THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 251, 24 February 1898, Page 4

THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

THE INQUEST. I The inquest touching the death of Patrick Ryan, of Waitekauri, who expired on the ro d between Morrinsville and Tauwhare while being brought into the Waikato Hospital, was continued on Tuesday. The inquiry was a very lengthy one, occupying the whole of Monday afternoon and lasted from 11 a.m. to G..SO p.m. on Tuesday. The evidence of the first witness, James Calder, has already been puolished in our columns, and as that of William Craig is practically a repetition there is no occasion to print it in extemo. On resuming, James Calder, re-called, in rfply to questions from the jury, said : I first saw deceased atout halfpast six on Friday evening. He wai quiet and not in any way under the influence of diink. He stayed at my father's house on Friday night, but was away nearly all day Saturday. When deceased jumped from the trap he landed on his feet, but fell once or twice while running to the hotel. Deceased did not get a severe fall when being tied up at Morrinsville, and when placed in the trap his head was inside the tailboard. The next witness, Win. Craig, of Te AroliA, deposed : I first saw deceased at twenty minutes to six on Saturday morning. He occupied the same room as 1 did. On Saturday night at half past eleven on going to my room 1 heard deceased exclaim " Good God !" He was lying in bed on his back, he had blankets over him, but I could see he had no shirt on. I thought he was unwell, and spoke Ecvtral times to him, but he said nothing beyond the word " tea " in answer to a question whether he would like anything to drink. I could not get any tea, but took him a glass of water, and then found him lying naked on his bed. Witness then corroborated the evidence of James Calder regarding the journey in and the behaviour of deceased at Morrinsville and his death, as already published. To Constable Forbes : I consider the fastenings were not in any way too tight. Deceased did not complaiu about them. The conversation during which deceased told mo he was working at Waitekauri and was related to the Twoliill's, of the Thames, took place after ho bad been tied in the buggy. During the outbursts of passion deceased never struggled, and he calmed down and s.poke rationally at intervals between his ravings after we left Morrinsville. He struggled a little while being tied up at Morrinsville, but more so when we were carrying h'm out, but did not strain him self in any way. Deceased did not seem very strong considering his build, and the one man who put him down on the floor while at the hotel had no trouble in doing so. Deceased's head was inside the tail board of the huggy, and if he had slipped back he could not have Btruck the board. I did not notice any thing wrong with his breathing. By the jury : We tied deceased up at Morrinsville to prevent him doing himself an injury. Just before his death deceased got restless again and appeared to go mad, yelled once or twice, and then all was quiet. Gilbert Thomas Smith, who was then called, said : I am a duly qualified and registered practitioner, practising at Te Aroha. I have seen the body in th° morgue and identify it as that of Patrick Ryan, whom I attended at Te Aroha, on Saturday, 19th inst. I was called to see a man at Calder's house, somewhere about 12 o'clock. On entering the room 1 saw the deceased lying on the bed naked or nearly so, grasping the window curtain tightly with his right hand. His head and face were extremely congested and hot, and his eyes were fixed and staring. I questioned him hut I could get no reply. On examination I found his temperature increased from the normal, but his breathing was natural and regular. He remained in that condition for half or three-quarters of an hour, when he gradually regained partial consciousness. He was rather ramhliug iu his talk. A small phial of medicine was found on the table, and when I took it up to examine it he noticed and said that that was the poison that had done the harm and that I was the man who had given it to him. He then got rather violent, took hold of me and said he had got me and did not mean to let me go. He retaiued his hold of me for some considerable time, and when I tried to release myself he showed symptoms of becoming violent. Some of those who were in the room, took hold of him and put him on the bed, but he still retained his hold of my coat. I found it necessary in order to prevent his getting up to bind his legs. On releasing myself I took the medicine to the chemist, who had dispensed it, and he told mc that it had been ordered for the deceased by someone else. On my return to the room I found him rambliDg in his speech and endeavouring to gee out of bed, so I administered some composing medicine. I then advised Mr Calder that the case was one for Hospital treatment, and as the deceased had no friends in Te Aroha I suggested he should get a buggy and take him over early next day (Sunday), instead of waiting for the train. It was half-past 3 a.m. when I got home. I saw him oga : n on Sunday morning and was told he had been quite quiet after the injection until I saw him. He had just woke up, and was drinking a cup of tea. I asked him how he felt, and he