Inquest.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5251, 16 November 1885, Page 2

Inquest.

Yesterday afternfin a report was made to the police that an elderly man named William Gibbons, a miner living in Davy St. had been found dead in bis bed, and steps were at once taken to hold the necessary inquest, which took place at the Bay View Hotel this morning at eleven o'clock by Dr Kilgomr. The following are the names of the jury empanelled:— C. McLiver (foreman/, J. Bunny, S. - Driver,;!?. Hedge, F. Driver,and J. Sleigh. After viewing the body, the following evidence was taken. —George Barrington, miner, deposed that he knew deceased, ■aw him last-en Friday night, when he complained of having a pain in hit chest, and he said he would go home and go to bed; had frequently heard him complain of such pain 8 previously. He was at work on Friday in the Little Sarah mine, in the Waiotahi; he was in the Hospital for some time early in the year. He waf was a man of sober habits, and seemed in good spirits when witness last taw him. Deceased was a single man, and had no relatives here—Dr. P. Callan, sworn, stated that he had made a post, morteflr examination of the body* of deceased ; found the body on its back, with the head turned towards the left side and partly hanging out of the bed, the mouth and nostrils were covered with blood, and on the floor underneath the head was a pool of blood, from which a stream had run towards the foot of the bed; \ there were no external marks of violence on the body; directed attention to the thorax; the heart was completely empty and drained of blood, both lungs were very much emphysematous, in the Upper tube of the right lung there were tuberculous deposits and the lobe gorged with blood, And on examining * the lung carefully found two of the larger vessels ruptured ; there were several clots of blood in the stomach, which had been swallowed ; the other organs were" healthy. Death resulted from hemorrhage caused by the rupture of pulmonary blood* vessels, the heart was healthy. The man must have been dead two days.—G.. -S. Morrison, miner, stated that he knew deceased for a number of years, and they were mates for the past six months; lately he had been in delicate health, complained of his chest, but of late he said he was improving and increasing in weight; last saw him at about two or three o'clock on Friday afternoon, and made an appointment for 8 o'clock on Saturday morning to go fishing, but he did not turn up, and as the weather was rough attributed his absence »tq that cause. To the Police: Identified the body of deceased as that of William Gibbons. To thejury: He was at work on Friday afternoon. The Coroner reviewed the evidence and said it was quite conclusive that deceased died from natural causes as described by the medical evidence. The jury without retiring found the following verdict, "That the deceased William Gibbons, came by his death from natural causes, as described by the medical eridence."