CORONER’S INQUEST.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1759, 9 October 1879, Page 2

CORONER’S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at 9 a.m. this morning at the Hospital, before J. W. Sr Esq., J.P. and coroner, on the body of Samuel I Saunders Baldwin, who was admitted as a patient into the institution lest Tuesday. Ajury having been sworn in and Mr Thomas - Pye chosen as foreman, the following avidence was taken. David Craig being sworn, said:—About twelve months ago I received a letter from a mercantile firm in Glasgow that a Mr Samuel l Saunders Baldwin, the deceased, would call upon me, and asking me to pay him £1 a ■ week for twenty weeks. He has drawn £l4 - of that, and had given an order on someone for the balance. I haven't seen him for six. months. When I first saw him he was a nice - gentlemanly looking fellow. I asked him if he was steady, and he said “ Yes.” Within a day or two afterwards I saw him apparentlyintoxicated in the hands of the police. MrWm. Henry Symes, medical practitioner, - said —I made a post mortem examination of the deceased yesterday afternoon. There were no marks of violence on the body, which, was fairly nourished. There was great rigor mortis. I opened the head, and found the brain congested, with an increased quantity of fluid in its cavities. I opened the chest, and found the lungs intensely congested, the heart fatty and degenerate in its structure. There were very strong old adhesions between the lungs and the side of the chest. The stomach was thin, and contained a small quantity of fluid. It smelt slightly of spirits. The kidneys were excessively congested. The liver was fatty. The immediate cause of the deceased’s death was congestion of the organs generally. The condition of the heart and liver was the result of the long-con-tinued use of intoxicating drinks. By the Foreman—There was no appearance or symptom of poison in the body. By Sergeant Morice—Exposure to such weather as last Monday night would have caused the congested state of the lungs, and I never saw so much congestion before.

John Hayes—l am a police constable stationed at Christchurch. On the morning of the 7th instant I received notice that there was a person lying in a paddock, insensible,, and couldn’t speak, in the Heathcote Talley. I went down at 8 o’clock in the morning, and; found the deceased in the Heathcote Hotel,, where ho had been removed 1 He was in a bed with bottles of warm water at his feet. He was quite insensible. I put him in the train and brought him to this Hospital. He had some papers about him which showed hi& name.

By a Juryman—The deceased had no money upon him, and no other property on his person except some hymn-books and a bunch of keys.

William Dale—l saw the deceased on Monday afternoon coming towards the valley from Heathcote bridge. I was working in my garden, and deceased stopped and spoke to me. He was carry ing a large parcel of books in his arms. I asked him, “ Have you had a break-down with your parcel ?” and he said, Yes.” I asked him if a little box wouldn’t be handier for him to carry the thing in, and he said “It would,” but that when he got to the railway station he would get a newspaper, and that would answer very well. He walked on towards the railway station, and that was the last I saw of him. The body of the man now lying in the dead-house is the person that I saw and spoke to.

Richard Pridgeon—l am acting house-sur-geon at the Christchurch Hospital. The deceased was brought to the Hospital about 9 o’clock on Tuesday morning. He was ap-

■patently in a dying state. He was unconscious. .1 had him put to bed, and in a few minutes Dr Townend saw him. The remedies for restoration were .applied, but deceased never rallied, and died about 6 o’clock on the same evening. . , _ Thomas Kilpin—l live in the Heatncote Yalloy. iOn last Monday evening I was taking my horses to the stable, aad saw the deceased lounging on the rail of a fence. He caught hold of it with his right arm, and fell down. I unyoked my bosses and went into the house to my tea. ;I left the man because I thoeght he was drunk. About an hour I came out again and went and looked at the man. H still thought he was drunk. He was making an awful noise in his throat. I could smell spirits on him. : I never did anything, but left him; lying there, and went away. It would be between , six and seven o’clock. _ I saw him the next morning, and he was lying in the same condition. A neighbor Mrs Incas, was with .me whenilrfirst saw deceased. £he left the. same time as me. The next morning, when,l was goingi to the shed I saw Mrs Lucas coming away from where the deceasedilay. She and .1 then went back to look at deceased. Mrs Lucas holloaed at him, but I did ,not speak. He.did not answer. I never saw him open his mouth. I think he wae .insensible. ,1 never -fpoke to him at all, either then or on the. previous day. I told no one about the deceased. Mrs Lucas told me she would tell some one. il told my father of the circumstance on the Monday night when I first saw the deceased. My father did not go to him that night, but he did the next morning. Where deceased .was lying was on the road.outside the.fence. John James Mumford—l am a .publican. I know the deceased Samuel Baldwin. He came to me two or three months ago. He was then in a frightful state from.drink and quite jpenniless. He begged of me to take him .in And save his life. Z did .take him in, on. con- . .dition that he did not touch a drop of intoxi- j eating liquors at all. I told him at the end i of a month that if he did not drink at .all I' would give him a salary. Just at the termination of the time he got some drink—a couple of fiasks of brandy from the bar —got, drunk upon it and made himself quite stupid for three or four days. I then told him 1 wouldn’t keep him in the house, as Z could not trust him. He then went away and returned in nine or ten days. He was then Suite sober and promised, if I would take im back, he would never touch a drop of liquor while in my house. I gave him a fortnight in which to prove his word, and u he kept it 1 promised to give him a weekly salary. He kept steady for the fortnight, but I observed that last Saturday evening he was too much under the influence of liquor to attend to the billiard-marking, and told him he had better go to bed. He saw Mrs Mumford, and told her he would go out for a walk. He then went out, and did not return until Sunday morning. By the appearance of his clothes I should think he had been in the open air all night. I next saw him that morning in bed in his room. He went out again on Snnday, and returned about 8 o’clock in the evening, and went to bed. I next saw him on Monday morning about half-past six o’clock. He came down stairs and was going about his work bb usual, and I told him I could not keep him in the house any longer as he hod broken his word so often. I gave him a gloss of ginger wine, and five shillings to take him on his way to the wool-works at Eaiapoi, as he said he understood that occupation. He then went to the pianoforte, packed up some music which belonged to him, and then went away. I never saw him alive afterwards. This was the whole of the evidence, and The jury returned a verdict, “That deceased died from congestion of the lungs arising from intemperance and exposure.” In recording the verdict of the jury, the Coroner told the witness Kilpiu that he and his father were greatly to blame that they had not removed th • deceased to a place of shelter when they fonnd him lying helpless and exposed. It would only have been an act of common Christian charity to have done so. In the absence of his father he would pot say so much to him (witness) as he otherwise should have done, but he hoped that he would tell his father of the opinion of the jury, and his (the coroner’s) remarks on his conduct.