INQUEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2748, 8 December 1894, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest touching the death of Thomas Rainey was held yesterday afternoon, before Mr J. M, Twoiney, J-P-j acting-coroner, and the following jury, yiz.;— Messrs E, Herbert (foreman), H, Luxford, David Henry, A. S. Jenkins, George Levens, and J. Ayaon. After viewing the body, the following evidence was taken : John Shaw Hayes, a duly qualified medical practitioner, being sworn, said : I was called on Wednesday, the sth inst., to see deceased at the Winchester Hotel. I arrived there at 8 a.m., and found deceased in one of the rooms on the ground floor. He was quite unconscious. 1 examined him for marks of violence, and found none. There was a little blood dried on the left ear. It must have flowed out of the ear. From the symptoms I came to the conclusion that he had sustained a fracture of the base of the skull. This morning, assisted by Dr Morris, 1 made a pod mortem examination ac Mr Bowman’s boardinghouse, L’emuka, to which place be had been removed on Wednesday. He did not recover consciousness from the time I first saw him at Winchester until ho died at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, the 6th instant. The post mortem disclosed a bruise and a slight effusion of blood beneath the skin over the Mt ear. On removing the skull cap a large quantity of blood was found on the surface of the right side of the brain, with considerable

laceration of the brain tissue on the back of the right lobe. On removing the brain, I found a fracture extending from the left side into the base of the skull. There was very little blood extravasated at the seat of the fracture. The cause of death was fracture of the base of the skull on the left side, accompanied by an effusion of blood on the right side of the brain, and laceration of the brain tissue. From what I know of the case I am of opinion the injuries I have described might be produced by tho horse rearing and striking the deceased violently with its head. That would account for the position in which both the horse and the deceased were found. If I had been in attendance sooner than I was called in, I could not have saved the life of the deceased. •

John Greenall,being sworn, said : lam a wheelwright, living at Winchester, On the night of the 4th , instant I saw the deceased, Thomas Bainey, going from the smithy to the hotel, leading his hack. This was between 8.30 and 9 p.m. At 9 o’clock I saw him again at the hotel door. He went into the Winchester Hotel with King, the groom. About half-an-hour afterwards 1 was playing cards with the deceased; also with King and Forsyth. I had two games: of cards with him. We played for drinks. The deceased had beer. I left about 10.30 p.m. I could not say that the deceased was then sober, although 1 could not call him drunk. About 11 p.m. I saw the deceased riding through the township. He was sitting firm enough in the saddle, but leaning forward towards the head of the horse. I called out to him, “ Hold a tight rein, Tom,” as I thought he was sitting carelessly, but he made no answer. He was going at a walking pace. Between 16 and 30 minutes afterwards Isaw two horsemen ride in the direction deceased had gone. 1 did not sde them return. Thomas Connelly came up and told me what had happened, and asked me to go down and give him a help. Connelly told me he had found Baiqjgy on the road with the horse on top of him. I went down the Milford road with Connelly, and found deceased lying about a chain from Donnithorne’s road corner. He was lying in one of the tracks in the road, with his head towards Winchester, The two Connollys got a: cart, and we took! him to the Winchester Hotel. I came! away after seeing Mm put to bed. The time which elapsed between Bainey ’ leaving Winchester and Connelly informing me.he had found him on the road was less than an hour. The distance between the place where the deceased was found and Winchester is about a, mile. When I left the' hotel at 10.80 the deceased was in the small room at the back of the bar. We all got up, as we were all going to leave. Forsyth came away with me. The servant girl and a daughter of the licensee were attending in the bar. deceased did not appear to have had any drink When he came from the smithy. Thomas Connelly, junior, uworuj said ; lam a farmer at Winchester. On the night of the 4th ..instant, 1 reached Winchester in comipany- with Timothy Connolly at about 10.30. We were returning home from Temuka. On reaching Winchester we had a drink in the Winchester fiotel with the deceased and Keane. We stayed about five minutes, and Only had one drink. Don’t know what deceased drank. The de-. ceased could walk as well as I could, but; Ido not think he was sober. Deceased got his horse out of the stable, when we left the hotel. He tried to get on the horse, and when.the deceased went into the saddle he overbalanced himaeff and fell off. He sort of fell on his feet, and was not hurt. 1 told him to put the horse in stable and remain till morning. He said “ I wont.” After some talk he consented to go back to the hotel, but before doing so put his horse in the stable. I went into the hotel, expecting deceased would follow, but finding that he did not come, about 10 minutes afterwards we went to the stable, found his hack gone, and concluded he had gone home. After about a quarter of an hour’s talk with Keane, Timothy Connolly and myself rode out horses towards my home. About a mile from Winchester we found the deceased with the horce lying on top of him on the road. The deceased was lying in the middle track of the road, with his head towards Winchester. He was lying on his back. The horse was fair on top of him, with its head towards Winchester also. The horse was on its back with a slight cant to one side. Its two hind legs were up in the air, but one of its fore legs was nearly touching the ground. The track is about four inches deep. The horse was lying quiet. 1 kicked the horse and it struggled a good deal before it got up. It was all right when it got up. The wither of the horse appeared to be wedged down between the head of deceased and the side of the track. I attempted to lift deceased up, but he was quite lifeless. 1 was rubbing him for about a quarter of an hour before he started to breathe, and we continued rubbing for another ten minutes, thinking he would come round, but finding he was getting no better I rode in to Winchester Hotel, saw a light in an upstairs window, and called out, “ Where is Mr Johnstone ? ” A girl’s voice answered, “ Who is there 1 ” I told my name, and said Bainey, who had been in the house a short time before, was hurt down the road. She told me to go to the front. 1 went, and failed to make myself heard, and came to Mr Greenall, who went with me to where the deceased was lying. I then got a trap and brought the deceased lo the Winchester Hotel. We put him on mattresses on the floor, and after putting blankets on him, left him. Mr Johnstone, the licensee, remained with him. The reins appeared to have been under the arm of the decesed, as the arm was raised up when the horse got up. Timothy Oonuolly, sworn, said : I am a farmer, living at Kakahu. On the night of the 4th instant I accompanied Thomas Connolly from Temuka to Winchester, which we reached ahoqt 10.30. We had a drink with 4 ece^s c4 in the Winchester Hotel, after which both ha and Thomas Connelly went out to go home. About five minutes after Connelly came back and told me Bainey was not going home. Bainey did not follow Connelly in, and we went to look for him. We found his horse had left the stable, and concluded he had gone home. After a quarter of an hour’s delay we rode for home, and about a mile from the hotel found a horse lying on top of the deceased on the road. Thomas Connelly got the horse up with some difficulty, and, after doing all he could for him, bo went to Winchester for assistance, and returned with Greenall and Forsyth. We thou got a trap and took him to the Winchester Hotel, where he was placed on a mattress on the floor and covered with blankets. We left him in charge of the licensee and his son and went home. This concluded the evidence, and, after a remarks by the acting coroner, the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, to the eti'oet that the deceased came by his death accideutelly by falling from his horse.