CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 65

CASUALTIES.

The police have been advised that a Chinaman named Ah Gum fell from a cart at noon on the 16th, at Waitahona, and received concussion of the brain. The cart was a dray belonging to a Mr Johnstone. If was used in the conveyance of flax, and the horses to which it was attached had bolted, thereby causing the accident. Ah Gum was immediately removed to the Lawrence Hospital, where he died six hours later. Charles Plattnet. a gumdigger, aged 64 years, was very severely burned in his ■whare at Kawhapahapa on the 18th. He was brought to the Auckland Hospital in a "critical condition. Mr W. J. Burling, a farmer, 67 years of age, a recent arrival from the south, died suddenly at Takupiri on his way to the Hamilton Hospital. At the inquest on the body of Mrs Peimey, whose body was found in the bush behind Bay's Bay, Wellington, a verdict was returned that death was due to starvation and exposure. > John Fontenoy, who was discovered lying across the Addingcon tram line about a fortnight ago, died in the bospital on .the 17th. The circumstances surrounding the fatality are unusual. Deceased was found with some ribs broken , and other serious injuries, and was taken i to the hospital, where he declined to'j enlighten the police as to how he got hit injuries. He was 35 years of age, 'and was unmarried. At the inquest on the 18th Dr Westenra said he' thought the injuries were caused by a' vehicw. of some description striking Font*noy. The motormen of two trams gave evidence as to finding fontenoy lying near the line. Fontenoy was under the ; nflueiice of liquor when the accident occurred. The coroner found a verdict that Fontenoy met his death by accident, but there vras no evidence to show how -it occurredThe body of a man : identified as John Ellis, jun., was found in the sludge channel at Lawrence on the 18th inst. Ellis was a labourer, 39 years old, and unmarried. He was seen going to work at 8 a.m. Deceased is said to have been subject to fits. William Dempsey, a single man, who was seriously injured by a tramcar in Wellington on the 16th ic6t. while about to pick up a sack of chaff which had fallen from a waggon, died in the hospital on the 19th. Some sacks of chaff had fallen from a lorry, and deceased was helping to load 1 them when the accident happened. Ii was shown that the" motorman in charge of the car had done everything possible to prevent the accident. A verdict of death from misadventure was returned at the inquest, the coroner stating that the motorman was quite blameless. An old man. named Louis Elerig. who resided in Springfield road. St. Alhans, suddenly disappeared on the 18th. He was with some friends up till 10 o'clock, and he left them to go to his home. His body was found in the river. Robert M'Callum, aged 33, employed in connection with the dredging operations on the Piako Swamp, fell off the dredger Albany on the 20th, and was drowned.. He was a Scotsman, and had just sent ! the morey Home to bring his wife and two children to this country. The body has j not been recovered. A labourer named Oscar Olsen committed suicide at Wanganui on the 20th by jumping off the town bridge. He had been drinking about the town. During the progress of a clearing sale at Hinds on the 19th a farmer named Louis Hansen slipped off a straw stack in the pig yard, and just as he reached the ground a pig cannoned against his i right leg, fracturing it above the knee. He was brought to the Ashburton Hospital SUICIDE BY DROWNING. A case of suicide occurred at the Benovolent Institution about 3 o'clock on Friday afternoon, Timothy Hogan, an inmate, drowning himself in a bath of water. It is the usual custom in the institution for ifhe inmates to have a bath -on Friday. Deceased spoke to Nurse Keilar about 2.30 | p.m., and said that he would have a hath about 8 p.m., before retiring to bed. He | then left Nurse Keilar, who was evidently the last person to see him alive. At 3 p.m the nursa had occasion to go to the bathroom, , and found it locked from the inside. Assistance was obtained, and on an entry being effected deceased was found lying in 'tihe bath, face downwards, and quite dead. The bath was full of water, and deceased had removed his clothing with the exception of a flannel. He had j also bound his legs with a strap. He left a note addressed to Mrs Mcc, wife of the manager of the Home, asking that his ■wife should not be informed of his action. Deceased when last seen appeared to be in his usual spirits, but it is known that be had been suffering from a cancer. Dr j Class was called in, but his services were i of no avail. There were no marks of violence on the body.. Deceased, who \ was admitted to the Home on June 22 last, had two manried sisters, one living at Kaikorai and the other at Hillside. ! Deceased* wife resides in Oamaru. At the inquest before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, coroner. Di Closs stated that de-

