THE ARMAGH TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 155, 26 March 1920, Page 8

THE ARMAGH TRAGEDY

't INQUIRY BY CORONER 10 nDS at M'NAB'S' DEATH CAUSED BY in - SHOCK alo The circunlstances of tho tragedj - e which occurred 011 the steamer Armagl: 011 Tuesday night wero investigated 63 ,t the District Coroner (llr. W. G. Rid id dell, S.M.) yesterday afternoon,,when ai: e, inauest was held touching tho death oi i-s liobert M'Nab, storekeeper of tho AYai--10 kawa.. 111 connection with this affair t g fireman named Benjamin Henry Bright stands indicted on a charge of murder. Chicf-Detective Ward conducted the inquiry 011 behalf of the police, and Mr, n A. B. Sievwright represented the accused igr Bright. i- William Thomas Young, general secretary to the New Zealand Federated Seaa. men's Union, gave evidence regarding the d identification of deceased's body. "Witness g had known deceased since about Octo1. ber. 1910. Deceased was single, 33 years d of ace, and was a fireman by occupation, y but latterly ho had been engaged as a e greaser and storekeeper 011 the steamei Waikawa. Alfred Farnsworth, able seaman, said that about 5 o'clock on'the evening of •- March 23 be had tea on board tho Ara niasli. About twenty minutes past 7 t lie was talking to Quartermaster Arme strons: at the gangway, when lie saw ;1 accused Bright and a friend come on - board. When a man named Collins ap- - noared <111 the scene in company with M'Nab, Bright said to Co'.lins, "Come here. Charley." Collins approached Bright. who hit him on tho mouth, knocking him down. Deceased M'Nab was leaning against .1 ventilator, smoking a cigarette, and Bright remarked to him. "What did you hold mo for?" f M'Nab made no reply, and 'Bright then > struck him on the face. Deceased foil ) to the deck, and while he was lying thore 1 Brieht kicked him on the body three 1 times. Accused and his friend waited t for aliout three minutes, and then walk- ' ed ashore. Witness did not see 'M'Nab v interfere with Bright. Accused did not " kick deceased very hard. 3 To Mr. Sievwright: Accused did kick 1 deceased, and did not stumble over the > body. ■ The night was dark, but the r deck was partially lit up by lights in tho > nllevwav. Collins did not speak to 1 Brieht first. No blows'were exchanged ' between Collins and Bright, for, after 1 Collins was knocked down, he said to ! accused. "I'm crook, I'll see you to-mor--3 row." Collins lay' on tho deck .for ! about seven minutes while Bright stood : over him. but no one intervened during ' that time. Tho wooden planks of the ; deck wero dry at the time of the incident. ' AVilliam John Armstrong, quartermaa--1 ter of tho Armagh, testified to seeing n * "bit of n. tussle" between deceased and ' Briffht. His attention had been at- ' traded before this by Collins exclaini- ' inc. "Don't hit me again, I'm crook." ■ "Witness saw .accused kick at M'Nab about- tlireo twines. M'Nab went back ' about, three vards before falling. When witness went along to M'Nab he groaned : a. little. To Mr. Sievwright: Witness, did not [ hear anything pass between Bright and 1 M'Nab before they began tussling He would not say that thero was much force 1 behind the kicks which accused administered to M'Nab. 1 1 Dr. W. Kington Fyffe, whp made a post-mortem examination of tho body of deceased, stated tliat he found a superiicial bruise, about an inch abovo the left eve. another over tho right eye, and thero 1 was a third bruise )>elow tho left knee. There was no fracture of tho skull or ribs, neither was thero any injury to ■the brain or- fracture, or dislocation of the neck. The only cause of death wit-' ness could eivc was shock. Deceased's stomach was full of food. To the Coroner: If a man was kicked over the solar'plexus when his stomach was full that might account for death. In l-enlv to Mr. Sievwright, witness stated that lie examined deceased's heart and found it to be sound. He could not find anv haemorrhage of the brain. A kick over the solar plexus 011 a full stomach would have to bo pretty hard to cause death. Plain-clothes Constable Tricklobank stated that, when arrested accused Bright denied liaviiy; been 011 the Armagh on the date of the fatality. The Coroner said ho did not propose to comment upon the ovidenco bccause tlie person who was alleged lo havo knocked • deceased down-was under arrest. The verdict would be that deceased died 011 the deck of the Armagh after b?ing knocked down and kicked by Beniamin Henry Bright, tho cause of death being shock,