INQUEST.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1450, 9 October 1878, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday at the Mitre Hotel, Lyttelton, before J. W. S. Coward, Esq., coroner, on the body of Franz Schmidt, who was found dead at Port Levy. Mr F. Graham was chosen foreman of the jury. Andrew Jansen sworn said—l am a hushman. Deceased has been working with me about five weeks at Mr Fleming’s, Port Levy. On Friday last I left Port Levy with deceased, and came to Lyttelton, arriving at 2 p.m. I camo to pay some money to Schmidt. Wo went to town together, and returned to Lyttelton same night, and stopped at Charlie Miller’s Boarding-house. On Saturday morning deceased and myself went over to Purau in George Messiter’s boat. I left Schmidt in Purau, because he was too drunk to go any further, I then went on by myself to Port Levy, arriving there on Saturday afternoon between 3 and 4 p.m. I next saw deceased on Saturday night. I do not know at what time. Ho camo into my where where I was drinking with a man named John Wilson. Deceased was not drunk when he came in. The next morning Schmidt and myself were drinking. We drank till three o’clock that afternoon. I was so drunk I do not recollect anything that took place from three in the afternoon to twenty minutes past eleven o’clock that night. My wife then wanted to go to bed. Deceased was in my bed, and I was lying behind him. She said to me, “ I think there is something wrong with Fred. His hand is stiff.” When I heard that I jumped out of bed, anj saw deceased lying on his face,. 5 ’Was’ then quite sober. I turned byn over, and found he was quite dead and stiff, so I went down for three men living close by, and wo moved the body into deceased’s own whare. There was a little frothy blood round his nose. Loespino Jansen, wife of last witness, sworn, said—l am living at Port Levy with my husband. On Friday, Schmidt and my husband went to Port to go to Christchurch. I in Port Levy. Both were sober they left. On Saturday, about 3 jure., my husband returned. Schmidt was not with .hiip. tie returned at 3 a.m, on Sunday morning. He was then soqcv. Ho stayed half an hour, and they wont to bed in his own house. At six o’clock that morning ho came to our wharo again, stayed half an hour, and then went back again to bed in his own house. Between 10 and 11 a.m, he came to our place for dinner, and afterwards he and my husband eat drinking brandy. They drank two bottles.

At three that afternoon deceased asked my husband if he wanted another drink, and when ho replied “No,” Schmidt filled a pannakin half full of brandv, drank it off, and then fell back asleep. My husband was half drunk at this time, but wo tried to get deceased to bed. We got him on to the bed, and about half an hour after my husband went to bod too, and slept till eleven o’clock that night. At that time I noticed one of Schmidt’s hands hanging out of bed. I felt it, and found it cold. I then called my husband. I said, “There’s something wrong with Schmidt,” and my husband got up at once, and said he thought he was dead, and turned him round. Deceased was lying with his face down on the pillow when my husband went to him. My husband then called three men who were living near, and they carried deceased into his own whare. Deceased did not often get drunk. When my husband and myself put deceased on to the bed, we placed him face down ; we could not get him to lie any other way. I was in the house all the afternoon. Deceased never stirred after we put him in bed. Ho was sleeping all the time till I found him dead. We could not get deceased to lay in any other position on the bed than on his face.

J. T. Rouse, sworn, said—l am a duly qualified medical practitioner. I made a post-mortem examination of deceased. There were no marks of external injury at all, the features were bloated and livid, tongue protruding, and skin over the chest and abdomen livid. There was a little bloody froth about the nose. The right lung was very small, and adhered over whole surface, the result of disease. Left lung larger than usual, without adhesions, and congested throughout; bleeding freely in every part when cut into. The heart was healthy, but there was fluid blood in right side. The stomach was very large, distended with wind, and contained full meal, partly digested. The other organs were healthy. On the left lung were the spots that are the distinctive marks of death by suffocation. The cause of death was, in my opinion, suffocation. The jury returned a verdict, “That deceased was accidentally suffocated whilst in a state of drunkenness.”