THE JOHNSON INQUEST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4800, 15 August 1894, Page 2

THE JOHNSON INQUEST.

l/lr Button's Questions,.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) Wku.ixhtox, Tuesday. In tlio House this afternoon, Mv Button nsked tho Minister of Jus-, tico wheftior tho attention (jf tho Government ljad boon drawn to the rumour tjjat on the iiupst hold oii the ii)an Jqliif Iqhnsqii, qf Master; tqu ; shoenyikcr, win) recently cqnf- : mittcd suicide by cutting his'thrqat, {iko wijs i), Ijcowpr, tlip njodical export tho broker's sqnj and one of publican, and did tho Governnpifc approve of "the trade" being so represented at enquiries' into the cause of death where intempcranco is obviously a factor in causing tho same. • ; .

[ : In asking the question 'Mr Button | said thatthe case should bo enquired. > liito, for .the, unfortunate'man was ) alive at nine o'clock in the morning,' ■ and the inquest 011 his body, was | held 011 tlio same afternoon; that] ' tho Coroner was .011 his way to hold ; the inquest in due course, but before he arrived, 110 learnt from newspaper | reports that the'inquest had been held.. Mr Button pointed out that : under' the' Act of 1867; Justices ■ couli} ofily act as Coroners when Corqners nad, received twenty-four | hours notice, and cqiil'd not attend l an i||(juest ; .■ 1 • | Mr Ciulraan, Miqisfef of Justice, 5 111 replying, ! - said Itljaf intempcranco 1 had nothing whatever to do with the man's death, It was ijnitp true that the Acting'Coi'oner was abrewer, the medical expert tho brewer's sou, antl ouo 'of the jurymen a publican. The brewer, ho might say, was a well-known aud highly, .respected resident of tho .district, and his son (Dr Butement) had attended the mau Johnson for some time previous to his, death,. He 1 had. sent him down to Wellington for treatment,

anij l|is liini on ; hjs return to Masterton, so ; tbat 'tbW -tviis' hot much in that portion of tho questibiii As to a publican being ou the jury, Mi' Cadman explained that the constable bad 'enrolll'd 1 tlio jiny' in the usual; manlier' (tlie 'i Sergeant being ptherwiSo engaged in'dobking ,He.,,wislffd;W' state,; l|p}vefdiyiljnf could' not bo; lield 'i ! ospohsibie iii i

matters of'tWjj kind, nor could tliey i interfere witli tWtolliiigtogethbr of 1 jiiriesiu such' cases; 1 ■'lt 'was' ratlier rough, lie thought, on the man's ( relatives to intimato that his death ] was caused by iutenijwance, ■ i