Auckland.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 465, 28 March 1867, Page 3

Auckland.

ANOTHER DEATH FROM DRINKING. Ws take the following account of a coro ner’s inquest from the New Zealand He raid of the 7th instant

A coroner’s inquest was held at the Castle Hotel, Symonds-street, before Dr. Bliilson, district coroner, and a jury of twelve, of whom Mr. John Walters was chosen foreman, to enquire into the circumstances attending the death of Catherine Kelly, the wile of a soldier of the Military Train, who died suddenly on Tuesday evening. John Kelly, husband of the deceased, deposed : —I am a private in the Military Train, and am at present employed as servant to Major Witched of the same corps. My wife lodged in a house, the property of Mr. Samuel Clarke, in Albert Clarke, in Albert-street, Newton. I think deceased’s aue waa about 3d. We had been married about twelve years, and had no family. 1 always slept at home. Yesterday I went home to dinner at about 2 o’clock, at which time the deceased had my dinner prepared for me. After taking dinner together, at which we had some rum and water, we went down the town. She drank two glasses of rum and water, and 1 drauk about the same quantity. Wo had a bottle of rum in the house. I had the bottle locked up in a bos, the key of winch was in my possession. After dinner we walked to town to procure water-melons 'for Major Witchell. We went by the barracks round the barrack-wall, and at this |spot deceased appeared as if under the inifluence of liquor, staggering about. She j did not complain of illness. 1 succeeded jin getting her down to Chancery-street, where I took her into the Lion and Lamb I public-house, and laid her down on the 1 floor in a back room, where she fell off j asleep. I considered her drunk at thai I time. She may have had more rum than !the two glasses at dinner, but i did not 'observe her taking any besides. Sue was! 'easily affected by drink. Before leaving) 'tier in the public-house 1 went into thej ibarracks, leaving her sitting down outside. I las she was too drunk to accompany me. JI remained with her till about eight o’clock! when 1 went out and hired a cab for live! jbhihings. I hud given her one glass ol Deer in the Lion and Lamb shortly after igoing in. I had culled for the beer my-' I self, and while 1 went to pay for it she idrank it. The cabman assisted me in' j placing her in the cab. She was not dead ! then, but appeared to be fust asleep. I sat I beside her in the cab, and we drove borne. 1 On out arrival, the cabman assisted me to i lift her out of the cab and to place her |inside the fence, from which spot another, 'man assisted rao to place her on a bed ■ jsJhe continued apparently last asleep, li Ido not know the cabman’s name. Thej I man who assisted me to bring her in is I j named James Coulou, wiio lives in the I 'house. We examined her with a candle, iaud she appeared to be dead. Conld not fled any pulsation at the wrist, and there was no breathing. I then ran for Dr. Tomlinson, surgeon of the Mini ry Train, j who came at about nine o’clock, and pronounced her dead. There was also a man named Masters lodging in the house, but !l do not think he saw deceased. My i opinion is that drink was the cause of j death. She had been addicted to drink during tbe last ten years. She would i drink any kind of liquor, rum or beer. She enjoyed very good health, and I never new her to be ill. She had not complained of any illness lately, or of the heat of the sun. " I noticed a discoloration of the right eye this morning, but I cannot tel! | how it occurred. I did nut strike her. I 'think I gave her a box in the face while in 'the public house on a rcount of her taking | the drink, as I considered she had drunk 'quite sufficient. I was not sent specially tor the water melons, but Miss Witchell being aware that I was going to procure ration meat from the butchers, requested me to bring back tho melons. Peter Pope Fagg, landlord of the Lion and Lamb, public house, Chancery-street deposed: —Deceased and the last witness came to my house, at between five and six! o’clock yesterday. The man was perfectly' ■sober, but the deceased was a little the! iworse for liquor. They walked into thej bar together, and deceased sat down and j j remarked to me that I was not to give herl 'husband any mere drink. They sat talk-, ing for about ten minutes or a quarter ol; -an hour, and then the husband came up toj I tho bar and called for a pint of ale and o ; ; bottle of soda water. The later bo gave to jthe woman, and the beer he took into a i private room. Ho then came bscic for deceased and she followed him into the (room. He returned to the bar and paid 1 for the drink and went back returned a second time to the bur, savins [That his wife had drunk tbe beer, and • loalled for a second g!«s». After this he iretumed to the room. I saw him sating i jsome little time smoking his pipe, his wife j lying on the floor. After smoking, he lay

