CORONER’S INQUEST.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5134, 6 September 1877, Page 3

CORONER’S INQUEST.

A. coroner's inquest was held at the Morgue yesterday afternoon, on view of the body of Cornelius O’Callagban, before Dr. Johnston, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr. Thomas Wbitehouse was foreman. , , The jury having viewed the body, the lollowing evidence was taken Henry William Diver, M.R.C.S.E., &c., legally qualified and duly registered medical practitioner, deposed; I did not know the deceased when he was alive. I was sent for on Monday morning at about 9 o clock to go to Barrett's Hotel. On arriving there I found deceased lying dead on the floor. He had died apparently only a few minutes before my arrival. I subsequently made a post mortem examination of the body. There were no external marks of violence. The body was that of an apparently healthy man. On opening the head I found a large quantity of blood at the base of the brain. On opening the chest the pericardium was found full of fluid. The heart itself was healthy, and so were the lungs. The liver was large and congested. Ihe stomach contained a quantity of undigested ■ food The cause of death was apoplexy. ■ John Hurley deposed : I have known deceased for about a fortnight, and worked with him four or five days prior to his death aud up to the time of its occurrence, He came to work on Monday morning as usual at Plimmer s steps. He went on working until between nine and ten o’clock. He was a carpenter by trade, and was working at the new steps leading to the Terrace. Did not notice anything the matter with him until he fell down suddenly, as if m a fit. He never spoke nor moved afterwards. Assistance was called for, and deceased was carried into Barrett's Hotel. Dr. Diver was sent for, and came in about five minutes. On examining the body the doctor pronounced him to be dead. He had told me that he came from Queenstown, Ireland, and that he was- a widower. Thomas Carter deposed : I am a storekeeper, residing in Wellington. The deceased lodged at my house since the 25th August. He was a carpenter, aged about 45 years. He has been many years in the colony. He had breakfast about a quarter-past seven oclock on Monday morning, when he appeared quite well, and went to his work shortly before eight o’clock. I next heard of him about ten o’clock, when Sergeant Fleming told me that he dropped down dead in a fit. Ido not know whether deceased had any relatives in the colony. He was a sober man, so far as 1 know. I never saw the sign of drink on him. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from natural causes, to wit, apoplexy-