Auckland.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 13, 1 April 1867, Page 73

Auckland.

ANOTHER DEATH EROM DRINKING. We take the following account of a coroner’s inquest from the New Zealand Herald of the 7th instant

A coroner’s inquest was held at the Castle Hotel, Symonds-street, before Dr. Philson, district coroner, aud a jury of twelve, of whom Mr. John Walters was chosen foreman, to enquire into the circumstances attending the death of Catherine Kelly, the wie of a soldier of the Military Train, who died suddenly on Tuesday evening. John. Kelly, husband of the deceased, deposed:—l am a private in. the Military Train, and am at present employed-as servant to Majqr Witchell of the same corps. My wife lodged in a bouse, the property of Mr. Samuel G|arke, in Albert Clarke, in Newton. I think deceased’s age was about 36. We had been married about twelve years, and had no family. I always Blept at home. Yesterday I went home to dinner at about 2 o’clock, at which time the deceased had my diuner prepared forme. After taking dinner to gether, at which we had' some rum and

water, we went down the town. She drank two glasses of rum and water, and I drank about the same quantity. We had a -bottle of rum in the house. I had the bottle, locked up in a box, the key of which was in my possession. After dinner we walked to town to procure water-melons for Major Witchell. We went bythe barracks round the barrack-wall, and at this spot deceased appeared as if trader the influence of liquor, staggering about. She diet not complain of illness. 1 succeeded in getting her down to Chancery-street, where I took her into the Lion and Lamb public-house, and laid her down oh the floor in a back room, where she fell off asleep'.'-- L considered her drunk at that time. Hbe muy have had more rum than the two glasses at diuner, but I did not observe her taking any besides. She was easily affected by drink. Before leaving her in the public house I went into the barracks, leaving her sitting down outside, as she was too drunk to accompany me. 1 remained with her till about eight o’clock, when I went out and hired a cab for five shillings. I had given her one glass 6l beer in the Lion and Lamb portly after going m. I had called for the beer myself, and while I went to pay for it she drar.k it. The cabman assisted me iu placing her in the cab. She was not dead then, but appeared to be fast asleep. I sat beside her in the cab, and we drove home. On our arrival, the cabman assisted me to lift her out of the cab and to place her inside the fence, from which spot another man assisted me to place her on a bed. She continued apparently fast asleep. 1 do not know the cabman’s name. The man who assisted me to bring her in is named Jameß Conlon, who lives in the house. We examined her with a candle, and she appeared to be dead. Could not find any pulsation at the wrist, and there was no breathing. I then ran for Dr. Tomlinson, surgeon of the Military Train, who came at about nine o’clock, and pronounced her dead. There was also a man named Masters lodging in the house, but £. do not think he saw : deceased. My opinion is that drink was the cause of death. She had. been addicted to drink during the last ten years. She would 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 tell how it occurred. I did not strike her. I think I gave her a box in the face while in the public house on account ofjier taking the drink, as I considered she had drunk quite sufficient. I was not sent .specially for the water melons, but Miss Witchell being aware that I was going to procure ratiou meat from the butchers, requested me to bring back the melons. Deter Pope Eagg, 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 worse for liquor.. They walked into the bar together, and deceased sat down and remarked to me that.l was not to give her husband any more drink. They sat talking for about.ten. minutes or a quarter oi an hour, and then the husband came up to the. bar and called for a pint of ale and: a bottle of soda water; The later he gave to the woman, aud. the beer he took into' a private room. oame’ ceased and she follpwed him into the room. : He returned; to the; bar and'paid

