THE LATE INQUEST.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 234, 14 October 1879, Page 2

THE LATE INQUEST.

=™-o I To Tin-: Kuitor Of tiih ' Evening Mail. 1 Sir, -There are various ways of describing an occurrence. Mr Huekett'u letter would lead you to suppose that an attempt was

made to aiter the sense of the verdict returned by the jury at the inquest held at the Lunatic Asylum on Friday laat. As the jury are charged to enquire how, when, and by what means, &c., and make a true presentment according to the evidence, it is evidently the duty of the Coroner to see that those requirements are fulfilled, and when such verdicts as " Death from natural causes. " Accidental death " are returned, he is frequently called upon to, and does insert with the consent of the jury, such words as will make the verdict legally correct Ihe verdict returned by the jury on Friday was deficient in certain technical particulars which, with the acting Coroner's approval, 1 suggested the place where the death occurred was not recited; the actual cause of death was unfortunately but too plain disease of the heart, but as the evidence of Dr Marks specified the true nature of the disease, xt was suggested and afterwards accepted that the words " fatty degeneration of the heart "should be inserted, the propriety of which must be indisputable if only for the purpose of registration. This was the compromise alluded to by Mr Hackett. I leave you to judge sir, whether the concluding sentence of the verdict as drawn up by the foreman of the jury « while the deceased was in the performance of his duty," would not be more correctly expressed by the substitution of the words " while the said John Heffer was &c. I quite agree with Mr Hackett that the delay was owing to stubbornness but not of nine thirteenths of the jury.— l am Yours, &c, Leonard Boor.