading up :to the arrest.- ' ' .Witness had been told that there .was a ' v man outsido tho urinal bleeding and iqoking ifor the worse for, drink. There was n polic£fbell; : ilnd 'witness-rang, this and BskedAtliW ; '6orisfiible to. ; tako fhe man bff. tho HaxJjour Board's premises. When .Malone- was being-removed- he was^feble to walk^-'Ho.ihumbled however, witness could not hear. Ho was bleeding profusely . ' .'.wX Sergeant Fitzgerald gave garding a'conversation which he had had with---deceased :'cti -Deoember. 30,; at ;the r • Queen's Wharf, -'i,Deceased/had.said: I am aU 'right; 'let mo go." Witness asked) what was .the .-matter, and .deceased replied that he'.had been drinking, and fad fallen down.- ' Ho gave his name as Michael Malone, his "occupation as labourer, and added that lift cqeqo ,from tho ■ King' Country, from, some place sounding. • like Waiouru. u.His appearance was that" 1 of a man who had been on a drinkinff bout. His oge would be about 45 ; On ' January 1. witness saw deceased in the *' wll3/&lohg>.with" other; prisoners,-but re-. ■ •: ceived <Ho- complaint from..him. K Subse- . quently, however, Constable Callery re^ i '•' ported that tho-man was a triflo . and-witness instructed .the - watchhoUse-keeper to watch . him carefully. \ • ' m:'-, Watching Him in the. Cells. : Constable Dyer, who -took .up in .•/ the >iitch-hous 9 ' at Larabton Quay, -Sta- . - a.m. on January!, said thati ■ he hact watched deceased, visiting-.him. at, frequent-intervals up■ till about,7 -a.m.,. - when .'he- deemed it advisable to removo, him. to the padded cell, as he appeared to be developing delirium ttemens. . Tho : only injuries whichvwitness noticed were on-'the-noso' and tho" left-cheek. ' At the Gaol—"Worst Case They had ■■i; .- • - Seen." : •%, >-. = ' . .. ' Ha'roH Riohardson. warder at the . toco Gaol, deposed' that, when: deceased was -admitted"to the gaol./ho. was ,ic a s^bad' : state'of•'collapse.', : 'He' appeared to' a - r ,have- been ,-badly knocked. about. Thero I •.'j were "bruises on his f ace,' both eyes were' J " black, and generally, he seemed as if ho. i had been,oh a,heavy drinking bout, and | ' .; "had. been:; through .the wars.' : --, , Sub-Inspector .SheehaVi: .Ij suppose .-in ' ; your experience you've seen yCaisss like this before? .v, ■ ; Witness, replied. that during , six years ■ ho had never seen a caso so-bad ns this.. When admitted to the gaol, prisoner was too far : for'his description to .bo I- .: ." M,' .. . . , ] . William .George BrownJ'acting-principal warder at tho-Terraco Gaol,, said de-. ceased's case..ivas, the worst which -'■seen-in twenty-threo years' experience ,in this country—and,he had seen some very & • bad - cases'-on the West Coast, of the ■ South' -- -i ." — 1 ' Surgeon and Clergyman Sent Foj> • • i.- J[e'r^mia:h'Charles Scanlon, gaoler.at the_ f •''■"' l Terraco Gaol,";'.stated'' that' .when 'he saw deceased 1 'on"-the "'mdrnihg'^' - of,,Janfianr;l,'.. !,. tho latter was in a^fry.bad state indeed, > - and witness-ati,nonce,-had, the,. surgeon ■ called. Th'e 'instructiims of'the, surgeon ■ to have the man-carefully were i earned * out. ' .The ' nlan '.was mutteT- ' " ing-prayers,' and. seemed to be a Roman ' ' Catholic,'so. witness sent for a' clergyiiian,. :: but.ihfl pri?pner A .too/far gone to, unr ; ■ dcrstand anything. All day on January . '2'there;were. ! ,twp orderlies (good 'conduct i ' '■ V prisoners):. constantly attending prisoner. ■ On the'everiing of 'that..day,';witness 'wai tiilkingaver. the .telephone,,to one. : of the \clergymen nt'. Boulcott Street regarding the prisoner, and had just put up the Tcoeiver when he was informed that the man had died. • _ , . . '■/. . . ' Sub-Inspector Sheehan: Tou havo an ■ ' objection toVreceiving thoso cases? , j : Witness replied that lie had very strong objection and had complained, times and again on the Subject. During tho - Christ-.- ' - mas holidays 'there; had Keen' five cases at. : . tho gaol—three iandi'two- wdmenf j;?;: •: .- otaly; we have'-'another c'aso at/the' pre» -sent time. ■ • Coroner's'- Finding—Police and Gaol : Officers not to Blame. This closed tho evidence and the Cor- ■ oner/-in.'giving his"-verdict, remarked that, tho matter had.,been, exhaustively; inquired into, i- Referring- to the"jnan's, • condition at the time of his second •ar-.: ■ Test, tho Coroner! "statedAthatXth'jj •ficial marks, andrbraises Co aid; not'.-be, regarded: as 6f.. : mucli co'nsequenie-"in ;'a irinri', who had.been r ai drink|ng boutnntil ho ivas" in ii condition'bordering on delirium tremeijs, for ho would doubts V ■ ■ less have' sustained a number-of falls. A-.', - • Tho main injury n'as 'hidden,"'rind if tho' doctors wera unable to; at fust; diagnose . , it, one could never expect tho' police constables •to sdspect., anything so serious. The evidence showed that tho man had : , eomo injuries.",when'first arrested and he, must have received more < between tho time ho was .liberated on! bail arid.lwheji ■ • he was arrested on the'second occasion. : There was no evidence that-the polico did other than-treat the man nronerly at any time and all the time. There, was conflict.of evidence.as tij.!his .appearance at the police* station varid- at : ,-tlio gaol. The, -hot^place ihnjcli roliance on that as on account of tho . injuries tho; outward symptoms might have developed quickly, Thero was no ■ direct as- to how the'man came ■ ; - to bo .knocked about..... All, that could.be * said was that- thej-policb': officials 'gave him proper attention, and the gaol officials did tho same. ' \ What to do" With Such Cases, ■V A verdict was returned iri accordance with the medical, evidence and oner then Svent to say: "The question has been raised-as to the treatment .- of delirium tremens: patients, and it eeorns to mo thatv'patients 'such as deceased, apart fromV the..fact that, they!' have other in juries,', shonld "reoeivo pro-'; ' per - nursing :and-medical attention—eveii thoii"h th'eir: condition be, brought about ' by their own behaviour. The hospitals refuse to take these cases and no doubt may have good* reason for doing so, but it is perfectly evident ,that there ought to bo some 'place.;.either; at the hospital or tho gaol 'Where -they./can. lwoive proi ." • por attention. "I: mentioned the matter - to the .fustics Department about six "■•months ago in the case of a delirium tiomens patient, who ultimately died,;nnd I propose to do so again in connection with this case."