CORONER'S INQUEST.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 223, 20 September 1877, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Court House this afternoon on the body of Dr John Bligh before Dr Squires, the coroner, and a jury, of which Mr Haddow was foreman. The jury having proceeded to the deceased' 3 residence and viewed the body, returned to the Court House, when the following evidence was taken: — Frederick Cornwall: I was a captain in the 75th regiment. I knew deceased. Yesterday morning I went to enquire for him, as he had been ill. I spoke to him, and he said he was better and was going out to see. his patients. We made an appointment to meet at half-past two. His door was locked, and he spoke from the inside of the room. Between.two and three I was going on my way to keep my appointment when. I met the Doctor's trap: The boy said, •* Will you come up? Mrs Scott canuot get the Doctor to answer her." I got into the trap and drove up as fast as we could.' . Mrs Scott 3 was much excited, and. finding I could :i get no answer I tried to break open the door. 1 did not succeed in doing so, and eventually got through the window. 1 found deceased lying on the floor on ht3 back. The first thing I noticed was a small blue phial. There was a strong odour in the room and through the house. I had a .suspicion of what had occurred, and took 1 hpld of his hand I also felt his heart, and imagined I detected pulsation. The hand was cold. The left hand and face were very discolored. I then got out of the vvindow and drove to Dr. Squires, as the nearest medical man. I drove him back and went through the window and opened the door. He found the paper produced on the chest of drawers. Its contents were as follows: — Dear Sclanders— I am awfully sorry that this should happen. My great horror is that my body should be pulled and mauled about. There are a great many things I' should like to have asked you. Poor little Dentiss has always been faithful to me according to his light. If at some time or another you can help him, Ido not mean pecuniarily will you do it? Eorgive^me in asking so much . J. W. B. I have known the deceased for some time intimately. Latterly he has been depressed. He felt the loss of the Avalanche, in which he came out, acutely. Elizabeth Ann Scott : Dr. Bligh was lodging at my house. He had been in bad health for some weeks. On Monday he was ill in bed all day, and I only saw him once when I went in to do up the room in the afternoon. On Tuesday morning I saw him about halfpast ten. He appeared very strauge in his manner, and asked me the same questions repeatedly. I saw him again at half-past five, and he asked me if there were any messages for him. He had a wild look in' his face. At 8 o'clock he raug the bell, and had the fire lighted, and [ beat him up some egg and milk and took it to him. He asked for pen, ink, and paper. He asked iue to bring him a pen with a long handle, as when he had a short one his ideas got contracted. I took him the newspaper, and he asked me if there was any more news about the Avalanche. He told me unless any yery particular message came I was not to disturb him. I asked him if he would have any breakfast in the morning. He said no, he would take some beef tea, and

I was to call him at half past eight Between three and four ia the morning L heard him moviug about ia the dinin<» room. I called him at half past 8 and asked for his boots, which he passed oat to me, but 1 did, not see. him. Capt. Cornwall came about 10, and shortly afterwards a patient, whom he told me to send to Dr Williams He asked for pen, ink, and paper, and I took it to him, but did not sea his face as his hand was up to it. At half past 10 I knocked and asked what was to be done with the trap and getting no answer. I was afraid that he had fallen down in a fife; The door bein°locked I seat for Capt. Cornwall. The firo°Flace m the parlor was full of burnt paper in the moruiug. Nothing that he said or did showed aia that he intended committing suicide. •- James Sclanders : lam a merchant residing m Nelson. I knew deceased. He had been unwell lately, but I noticed nothing peculiar in his manner. I had not seen him ! since Thursday. After his death had been I discovered yesterday afternoon, Capt. Cornwall brought me the following letter :•— 10 p.m. My dear Sclanders— .It seems strange for me to be writing to you now, but your note of this af ternoon°has struck a vein which I cannot allow to drop You may think it strange that I should in such an apparently meditated way be rushing into the audience of my Maker I certainly am, but why? I have been appealed to do so. Some of the Blighs may be bitter and bad, but as far as I know we are not cowards. I have been appealed to appear at Cesar's bar, and to Cesar's bar I shall go I shall appear there in all and great humility knowing how grea,t]y aud how grievously I have erred iv this life, but I shall be able to say that I have more than once risked life and limb to save my fellow men. This would seem like brag if I said so under other circumstances, but believe me I have stood in the gap for more than one man. Ido not know whether I can give away anything in thia way. At any rate they are not valuable. Ihreeorfour photographs, I should like you to have them. Dear Sclanders, forgive my being such an ass as to write such trash. • ■"': J. W. B. .From the above I feel sure that he was not m his right mind at the time of writing it I know of no trouble he had to depress him I can form no idea of what led him to take his life. My note to which he refers was simply one reminding him that he had not keptau appointment. He once told me that he had a serious illness on the coast of Africa when he was unconscions for 24 hours. Charles Edward Bunny : Deceased and I had lived together since Christmas. He had been ailing of late, and was in bed all Monday. On Tuesday morning he seemed all right, and asked me to send the trap round at ten o'clock. He was a good deal upset by the news of the loss of the Avalanche. He was 34 years of age. I have uo idea of any reason for his committing suicide. I have not been^home since Tuesday moruiug. Dr. Boor : I knew deceased. I saw him last about 5 p.m. on Monday. He was in bed, and complaiued of. suffering from a severe cold and exhaustion— as he expressed it -thoroughly done up. I noticed nothing peculiar in his manner. I heard yesterday that he was dead, and went to the house for the purpose of making a po\t mortem, examination. There was no smell of anything particular in the room The body was on the .bed dressed. He had the appearance of having died suddenly, his face, neck, and hands being lead color. I could detect no odor about the mouth. On examining the brain I found evidences of old disease of the membranes, which were opaque and adherent to the substance of the brain The right lung was adherent to the walls of the chest through its whole extent, being evidence of old pleurisy. The heart was small and rigidly contracted. The liver was very extensively diseased, that also being of old standing. The other organs were healthy Ihe blood was in a dark fluid state, which is one evidence of prussic acid, but might be caused by sudden death from other causes. In opening the stomach there was a slight odor of prussic acid. I have analysed the contents. I used the three tests for prussic acid, the first by nitrate of silver which "live slight indications of its presence. The other tests failed to indicate it 3 presence. From all the appearances of the body, and the evidence I have heard, I believe that he died from a shock, that is, paralysis of the heart induced by the old brain and liver disease. I can quite understand a man in his peculiar state of mind placing a bottle of poison to his lips with the intention of taking it, and dropping down dead without doing so, from the shock occasioned by the idea of committing suicide. By the foreman: Ten drops of prussic acid would be enough to kill a man, bnt there is no evidence of that amount having been taken by him. I knew he was taking prussic acid as a medicine for a disorder of the stomach. By the coroner: Two tumblers were placed in my hands by the police; one iv which an egg had been beaten up, the other with the dregs of .a fluid. I tested both. There was no prussic acid in either. I have not tested for any other poison. — - The inquest was thenadjourned for an hour! to obtain the evidence of Mr Prichard,