INQUEST.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 16, 13 May 1871, Page 6

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Nelson Ale House, on Saturday, at noon, before Johnston, and a full jury, on the body of William Bidmead, who was found dead xn his bed the previous day. Mr William Gibson was chosen foreman of the jury. Morgan Stanislaus Grace, M.D., deposed : ; Yesterday between two and three I was called to see deceased by the landlord of the house, Who told me that a man had strangled himself. I found deceased lying on his back on fhw floor quite dead and black in the face, with a slight blue mark round the throat, but very indistinct for death by strangling. On P rees ‘ ing the chest to try and restore respiration, a peculiar rattling sound as if from confined air, proceeded from the throat.. The body exhibited no other marks of violence. When I C aw the man there was nothing to indicate strangulation except the color of the face and tbs slight mark round the neck. From the appearance of the body death seemed to have resulted from stoppage of the wind pipe. I think for several negative reasons, as it were, that the croft comforter (produced) caused death by closing the wind pipe; any ligature smaller and firmer would have left a different mark. The . body was quite warm, and not rigid, as if recently dead. Mr White (landlord of the Nelson Ale House) deposed : I was acquainted with deceased for about nine years. He was lodging in my house. I last saw him alive about a quarter to two. At half-past one he had dinner with us, and we all rose from table together. Deceased was in very, good spirits during dinner, talking and chatting pleasantly about old times. He had been drinking a little with several steward acquaintances. He was not quite sober. He had j been stopping in the house since last Saturday, and I have seen him every day. He appeared to be a “ little on” each day—“just jolly.” After the drowning of the two men-of-war’s men he seemed to be a little strange in his talking, and chaffing—wondering whose turn it would be next. He was drinking with men-of-war’s men on Monday and Tuesday. He was not in want of money, as he gave me £l6 to take care of for him the day before his death. He had a little brandy and orange bitters at dinner. After he had dinner he went up stairs with his pipe in his mouth, and laid down on the bed. He was going to lie till four, at which time he was to be called to go on board the Omeo. I went Up stairs with him and saw him lie down. I then went to my own room, but came down immediately after. I merely went up with him to get him to lie down, and to do so told him I was going to lie down also. When I went into his room again, it was because I was called by the barmaid about a quarter to two, not more than half an hour after. She said,. “ Mr White, come here quickly, Billy Bidmead is.dead.” X ran up into his room, and found him lying on the floor on his back, with his head about a foot off the floor. One end of the comforter was lying on the bed, and the other end was round his neck. The comforter was not lashed to the bed ; it appeared to be merely caught on the bed. I don’t think it was tied at all. -It was tied round his neck, the other end lying on the head of the bed. I merely loosened the comforter, threw some water in his face, and ran for the doctor. Both ends of the comforter were tied round his neck, and the middle of the comforter on the head of the bed. (Witness then described the position in which he found the comforter). Two or three were in the room when I went for the doctor. By a juryman : Do you think he would be able to recover himself if he fell out of the bed and was being strangled by the comforter ? I don’t think he would. I can’t say that he was actually dead when I left him. Edith Goulden (barmaid) deposed! I saw deceased ten minutes before his death. He Was lying on his bed, the door of his room being open. Hetty, the barmaid, and Mrs White, were in the room at the same time, persuading him to go to sleep. I don’t think he was very tipsy ; not noisy—-just jolly. He was chaffing, jokingly. I believe he had the comforter around his neck, while lying on the bed. I can swear he was wearing the comforter at the time. I can’t say how it was tied round his neck. I never saw the comforter before, and would not know it. Now I think of it, he fell off the bed, and was caught in the comforter; he could have recovered himself. I did not consider him at all helpless with drink when I got to the top of the stairs. The next time I saw into bisroom he was nearly sitting on the floor, or half lying, with his head raised nearly to the top of the bed, and attached by the wollen oomforter. I believe, the girl tied him to the bedstead to prevent him getting up. When I was up the firßt time the girl told me she had done that. When I saw the scarf round his neok, I believe it was tied to the bed also. When I saw him attached to the bed, I called to Mr White, without going in, deceased looked so strange. Mr White and a Mr Byland came at once, and when they entered the room I ran down stairs. I had no 'further conversation with the housemaid about the tying up of deceased to the bed. Mr White, Mr Byland, and myself were present in the room when the housemaid said she had tied deceased to the bed, and she has said so once since. I have not spoken to the housemaid on the matter since, because we are not exactly on good terms. She has said she tied him so that he could not get up before he had his sleep. When I saw him in bed first, he was lying on his side; when I taw him next, on the floor, his face was looking up. The door of the room waß open all the time.