down on the floor beside his wife. They! remained in my house about two Lours,' during which I observed him trying to] arouse her several times. It was about 8j o’clock when the cab came to the door, 1 and the cabman and Kelly removed de-l ceased into tho cab. I do not know the! cabman’s name, but I have frequently seen jhim, and know him to be respectable. 11 did not notice what state deceased was jin when she was removed, as I was busy | behind the bar. I heard the cabman say j “ will sho sit beside us ? ” and the man said “ no, we must lay her down.” It was an express waggon, but I do not know 1 IiOW ClvCCSwwd w.os i>iacea in if. T m>VHr i saw deceased or Holly before to my knowledege. I observed no violence during their stay in my house, and there was no quarrelling, ercerit, that the man was remoustatiug with her for drinking so much' I remarked a slight discoloration below one of her eyes when she came into xnv i J * i aouse.

Ernest John King deposed : —I am an express driver, residing in St. George’s Bay, Parnell. At about 7.30 last evening I was proceeding home when Ilia man Kelly hailed me iu Queen-street. He requested me to drive to the Lion and Lamb and to convey his wife thence to his residence near the Catholic Chapel, as the was unable to walk. I found her lying in a drunken state bfhind a screen. Slithad been vomiting, and was iu a state of beastly intoxication. I taw the landlord behind the bar, at which 1 drank half a pint of beer. 1 assisted iu placing her in too waggon. islm was breathing. We placed her on her right side, on the flour of ihe waggon, with her head towards thej horses. There was no straw in the waggon, ] but I threw a horse doth over her, and] remarked that she was still breathing like; a person iu sleep. The husband was not! drunk. Ho took his seat at first beside me on the box, but as we were crossing out of High-street into Sliurtland-streel, he fell' oil’the box into the road, through a sudden! jolt of tho waggon in the gutter. Wc’ reached his house at about 8 o’clock, and; I assisted in removing tho deceased to the 1 end of tho house on to some grass. 1 eould not see her face, but observed that she breathed heavily. 1 had no suspicion that site was in a dying state. (Ju the way the husband remarked that his wife had been drinking, that it Lad overcome her, and that ho was glad to got her home. I put the nose bag and part of the horse cloth under her head, which were quite' sufficient to protect it when the jolt occurred.

James Coulou deposed ; I am a shoemaker, living in the same house as that in which decease resided, I have known deceased and his wife about two months, and have not seen any ill-feeling existing bstwen them. 1 never saw Kelly the worse fur liquor, but have frequently seen the deceased fo. the wis sober at about noon yesterday. Never knew her to be sick except from drink. At about 8 o’clock last night I heard a conveyance drive up to tbe gate ; which was afterwards opened and some persons came in. I was at work in my own room with another man named Masters. I remarked to him that 1 thought there was something strange in the affair, and he expressed the same opinion, and went out to see what was going on. I saw Kelly come in alone, and go into his own room. He remained there about a minute and then went out. After tho lapse of haifau-hour he came and beckoned to me to follow him outside. I did so, and he said he had the woman lying under the verandah. I did not observe whether she was breathing. 1 do not know where he went during tho halfhour that ho was absent, it was about a quarter to nine when I assisted to remove Lao woman into the house. It was too dark to perceive iu what position sho was lying under tho verandah, but I am certain ishe was alive. YVe placed her on the Led, and at that time I could not perceive any sign oi her breathing. I then felt her pulse, and found it beating very weak. Ten minutes after carrying her iu it was evident that life was extinct. Kelly seemed to be deeply affected, and said something to (he effect that ho thought ii would end in that. None but Kelly and I were present at the time. Ido not think that Kelly is blameabla. 1 have always observed him treating his wife kindly. Dr Tomlinson came at about half-past nine. Verdict: “Diedfrom excessive drinking.”