CORONER'S INQUEST.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 65, 13 August 1879, Page 3

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest -was held on the body of William Hea.y,nsj at Eoe's Denbigh Hotel, on Monday, before. D.lt.jMaparthur, 3Ssq>, 5".P., and tne following jury.: — Messrs. j&aysmor (forem.au) Symes, Driver, parfcHew Green, Blackmpre,' Marshall, Bees, Rowley, Morris, LaceyftoiaiPrice! ; : The jury haying viewed the body, the f ollowing^fideinca. vrap taten— , , .- . Thomaf Seayns ''deposed : I am a brother of the deceased, andlive y in Eiwitea. On Tuasday mght;*nb;ojit, six o'clock, I missed my brother Wiiliam from. the, house where we both Verii Imng, anji did not se« Jiixri agqgn until : a^vß.h o'clock next morning, when I f<)^xjs, Krai 'dead ; m the; stream near our -ho use;' 'Ai'idon as , T missed him on the6th V I proceeded to search iPorhiin, but was uusuccessfaU v.lirime.diately.afte.r finding the body, I came down to Feilding in' with my brother Henry. 2Co a Juroi; ; We iLept up file search foy

about two hours. On the Thursday night previous to my brother's death, he remarked ithat he was mad, and walked out of the house. I and my brother Henry brought him back. I searched for " him .by myself on the evening of the Bth. My : brother Henry was away; and there were no neighbors near, whom I could call upon to assist me. The property on "which lam livmn does not belong to me. It belonged W the 'deceased, and my brother Henry. When we brought ;him ; back on the 7th, he saidj. "lt's ho use bringing me back, as : I cannot stop here." He stared at me Very intently; ;« < ,; . Henry Heayns deposed : I am a brother '.of the deceased, William Heayns, and reside m Kiwitea^ On Thursday night, the Vfth of August, about- six o'clock, I asked my brother Wifliam a question; but instead of answering me he fixed his eyes upon me m a. most peculiar way for -about ten minutes, and then began talking at random. A few minutes after that he left the hduse, saying he was going to Feilding. I find niy brbth6r Thomas brought : hini back after he had gone about two chains from the house. ■■_, .. To the Constable: A week. before the above occurrence, my brother •topped work through giddiness m theihead. . ; ; To the.Coronerti was away.to Feilding on ' the evening of the Bth, when my brother was first missed. I did hot* reach home until ten o'clock.; I was m company with my brother when we found the body m the stream about! four chains from the house, I came down to Feeding and gave information to the police. My object m .coming to. Feilding, ;pn the Bthi was,to ask : Dr. : Johnston "•'to visit' deceased. Dr.^. Johnston returned with me.. l returned with, Dr. Johnston for medicine for deceased about •ix o'clock, and: then went back with the ■medicine^ reaching home about ten o'clock. To!the;Foreman.:. My brother had been complaining of a cold for about two months but was not seriously ill till vyifchin a week, and, then not sufficiently so to call for medical attendance. My 'brother was fchinby'tbree years of age. .. .'. Itaniel Johnston deposed s lam a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing m Feilding. I attended deceased on Friday, Bth of . August, at the request of his brother Henry. When I entered the house I found deceased sitting on a stool before the I fire, and his head between his hands. He did not look up for some time, after I spoke to him, He then B£ ?d. he was ashamed of himself, and abhorred himself ; that he had committed frequent' assaults against himself and that wa» the cause of his illness. The deceased was m a, despondent state, and swd if it were not for- his brother and friends he would destroy himself. Before leaving tt*e house I took Thomas Heayns aside, and told him that deceased was insane, and that ha must keep, his eye constantly upon h\m, as he was likely to make away with himselfe I repeated tha statement to Henry Heayns whilst returning to Feilding for medicine. I have made a postmortem examination on the body. I found the clothes on the body throughly saturated ; round the right wrist was tied a handkerchief with a single knot. The left wrist was not tied. Oozing from the nostrils was a sanguineous discharge, with froth at the angles of the mouth : m the whUkera and ears Wag a quantity of white sand. The blood vessels of the head were gorged with blood. The heart was full of blood, partly clotted. The stomach contained about half a pint of fluid. The mouth was half full of fluid. The fluid m the stomach had a slight milky.appearance, and had mucous particles floating m it. There was inflammation of the small intestines. The lungs were healthy; andibhe post mortem appearances were those which would result from death by drowning. To the Foreman : I am perfectly satisfied that the doath of the deceased was caused by drowning, and^that it was m such a state as to be likely to commit suicide. The jury returned a verdict m accordance with the medical evidence, of death "by drowning, while iv a temporary state of 'insanity.