ceased had Been operated upon for cancer. aawl bad been under X-ray treatment. He was given up as incurable, ajsd was sensitive on the subject of disfigurement caused by'en operation he had undergone. Death ■was due to asphyxia, from" drowning, and witness considered that deceased was of unsound mind. „ Nurse Keilar stated that when ehe went to tike bathroom at 3 p.m. on Friday she found it locked. Receiving- no answer to repeated knocks, she burst the door in, and Sound the bath, full' of water with deceased lying face downwards in it. The water was immediately van off, and it was then found thai Hogan -was dead, and that he had etnpped his legs and his right hand %c Coroner returned a verdict that death was doe to asphyxia from drowning, de-

dowson

ooroner.

Y. Wid-

ceased having drowned himself in a bath while in an unsound state of mind. WOMAN DROWNED AT ST. CLAIR. A sad case of drowning occurred on FriI day afternoon at the second beach at St. j Clair. A woman, whose name proves to j be Mrs Emma Smith, wife of Thomas j Richard Smith, railway porter, residing at No. 30 Duncan street, North-East Valley, j was seen to proceed round to the second | beach. She was seen here by a. Mrs Findlayson, who lives at St. Clair, to eft down on the iron seat on the beach. After Mrs Smith had sat there for a time Mrs Findlayson suddenly heard a scream, and turned round and saw Mrs Smith's body floating in the water. She immediately sent for assistance, and Mr Daniel ! Booth, living at 11 On«k>w street, St. Clair, came on tfoe eoene. By this time the body had disappeared, but the party waited for some time till the body came to the surface, when ifc was secured ar.d removed to the Mcrgue. Deceased had for some time past been suffering 'from insomnia. An inquest was held, on Saturday, bei fore Mr J. R. BarixroTomew, coroner, j JbbJh Stephen Peterson, a brother of deceased, stated that deceased's age was 21 j years, and. that she was the wife of Thomas : Richard Smith, Duncan street, North-East j Valley. He last saw her alive on Sunday j morning at her home, when she was in ' good health and spirits. ' She had recently I complained of fits of depression. Deceased j had been confined prematurely about six i weeks previously at St. Helens Hospital, a<nd after her return to hex home seemed to be j worried. She lived on affectionate terms with her husband. Thomas Richard Smith, railway 1 porter, ' employed at the goods shed, said deceased was his wife. Prior to the birth of her child deceased was cheerful, but at times, afterwards, ahe seemed to be a little unusual. Witness loft home on Friday at 7 a.m., and his wife was then in good spirits. Her condition after she returned from St. Helens Home did not suggest that sii© required medical assistance. The baby was found at the home of Mrs Holmes, a married sister living in the Valley. There i was nothing in deceased's -manner at any time that suggested suicidal tendencies. . It was quite unusual for his wife to go out ■to St. Clair. Deceased and himself lived .on very happy terms together. His wife j bad a strong constitution, but did- not Lseem to be so strong after the birth of the . child. I Jane Finlayson, widow, residing at Seaforth House, St. Clair, stated that while she was on the St. Clair second beach the j previous afternoon ehe saw deceased walkI ing in a hurry about halfway between the band rotunda and St. Clair baths. The hour would be between 2 and 3 o'clock. "Witness caw deceased sit on one of the forms. She afterwards went down a track on to the beach, and witness then went on gathering seaweed among the boulders. Witness's attention was next attracted by a scream, and saw a hat floating on the | water, and she then saw the body of deceased floating on the waves. Deceased sank among a lot of kelp. While in the water deceased was floating on her back, and moving her arms as thougih swimming. Witness called to her, but got no reply, j The waves dashed over deceased several I times, and she uttered a scream or wail on each occasion. Witness summoned help jas speedily as possible, but when this arrived deceased's body could not be seen. Andrew^ Holmes, grocer, residing at North-East Valley, stated that deceased was hie sister-in-law by marriage. He last saw her alive on Thursday, when she was in cheerful spirits and in her usual health. Witness had seen her almost every day since her Teturn home from St. Helens Hospital. Sihe was seen on Friday scortly after 2 o'clock, to get on the Normanby car. She was going to witness's house to j spend the afternoon sewing. Witness's wife was not in, and deceased entered the house, and placed her baby in a bed in the j back bedroom. Deceased than left tho house, and wen* to a Mrs Brocklands, on the opposite side of th-e street, where sihe saw witn-ess's wife, and told her that Mrs Brown, a late employer, liad ssnt for her, end that she was t>oin.g- to tee her. She asked witness's wifa to mind the baby during the short time aho would be away. Deceased then took the car for St. Clair. Witness's wife saw nothing unusual in deoeased's manner. Deceased had been at Mrs Brown's the previous day. She lived on particularly affectionate terms with her husband. After her confinement fhe had complained on several occasions that she had " fits of the blues." When deceased was on the way to catch the St. Clair c»r, Mrs Brooklands, who had gone to witness's house, and taken the baby, hrld it up to deceased, who waved her Lands in a pleased manner. Dr Siede'berg stated that she attended St. Helens Hospital professionally. Deceased was admitted on July 4, and was confined the same evening. The confinement was a normal one, and there vras no rise, of fever, the recovery being- speedy. Deceased was a particularly cheerful patient — so cheerful, indeed, that ehe had been placed with a despondent patient to cheer her up, and she had done this very satisfactorily. It was usually two months ■before a patient under such circumstancss regained her usual health. Deceased, who left the institution on the lSfch, was a healthy woman. There was nothing mentally about deceased to suggest suicidal tendencies, and &h& was the oLass of woman who would be likely to go to the Beach for fresh air. It would be possible that dej ceased dipped accidentally from the rock 3 ' into the "waiter, and bhen screamed for help. Ordinary household work in a email home would not bo too groat for deceased in the condition of her health when she left the hospital. j Constable Mulholland, stationed at St. Clair, stated that the body was discovered j about 5 p.m. in the breakers, and was i I brought ashore by a bystander. The face ! was considerably scratched, probably owing to the action of the waves in foicing the body against the rough 6tones on the beach. •It would be possible for deceased to 6lip from the rocks into the water. The roll of the surf came right up to and over the stones on the beach, and there was a t strong surf rolling in when witness arrived 'on the scene. A medical man., who was j

