INQUEST ON JOHN DREW.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1871, 7 October 1874, Page 3

INQUEST ON JOHN DREW.

An inquest was held yesterday forenoon on the body of John Drew, who died, suddenly on Monday evening under circumstances stated in our yesterday's impression. The jury assembled at the Hazelbank Hotel, but after being sworn, and having viewed the body, re-asscmbletl in the Court House. The following were the jurymen :—Messrs T. W. Gudgeon, D. It. Gellion, E. Millott, B, W. Fairbairn, S. Turtle, E. Quin, W. Bowe, H. H. Wright, S. Akeroyd, George Olotworthy, J. F. Carter, and J. Gribble. Mr Howe was chosen foreman.

Kobert Lorimer deposed: lam a bushmau, and have been for some lime working for Mr McDonald at the Miranda. I have been cutting timber, and deceased has been employed there for two months. I have been constantly in his company for that time. I have been living and workiug with him for about twelve months. .During that time I have never known him to bo troubled with fits, or sickness of any kind, lie had been inclined to drinking habits daring that time. He has had several drinking bouts, of about a week or a fortnight. We came over to Grabinstown on Sunday last, arriving about half-past one. I parted with him at the wharf. I believe he went to the Hazelbank Hotel. Ho was sober when we arrived. I next saw him about eleven o'clock .yesterday (Monday). He was then slightly under the iufluenco of liquor. I saw him again about half-past 4 yesterday afternoon at the Hazelbank Hotel. He was slightly intoxicated— about the same condition as he was before, He did not complain of beiug unwell. I had-something to drink nith hire, I am not positive what it was he had. We had only one drink together. I was in his company about half-an-hour, till five o'clock. He could walk steadily, and talk quite rationally. I saw him afterwards lying on the sofa in a room in the Hazelbank .Hotel, about ten o'clock, but I could not say whether he was then alivo or dead. Mrs Gillan and Miss Clarke were also in the room. I was about ten minutes in the room. I supposed him him to be sleeping.. His appearance was natural. He was lying on hh side, with his face to the wall. I remarked to Mrs Gillan that he was having a good sleep. I don't recollect whether she made any remark. I then went away. I was quite sober at the time.

By Mr Gudgeon: I believe that was all the conversation I had with Mrs Gillan. I saw some rum and milk on the table.

By the foreman: I heard Mrs Gillan say ho had made a good breakfast, but I do not know when.

Ann Gillan deposed: I am the wife of Alexander Gillan, of tho Hazlebauk Hotel, Grahamstown. Deceased came to the hotel about two o'clock on Sunday last. He came with the intention of lodging. I have often seen him before, but he never lodged at the house before; I think ho was in tho house all day on Sunday. He had two meals. He had a glass of beer to dinner. He had no more.to my knowledge. He went to bed about eight o'clock at night. He was sober when he went to bed. He complained to mo of being ill. His eyes were black and bloodshot, and he told me that he had had a fall over on the other side. On Monday morning he got up before me and went out. He came ia with two more about half-past eight o'clock. He had a glass of whisky. He went out after that again and came back about half-past ten, He might have had more liquor, but he was not drunk; I could tell that he had had more. He had no more liquor before he had breakfast. Ho had a plate of porridge and bacon and eggs for breakfast. He then went to bed. He got up when Mr McDonald came to pay him his wages. That was just before dinner—before one o'clock, lie had no diuner, but went to bed after he settled with Mr Macdonald, and slept till five o'clock. He had a drink of whisky before he went to bed. I believe he had only one drink; He got up at five o'clock, and cume down with two mates, and had two drinks. He had rum' and mi Ik both times. He put his head on the table and 'fell asleep, and I told, him ho had better go to bed. He got up and went into another room, where he lay on a sofa. I went upstairs, and got a pillow, and put it under his head. He said then that he was not well. He said he felt all his bones sore. He walked from one room to auother steadily enough. He wds not drunk, nor was he sober; he was about half way. He lay on his right side, facing the wall. When I put the pillow under his head I left him.. There was nobody there except a niece of Mr Gillan's, who was there about two hours, reading. She may have come about an hour or an hour and a half after I put the pillow under his head. I was frequently in the room while Miss Clarke was there. He was lying close to where we were sitting. 1 did not notice whether he wa9 breathing. I thought he was sleeping soundly. About half-past 10 I was trying to rouse him to get him up to his bed. I found I could not get him to move. I called my son, and we got him ou to a chair, and put water on. his face and hands. The surface of tho body was warm. I fancied he drew his breath when we got him on tho chair, and put water on him. When I went to wake him, he was lying in the same position as when I put the pillow under his head. Duriug tho lime I was in the room, if ho had moaned or breathed hard; I would have heard. When we found we could not wake him, we sent for a doctor. Mr Denby came before Dr Lethbridge came. I was so excited I could not say what Air Denby said, (ho features were calm, aud not convulsed in any way. -Deceased gave mo £15 belonging to him to keep, JJr Lethbridge afterwards came.

