SUDDEN DEATH.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2080, 22 February 1898, Page 2

SUDDEN DEATH.

On Friday evening last a young man named P. Ryan, miner, well-known at Waitekauri, arrived in Te Aroha and put up. at Park House . He spent the next day in visiting the various places of interest in the- district, and nothing peculiar was noticed about him until his bed-room mate, Mr Wally Craig on entering the room to retire to rest about h o’clock on Saturday night, was somewhat startled to see him grasping the window blind and staring vacantly, outside into space. Craig spoke to him several times but received no answer, Thinking that something had gone wrong, Dr. Smith was immediately called in, who at once attended the sufferer. Ryan remained delirous most of the night, in fact, it was found necessary to tie him down to keep him in the room at all, but finally he .fell off to sleep, and woke next morning apparently much better. Dr. Smith informed him it would be advisable for him to go to the Hamilton hospital $ Ryan thereupon dressed and had breakfast, after which a buggy was procurred and three of the lodgers, Messrs G. Dansey, W. Craig and J. Calder, accompanied the sufferer. On arrival at Morrinsville, Ryan was given a cup of tea and felt refreshed. A start was again made ; all went well for about half -a - mile, when Ryan jumped from the buggy and ran back to the hotel in an excited manner. On returning they found him talking to. a man in the hotel, as soon as he saw them he cried out “ save mo from them, they are going to murdor me.”’ He then rushed into one of tho rooms, and barrackaded the door with a table and chairs, shouting out the while in an excited manner. Those in charge of him succeeded in bursfrng the door open and securing him, Ryan continued crying out, saying they intendedto murder him. However, he was ultimately tied in the buggy, and driven in the direction of Hamilton.' All went well until a little this side of Tauwharo, when he cried out ‘ Murder,’ 1 turned pale, and died without a struggle. The body was taken on to the Hamilton Hospital and handed over to Constable Forbes. An inquest will be held to-day at Hamilton at 11 o’clock.