said " Better—and allright except a headache." From the opportunities I had of judging, as I could glean nothing from him, and from the symptoms, I concluded he was suffering from cerebral inflammation. By Constable Forbes: I was quite prepared to give a certificate of death, and did so at the request of Dr. Kenny, stating my opinion as to the canse of death, viz., cerebral inflammation. I had not heard of how he died or I would have added to it. Since hearing of the mode of death, from the evidence of the two previous witnesses, I am of opinion that deceased must have been suffering from some disease of the heart;. Had I been aware of this it would not have • altered my opinion and I would have ordered his removal to the Hospital, as there are no conveniences for treating such cases in Te Aroha. There was not the slightest risk in sending him into Hamilton, notwithstanding the distance and his condition, so long as he remained in the buggy. I consider his jumping out of the buggy and ruDiiing produced syncope, from stoppage of the heart's action. From the description I have heard of the tying down I consider it had nothing to do with his death. I attribute the syncope solely to the running and the excitement caused by his recovery, and his being placed under restraint. There was little or no struggling, and I consider the running the chief cause of the trouble. If this accident had not happened and the patient had kept quiet, he would have arrived at his destination safely. From his symptoms I thought he should be moved as soou as possible, as he would become worse and less able to be moved without danger. If the fastenings had been too tight so as to stop circulation, they would have injured him. The one across his chest more particularly would have been dangerous, and all have assisted towards his death The deceased was weak from his condition, but was a powerful man, and I could not have released my coat from his grasp without trouble or some assistance ; but little or no force was required to put him down on the bed in hi 3 room at Te Aroha. A blauket wa3 then wrapped round bis legs and a rope placed round that in case he struggled, and I myself fastened one of his hands to the bedstead. This was done in order to prevent him rising and scratching the puncture made by the hypodermic syringe. I »aw deceased at 5 o'clock on Saturday afternoon at the Family Hotel. I was called in to sec him, When J got in thy

rcom he told me he had something blocking up his rectum which he could not pass. He had been straining a great deal in consequence. On examination I found a pile protruding, which I replaced. He said he felt quite comfortable and had nothing else the matter with him. He said he had had influenza for a week previously, and had come to Te Aroha to regain his strength. I gave no instructions to those who accompanied him iu the buggy beyond saying that he was to be hid full length in the buggy, and care must bo taken that he was not allowed to get out. I cave those instructions to Mr Calder, senr., but could not say whether the two last witnesses were present, or whether they heard me I cannot say. The chcm'ut to'd ire that the bottle contained a little pectoral mixture, but I did Hottest it myself. It was prescribed by Mr Cooper, an unqualified end unregistered man, practising in Te Aroha. If the mixture was as described it would not act injuriously or affect the patient. There was no more risk in moving him on Sunday than in sending him down by train on Monday-of the two 1 should say not so much risk. Francis Henry Birtwhistle, labourer, of Waitekauri, at present an inmate of the Waikato Hospital, said : I have seen the body in the morgue and identify it as that of Patrick Ryan, late of Waitekauri. I have known him for about two years and three months. I last saw him about three months ago, and I am cerUin the body is that of Ryan, whom I worked with at Waitekauri. When I last saw him he was employed as a surfaceman ou a tramway at that place. By the jury: Deceased was a strong man. but could not exert himself to any great extent. I was under the impression, from watching him, that he was so fat that his lungs had not fair play or that they were not sound, Edward Brewis, a duly-qualified medical practitioner, practising at present in Hamilton, said : In conjunction with Dr. Kenny I made a post mortem this morning, and iu my opinion the immediate cause of death was failure of the heart's action owing to fatty degeneration, death being possibly hastened by congestion of both lungs, induced probably by his receut reported attack of influenza. The heart was empty, muscle fibres soft and found to be the seat of fatty degeneration and infiltration. The heart wai enlarged, being 3oz. overweight. The right lung was the seat of recent pleurisy and congestion. The kidneys were also both cularged and showed fatty degeneration. The brain and its membranes were perfectly normal. The liver was enlarged and fatty. The intestines were quite normal. The stomach was practically empty, with small hemorrhages at one part. By Constable Forbes : Judging by the post mortem appearances, I cannot think the journey would do any harm, but undue restraint, such as struggling while being tied, would, I think, be danccrou?. Constable Forbes said in justice to all parties