Henrietta Jenkins (housemaid) deposed: I knew deceased, and saw him only a few minutes (about ten) before he was found dead. Mrs White and I were in the room with him trying to get him to bed. He asked

me to give him a kiss, and he would then go to sleep. I told him to go to sleOP first, and I would give him one when he got tip. I said to him, rt Well, Billy, if you don’t go to sleep, I will tie your hands.” He answered laughingly, « Well, you try it on old sport (he never called me my proper name), and you will see how soon I’ll get loose.” I tied, his hands, but he soon got them loose again. The comforter was lying beside the bed; I don’t know whose property it is. (The witness here explained how she tied deceased’s hands.) He then gave me 3s to got some more drinks, but I put the money on the tsble. I did not tie the scarf to the bedstead at all. Mr White called me at the time, and I went away. The scarf was lying beside the bed, and the deceased was lying on his right side on the bed, perfectly free. I never saw the scarf attached to the bedstead at all. When I was tying deceased’s hands, the barmaid was present, and she was there when I ran down stairs to answer Mr White. I have not said since deceased’s death that I tied him to the bed; I said I tied his hands; but Mrs White and Edith Goulden were there at the time, and when I went downstairs I left the latter standing at the door. She saw me tie his hands, and saw him release himself. He had been in and out of the kitchen during the morning, joking and larking with me, asking me to give him something to do, as he was doing nothing. Edith Goulden and I are good friends, though not very intimate. We do not walk out to gether, but we have had no quarrel. Edith Goulden re-examined : I did not see Henrietta Jenkins tie his hands. I have heard her say since his death that she tied him. George Byland, (late chief steward of the Taranaki) deposed: I knew deceased, and saw him alive at half-past one, in this house. He asked me to have a drink with him, but I would not, as he was a little the worse for liquor. Mr White then came and took Bidmead into dinner. I returned at ten minutes past 2, and asked what had become of Bidmead. White answered “ They are now trying to get him to bed; he won’t sleep unless some of them stop with him.” Deceased was rather obstreperous when in liquor. Edith Goulden then went up stairs with a little girl saying she was going to wash her hands, and she hardly reached the top when she cried out for Mr White in a heightened voice. We ran up and I saw that Bidmead was dead—his lips were black. White was standing over the body, White was excited and I told him to go for a doctor. I put pillows under deceased’s head, dashed water on him, and put a looking-glass to his face. White said something about taking a comforter from round bis neck, but we were all much excited. I was myself, as deceased had been serving with me for the last, nine months I heard some one say at the time that he had been tied in bed to keep him there. It was very seldom deceased took any drink, but when he did you could do nothing with him. He was a little fresh both on the day he died and the day before. Emily White (wife of landlord), deposed: I dined with deceased yesterday, and he was then under the influence of liquor. After dinner we tried to put him to bed. He walked upstairs himself; Mr White and I followed him up stairs. He went into bis room, saying he would go to sleep. I then left the room As I came out the barmaid and housemaid went into his room, and I stood at the. door for a few minutes. I saw the housemaid tie his hands in fun, and I saw him release his hands with his teeth. I then went out and did not know of the death until Mr White met me coming home. I have not heard Henrietta Jenkins say since hi 3 death that she tied him to the bedpost, but I have heard in the bar from the others that he was tied to the bed. I have not heard anything of the kind from either of the girls. I have seen the comforter about the house for some days, but I don’t know to whom it belonged. I don’t think it was deceased’s. I swear that Henrietta Jenkins has not said since his death that she tied him in bed. When I left the room deceased was all right, and I never saw him again till after the doctor had been to see him, and Mr White came out to meet me. Wm. White, recalled: I have not heard Henrietta Jenkins say since the death, that she tied deceased to the bed to prevent him getting up before he had had his sleep. I heard of no such a statement before this moment.

Michael Monaghan (sergeant of police), deposed : Yesterday afternoon I came into this house, and saw deceased in the room lying upon his back on the floor. I found that muffler lying partly underneath his head. Mr White told me he had taken it oft his neck. In consequence of a remark about the man being tied up, I made enquiries about it. Mr White knew nothing of it. The barmaid said she had heard something of it. I questioned the housemaid, and she said that she had tied deceased’s hands, and that he loosed them the first time. She said they afterwards tied his hands again, and he said, “It’s all right, I can soon loose them again.” They then left him with his hands so tied. I fancy there must be a misconception about the statements of deceased being “tied to the bed’’ and being « tied in the bed.” Everything in the was in order, and deceased had a quiet peaceful look; but the people of the house were very much excited and flurried. I think Henrietta Jenkins said that Edith Goulden and Mrs White were there when she tied deceased’s hands, and she also said it was done in play to keep him in bed, as he had been drinking. This concluded the evidence.

The jury, after a consultation of about a quarter of an hour, found the following verdict : —That the deceased met his death by strangulation (while in a state of intoxication), caused'by a woollen comforter being tied round his neck and attached to a bedstead, but how it became so attached, or by whom, there is not sufficient evidence’to show.