for the drink and went back again. 'He returned a seeofiff time to the bar, saying that his wife had (drunk .the beer, and called for a second glass. After this he returned to the room. I saw him sittihg _ some little time smbking his pipe, his wife - lying on the floor. 4 Aftet smoking, he lay down on . the floor beside his wife. -They remained in my house about two hours, during which I observed him trying to arouse her several-times. It was about 8 o’clock when the bab came to the door, and the cabman* and. Kelly removed do- ‘ ceased into the cab. I'do not know the cabman’s name, but I have frequently seen' him, and know, him to. be respectable./ ; .1 did not notice -what. state deceased was in when , she behind; the, bar. ..I heard the babman say; “ will she sit, beside' us ‘;and' J the' man' said “ no, we must lay her flown. 5 ” Tt'was an express waggon, but I do hot know how . deceased was placed in it. I never' saw deceased or Kelly before to my know-" ledege. I observed no violence/: during; their stay; in my house, and there /was ho; ' quarrelling, except that the ]mah' was re-' monstating, with.heir for.drioking'so much* I remarked a slight, discoloration below one of her eyes when she came into my house.

Ernest John King deposed :—I am an express driver, residing ip. dt. George’s Bay, ParnelL At about 7.30 last evening I was proceeding home when the 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 she was unable to walk. I found her lying in a drunken state b.-hind a screen. She had been vomiting, and was in a state of beastly intoxication. I saw the landlord' behind the bar, at which 1 drank half’s pint of beer. I assisted in placing her in 1 the waggon. She was breathing. We placed her ou her right side, on the floor of the waggon, with her head towards the horses. There wa3 no straw in the waggon, but I threw a horse cloth over her, and remarked that she was still breathing like a person in sleep. The husband was not drunk. He took his seat at first beside me on the box, but as we were crossing out of High-street into Shortland-street, he fell off the box into the road, through a sudden, jolt of the waggon in the gutter. We reached his house at about 8 o’clock, and I assisted in removing the deceased to the end of the house on to some grass. I . could no£see her face, but observed that she breathed heavily. I had no suspicion ; that she was in a dying state. On the way the husband remarked that his wife had been drinking, that it bad overcome her, and that he was glad to get her home. I put the nose bag and part of the horse cloth under her head, which were quite sufficient to protwit it when the jolt# oc» curie J.

James Conlon deposed: lam a shoemaker, living in the same house as that in which decease resided. 1 have known deceased and his wife about two months, and have not seen any ill-feeling existing betwen them. I never saw Kelly the worse for liquor, but have frequently seon the deceased so. fche was sober at about noon yesterday. Never knew her to b©’ sick except from drink. At about 8 o’clocklast night . I heard a conveyance drive up to the gate; which was. afterwards oponod. and some persons came in. I "was at work in my own room with another inah named Masters. I remarked to him that I thought there was something strange in the affair, and he expressed the sam© opinion, and. wont out to see what was going on. I saw Kelly comei in alone, and go into his own room. He remained there about a minute aud then went out. After the lapse of half an-hour he oama 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. I do not know where he went during the halfhour that he was absent. • it was about a quarter to nine when I Assisted to remove the woman into the house. It was too dark to perceive in what position she was lying under the verandah, but I am certain she was alive. We placed her on the bed, and at that time I could not perceive any sign of her breathing. ,1 then felt her pulse,, and found it beating very weak. Ten minutes after carrying her in it was evident that life was extinct, Kelly seemed to be deeply affected, and said something to the effect that he thought it would end in that. None but Kelly, and I were present at the time. Ido not think that Kelly is blaineable. I have always observed, him treating his wife kindly. Dr. Tomlinson came, at about half-past nine. "Verdict: “ Died from excessive drink-

Life of a Reporter.— The peculiar habits of a reporter of a daily newspaper —one of the busiest of animals—are worth making a note of. Tell the reporter that there is a fire up town iu which a woman; and five small children have been consumed alive, and he harries off iu,the highest glee to obtain the fullest accpupt with all the latest particulars. , Hed take - all this down in. a kind of penmanship peculiar to .his class, and which looks like warped rainbows and.spoued flashes of lightning If his highly -re-. spectable father should: be hung for piracy bVsfche high seas, the reporter would be on the gallows, pencd in hand, and'ih the intervals of his would fihd ample' time to take full hand' notes'of-his parent’s last, speech ana flying confession.—Now York Paper, ;.VT : ' --'-.lt