he thought the evidence regarding the nature of the restraint placed upon deceased should he read for the benefit of Dr. Brewis, and the evidence of the second witness (Craig) was accordingly read by the coroner. By Constab'e Forbes: The act of struggling and excitement caused by tying the deceased was calculated to he dangerous, but the mere fact of his being tied in would not accelerate his death if he had kept quiet. There would have been decidedly less lisk under the circumstances in sending him down by traiu on Monday morning than by buggy on Sunday. I take thi* view of the case considering the appearances of the body at the time of the post mortem. The state of the heart and other organs while deceased was alive might not have been markedly apparent, more especially in a man of his build, except by very careful examination. The body showed no bruises or marks of violence, and the wrists were not even chafed. Had the fastenings been care'essly or too tightly tied, in all probability there would have been marks. By the jury : The net of jumping out of the buggy and running along the road would be a very severe strain on a man iu his state of health, and together with the restraint put upon him it doubtless caused his death. If I had been present at Moninsvil'e I would not have allowed the deceased to be tied up G. G. Kenny, duly qualified medical practitioner and medical superintendent of the Waikato Hospital, said : I have, in conjunction with Dr. Brewis, made a post mortem examination upon the body of Patrick Ryan this morning, aud found the head and neck greatly swollen. The heart was quite empty, the muecle fibre Boft, and found to be the seat of fatly degeneration and infiltration. The aortic valve was normal, but a little calcareous infiltration of the aorta was found in dissemminated patches. The weight was a little over 14 ounces, normal weight being 11 ounces. The spleen was much enlarged and very soft; weight over 15 ounces, normal weight from five to seven ounces. The right kidney weighed eight ounces and the left 10 ounces, normal weight being about 4j- ounces. Both were therefore greatly enlarged. In my opinion the immediate cause rf death was due to failure of the heart's action owing to fatty degeneration, death being possibly accelerated by the congestion of both lungs, induced probably by his recent attack of influenza. By the police : So many parts of the body were diseased that he could not possibly have lived long, but might have lasted for a few weeks. Ido not thick it was wise to move him 30 miles in an open buggy under restraint part of the way, but that opinion is of course given after the post mortem. There would have been less risk in keeping him at Te Aroha until Monday and sending him down by train. From the condition of deceased's heart any form of sudden or extreme exertion would be fraught with imminent danger. The restraint would also be detrimental if he struggled against it. I received the letters produced from Dr. Smith. The first, which was sent with the deceased, stated that he was suffering from cerebral inflammation ; that he had sent the patient, although at considerable risk, as he was a stranger without friends, and there were no conveniences for the treutmeut of such a case iu Te Aroha. In the second, he forwarded the death-certificate as requested aud stated that he should never have tent him, only the boardinghouse people could not keep him, and there were no conveniences for his treatment in Te Aroha. Constable Forbes here gave evidence as to the arrival of the body, and his taking charge of it. There were, he said, no possibility, even in the case of slipping, t f deceased's head coming in contact with the tail hoard, as it was raised on two pillows, and none of the ties were too tight. On searching the body, he found the sum of £5 10s lOd, and a Post-office savings bank book, besides a Dumber of other small articles. This concluded the evidence. The Coroner : Gentlemen of the jury,— Von have heard the evidence, upon which it is necessary to arrive at your verdict. I feci that it is my duty to comment upon the conduct displayed by the several parties with which deceased has come in contact. The deceased arrived at a boarding-house at Te Anha ; is ill at the time, is taken worse during the night ; a doctor is called in, and, although it is perfectly understood that the patient is not in a fit state for removal, is ordered to the hospital here, some thirty-six miles distant. When the decosed shewed such v olent symptoms at Morrinsville it would have been far wiser, and in accordance with the dictates of humanity, that a doctor had been consulted if possible instead of forcibly removing the patient while in so precarious a state so far as regards health.

The jury, after half an hour's deliberation, brought in a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence given by Drs. Biewiaund Kenny, and added a rider that Messrs Dansey, Craig and Calder, junr., had done their best under the circumstances. TIIE FUNERAL. The remains of the late Patrick Ryan were interred in the Hamilton West Cemetery on Tuesday afternoon. It was largely attended, and a number of his workmates, who had come over from Waitekauri for the purpose, were picsent. The service was conducted by the Rev. Father Amandolini.