By Mr Eairbairu : Two of my sons were in tho room when Loriiner was thore, That was at half-past ten.

JJy the Foreman: He was not drunk, nor was lie sober. I requested him to go to bed, beeauso he was complaining of being unwell.

Christina (Jlarke deposed: I am a nieea of Mr Gillaa. X reside in tho Hazclbank Hotel. Deceased was there yesterday. I gave him water to wash himself about live o'clock, in his bedroom. 1 did not see him again till I saw him about eight o'clock. He appeared to be sleeping souudly on the sofa, but I cannot say I heard him breathing. Between half-past eight and nine ho turned his head on the pillow and stretched his limbs. Ho had boon lying on his back, and he turned his face more.to the wall, I noticed nothing more till half-past ten. He made no noise whatever. About halfpast ten Airs Gillan asked me to assist her to lift his head. She wanted to get him up-slairs. Ho washed himself at five o'clock. I am sure the deceased made that movement I have described, and noother, while [ was there. By Mr Fairbairn; I could not sayi whether at ho o'clock ho appeared to be: drunk, . ■ - .bo>rt lorimer was rcqaUqcl and dV

posed: Deceased told me that lie fell over some rooks coming to our house about twelve days ago. The fall occurred at night. Ho was braised, and his eyes slightly discoloured. He was at his work regularly after that. He was not laid up iu consequence of the fall, and made no complaints whatever. He appeared to treat it as a trifle, and only seemed to care about the appearance.

Dr. Lethbridge deposed: I am a duly qualified medical man residing at Shortland. I was called to see tbo 'deceased last night about ten o'clock. He was dead; and was lyiug on his back on a sofa. There was some discolouration of the upper part of the face. I have since made a post-mortem examination, of the body. ' I found the organs, of the chest in a perfectly, healthy state. The same may be . said of those of the abdomen, except that the external surface of the stomach was deeply iDJected.'Jand appeared to , have been somewhat irritated. Th'ero was a trace only _of food. I found the brain in an exceedingly turgid state, and a considerable quantity of fluid blood was noticed on the surface on opening the head. Thero was no rupture of brain substance, nor yet of any considerable vessel. The marks of a blow over the eyes externally had no appearance connecting them with the condition of the brain internally. The cause of- death, in' my opinion, was syncope, during an attack of apoplectic coma, superinduced by the habitually excessive uso of- stimulants, and I think that the blow on the forehead may have assisted' in determining an attack of this kind. I tbiuk he had been more severely shaken by the fall than he appeared to imagine, and I think the account given by the other witnessesses of the symptoms s>f deceased tallied with' the.' cause of death as I. found ...'it to. be. Syncope is a collapse owing to a condition' of the brain. He. had been shaken by the fall,- and apparently the concussion was more serious than he wished- to consider. After that, he took the very worst means to get over it, by the excessive use" of stimulants from time to time.

'By Mr Gudgeon: I observed nothing worse than might have been caused by alcohol. Question. — Would itiferior liquors have the effect of causing'his death?—l could not state so.. '.','-

■ To ;M.r Ballen: It is quite iaiiccordance, with experience that he should die without any struggle. It is not the usual :form; -still, it may have been so; 'It is quite evident. that the attack had been going on for some days.' He had : been complaining of it.' He gradually slept into a condition of socalled c'oma-a sort of sleep that dulls all the faculties, and so, he passed away in this sleep probably. ' ■ . ~, Mr Fairbairn-': Do you not think that if the stomach were analysed you would be able to say whether the drink was pure or not, or whether there was any adulteration in the rum.

Dr. Lethbridge: I do not think that by aualysing the stomach it could be determined whether the alcohol was pure or not.

Mr Fairbairn: lam sorry for that. Dr. Lethbridge: There have been concussions received in railway accidents where the parties have gone about their avocations for days and even months, and eventually have died from the effects of the accident. .

The Coroner: Suppose you set to work to make au analysis, could you find out whether the drink that he had was good, bad, or indifferent ?

Dr Lethbridge: Ido not think so. The Foreman: I may state my opiuion that if the niau had not got drunk, and had not been served with bad drink, he would have been alive 10-day. ■ The Coroner pointed out that it could not be ascertained where he got the liquor. He went out of the Hazelbauk Hotel at half-past eight o'clock, and he had had drink enough to affect him during his absence.

Mr Gudgeon remarked that this was the second case where a man had died here after having drunk, rum and milk from the same house.

Mr Fairbairn said that the spirits this man had, if good, would - not hive hurt him or any other man. What he drank was nothing to a stout healthy man. The Coroner wrote out the verdict as below, except the last clause, but some of the jury objected to, it in that : form, and the Court was cleared. After some deliberation, the following verdict was agreed upon :.— " That deceasod died, by the visitation of God, m a natural way, of syncope duriug an attack of aploplectic coma, and not by any violent means whatsoever to the' knowledge of the said jury; such cause of death being superinduced by the habitually excessive use of stimulauts."