among the onlookers, said it. would have no effect to try to restore animation after the body was recovered, as deceased had been too long in the water.

The Coroner 6aid there was no clear evidence to show how deceased got into the water, and it was quite possible, as suggested by Dr Siedeberg, that she had slipped in. The evidence did not disclose tmsoundnes of mind, by action or otherwise, previous to the occurrence, and he would return a verdict "that deceased was found drowned, but there was no evidence to show how she came into the water."

A MAN FOUND DEAD.

The body of a man whose name is unknown was found among the rocks at Tomahawk Beach; near Bird Island bluff, about 11.30 on Sunday ltrornlag It is not known how the body "got there, but it would appear as if deceased had jumped from the cliff above with the intention of commit

ting euicid*. The body is that of a man about 6Sr years of age, about sft 6in high, strong build, grey-haired, and partially 'bald. The man had a, grey moustache only, and was dressed in a soft gtey aihirt, dark vest and trousers, elastic-side boots, and white socks. , A morning coat was lying near the body, and also a walking-stick, on which was carved the initials '• H. D." On" the person of deceased was found a pocket knife, a eherrywood cigarette holder, and a leather purse which contained neither money nor papers. There was ' a large scar on th-a man's head, reaching from above the right eye to behind the right ear, and death had taken place apparently about a week ago.

The body v/as subsequently identified as that of Herman Dormant for many yeairs a butcher carrying on business ir Great King street, and later proprietor of tho Turkish baths in Moray place. Deceased was 75 years of age, and; was last eeen alive on the 17th inst., when he announced his intention of taking t trip to Midtdlemarcb.