INQUEST.

Dunstan Times, Issue 870, 20 December 1878, Page 3

INQUEST.

On Monday last, the IGth inst., an inquest was held at the Hartley Arms Hotel, Clyde, hj foe W. L Simpson, Esq. (cmenu) and a Jury of twelve, on the body of a Chinaman, who died suddenly on the Cro n-well-road, about three-quarters of a mile from Clyde, oil Sunday last, the 15th insfc. Mr Geo. Clark was chosen foreman of the Jury The evi lence was as f Hows : Ging Wall, miner, Nevis, on being sworn, deposed. I know the deceased man. His name is All Ket. Knew him for tinemonths. Ho was sick all the tin e I knew him. As ho did not get better, a-keil him whether ho wanted to see the doctor. He said he could not get better, but would be thank'ul to witness if ho could go with him to see the doctor. Ah Ket worked up to last Saturday week. Hu left the Nevis, accompanied by witness, on last Saturday 1 morning early. Got to Cromwell at dinner- , time the same day. We stopped in Crom--1 well on Saturday night, anil started for Clyde on Sunday morning. Ah Ket eit I on y a little rice from the time he left the Nevis until lie died. He drank large quantities of water. Whilst in Cromwell we stopped at the Chinese store. Started for Clyde at daybreak on the Sunday morning. Rested only once on the road before we came to the place were the deceased died. When about three-quarters of a mile from Clyde deceased said he could go no further. He ask' d witness to get a drink of tea for him. Witness came on to Clyde for the tea, and on returning to Ah Ket found he was dead. ■ Left the tea with deceased’s body, and on coining to Clyde ! asked the Chinese gardener to inform the | Police. The deceased had not taken any me licine all Hie time he was sick. De- , ceased complained of his legs and other I portions of his holy swelling. Chin Sing, gardener, Clyde, deposed—i Ging Wah, came to my store about 4 o’clock on Sunday afternoon last, and asked for som tea, and said he had a friend up the road very sick and tired, and so exhausted that I e could not walk. Gave him th - tea, and in about twenty minutes he returned an 1 said his friend was dead. Went and informe I the Police. Accompanied the Polio ito where the body lay Th- body wa#£brought down to where it I now lies. Henry Gordon, Police Constable, statinnel at Clyde, dop ned —Vtab mt 4.31) p.m on Sunday afternoon, the last witness came to me and said that a Chinaman lying on the rna 'side either very ill nr dea l. 1 went with him to where the deceased was lying and found that life was extinct. The spot where the decease 1 lay was about threequarters of a mile from Clyde on the Crumw -11 road. Perceive Ino marks of violence mi the body. The body was lying on its side. Had it conveyed to where it now lies. There was not any property on the body. Dr Leahy, qnalifie 1 medical practinner, Clyde, ''enosed—l have male a post m >rtem examination of the deceased, and found a goo'l deal of disease in the diff went organs. D-ath was came 1 by syncope and and exhaustion. Deceased’s organs were consi ’era'd diseased. There were four ounces of fl irl in the pirb-arliunt, ai 1 a consilera'de quantity of fluid in the abdomen. The kidneys were disease I. There were signs of old pleurisy of the right lung, nnl a good deal of attachment, the two pleural surfaces being attached all through. There were signs of past inflammation of the coverings of the brain. Considering the weather and the sta'c of health the deceased was in whi'st travel ing on foot, the long journey no doubt tended to hasten his death. 1 n his oninion. if deceased had'not imle-taken the journey ho would have been alive today There also was to be seen anasarca, that is. general dropsy, as well as.asbitcs. The verdict returned by the Jury was in •reeordance with the medical evidence, viz., “That deceased died from syncope and exhaustion, death being hastened by deceased having undertaken such a long journey on foot in such hot weather.