INQUEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2492, 20 April 1893, Page 4

INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday morning touching tho death of Georgo Fox, who died at midnight on Monday, from the effects of injuries received by an accident which happened to him on Friday last at Geraldine. The inquiry was held at the Geraldine ii.iVl. Court, before H. W. Moore, Esq., J.P., and a jury of six, of whom Mr A. White was chosen foreman.

Elizabeth Fox deposed: lam daughter of George Fox, carrier, Geraldine, deceased. I helped my father to put the horses in at 9.30 on Friday morning, and he then went up the town, ilo afterwards went to Orari and brought back a load. He did not come home to dinner. Saw him pass by in the afternoon with another load. The next I saw of him was when he was brought home. It is ho that is now lying dead in my house. He was not well in the morning when he left, and had not eaten anything at home since Wednesday, lie was also weak from a previous illness and unable to do the hard part of his work. After tho accident he never gained sufficient consciousness to tell how the accident happened. He was 50 years of age. To the Jury : My father went to Orari three times the day before tiie accident. He went to bed between 9.30 and 10.30 that night. His reason for not taking food was that he was down-hearted and could not take anything. llichard Soarle deposed : I am " boots " at the Geraldine Hotel. I knew deceased. Saw him come to the Geraldine Hotel about 1 p.m. last Friday for travellers' luggage to go down to Gran Station. He tofd mo he did not feel tit to load the cart, so I called Harry Y'ernall to give me a hand. We put one case on tho top of two cases near the front. One case underneath it was a little higher than the other. Told [him that the top case would not ride where it was and pushed it back, and deceased told me to leave it alone where it was. He said it would ride safe enough. We put the remainder of the load on and 1 went away then Deceased was at the hotel one or two hours waiting for the traveller to pack his goods. Did not see deceased start away. 1 don't know whether he had any drink except one he had in the morning. To the Jury: When loading up the goods! |he appeared in his general state, and did not seem to be intoxicated. I did not not lead the horses out of the gate that clay. Dr Eobert Fish, medical practitioner, Geraldine : 1 was called on Friday evening to see George Fox. I went to deceased's private house, but after about 10 minutes' delay I found that he was down the road, and saw at once that he was seriously injured, and there was scarcely a shadow of hope for his life. By my direction he was taken to his home. 1 examined him more carefully then, and found a lacerated wound a little above the ear, and n small fracture at the outside of the head. From his general symptoms I though there was a fracture at the base of the skull. All this time he wus quite insensible. I did what was necessary, gave general directions exactly what to do, and left him in tho care of some neighbors, with one or two to sit up with him during the night. The next day he was partially sensible, but I did not think the case was really more favourable. The following day he was much worse, pud never rallied again. He died, I believe, xlml night at 12 o'clock. I was not present. To the Jury : After the sevlous illness he had had, I do not think deceased was in a fit state to have charge of an express and pair of horses. I told hi in when he was ill that I did not think he would get well again. Ido not think spirits wouid have been a good thing to have given him after the accident. After the accident he smelt very strongly of liquor. To a man in his state of health, and not having eaten anything during tho day, one glasa of liquor might have made him giddy. Henry Ye«r»all, deposed: I am a labourer, residing at Qrari. I remember that on Friday last at ii p.m. Seario asked »j.p to help in loading deceased's cart. The case we put on tho top in front would weigh over 1 cwt. I met Fox next about half way down town, when one case had fallen-oil" and Sir McCaskey, myself, and someone else put it on again. Fox also helped, and seemed to understand what he was doing. T He afterwards pulled up at the Bush Hotel and asked me to have a drink and bring him one. 1 thought deceased was sober at the time, and there was no harm to bring him one drink. I brought him port wine and brandy. Deceased wanted some ginger ale put in his drink, and 1 took it back and got him this. He then drove away. To the jury: I did not see deceased have any drink at the Geraldine Hotel. The box that fell the first time was the one that fell when the accident happened. Deceased vtas not sitting on this box when he left tke Bush Hotel; he was then sitting on the lovwr box, about the middle of the cart.

John James McCaskey, photographer? Geraidine, deposed: Uu .Friday last, between three and four p.m., I saw deceased's express ytandh'.g opposite Mr Fisher's, and between my place and the excess there was a caso lying on the r ->ivd'liai'jiijV fallen from the expiess. I \V,".V, U V \ ■y'-'-uaii ii-n.d Colbert. We put the ease hi a, be iikelv to fall 01l >cea*a waiving very poor assume. tho " S ui up on the right side of the express on Uio very highest cases —higher than the one we put on. lie got up himself, but. it too!-; liim some lime to do so. 1 asked him several lime!' to sit on the lowercase, because lie did not look safe on the high ease. Deceased per.--.ist.od in sitting wliere ho was, and drove away. The box we put on would v.'ei gh about inewt. WJieu he refused to cma.i down I t. dd him to tie his cases, at they were not. well lashed. Deceased was perfectly sl.upid, but oonkl not say from what cause. Annie To/er, nine years of ago, daughter of Simon ToKe.r, although not sworn, said: I know what it is to tell tho truth. I and Tom luchards caught hold of deceased's trap near Jones' to run (10/.'ii home. Deceased was sitting on the top of two boxes, and was swaying about, and afterwards had back on the box. tl is hat u*as coming oil'his head, and ho mado a snatch at it, and was tiying to put it under himself when he overbalanced and full. When I saw him on the ground the edge of the box was lying on deceased's head, and Mrs Bailey came and rolled it oil'. To the Jmy : Did not see deceased's head strike anything as he fell. Thomas .Richards, seven years of age, not sworn, deposed : I saw Mr Fox fall oil'. He tried to catch hold of the box as ho was falling. Deceased came down iirst and tho box after him. I went and fetched Mrs Bailey to roll tho case oh' deceased.

Constable Wiiloughby, deposed : I was present at 12 o'clock, midnight, on the 17th inst., when dece; sad died. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, and added a rider that they attached no blame to anyone.