INQUEST.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1047, 18 February 1873, Page 2

INQUEST.

An enquiry into tbe cause of death of James Cusack, who had died suddenly ou Wednesday evening last, was held at Martin's Hotel by Dr. Giles, Coroner, and the following jury. T. Bailie, foreman, and E. M'Farlane, Geo. Clark, ]3. Labatt, Jules Simon, T. Bond, C. Nottman, E. Yardley, G. Jarvis, G. Weston, W. Carpenter, It. Whyte, and H. Vorley. Walton Pell deposed that he had known the deceased for six years past. He was at the time of his death about •18 years of age, and had been in the employ of the Telegraph department at Charleston. Witness saw deceased last alive iu a cargo boat on the river ou Wednesday, having comedown with him from the Landing to Westport. Deceased had come from Dank's Hotel where on the clay previous witness had seen him lying in bed. Deceased had been taken ijl on the previous Saturday. On the Sunday night witness had slept at the hotel, and had heard deceased yelling several times during the night as if in pain. The people in the house had told witness that deceased was suffering from pains in the stomach. Ou Wednesday witness met the boat at Christy's, and deceased was then lying in the boat, covered with blankets, and witness helped to rig ally over him, as it was raining heavily. On the wav down deceased was very restless, and continually wanting to drink. The boat was just seven hours on the trip down, and witness attended to deceased during the whole time. Deceased frequently vomited, especially after drinking any water, rle was perfectly sensible up to half-past six o'clock when he then compared his watch with that of witness. When the boat reached shore witness went off to look for an express van, and also for some member of the Hospital Committee, it being then deceased's intention to go to the Hospital for medical attendance. Before returning witness had heard that deceased had died. He had seen deceased about 10 days ago in Westport, and he had then seemed very well in health. Henry Clark, boatman. Had brought deceased down river in his cargo boat on Wednesday from the Inangahua Landing. Deceased had to be assisted into the boat, and all the way down was very sick but did not complain of any particular pain but merely asked coniiuuously for water. Witness persuaded him not to drink too much water, and deceased at times merely wetted his lips. On reaching Westport, witness and A'fred Stringer lifted deceased out of the boat, and carried him into Martin's Hotel. Deceased was then perfectly helpless and was groaning as if in great pain. Previous to this, witness had not heard deceased speak for nearly a quarter of an hour. At the time deceased was lifted out of the boat there was nothing alarming in his appearance or anything leading witness to suppose that deceased was near death. On getting deceased into Martin's bar. witness and Stringer put him in a sitting posture with his back leaning against a bag, and then witness •left. By a juror: It would not have beeD safe to have left deceased out of doors while waiting for the express van. Alfred Stringer. Had known deceased from childhood. Helped to assist him from the boat on Wednesday, but did not recognise him until coming into the light at Martin's hotel. When witness first saw deceased in the boat he was moaning and his eyes rolling wildly. Witness saiat the tirnt he thought deceased would die before the express came. Witness remained in the hotel with deceased ; holding his heaa, and iu about ten minutes after bringing him there a gurgling noise cacie from the throat of deceased, and he instantly died. Dr. Thorpe had been previously sent for, but did not arrive until some minutes after deceased had died Dr. Samuel Thorpe deposed that he had found the deceased, .lames Cusack, lying recently dead at Martin's hotel on Wednesday evening. There were then no outward appearances to enable witness to account for the cause of death. On subsequently making a post mortem examination he had found the body weli developed and showing no outward signs of disease, nor were there any external marks of injury. The only noticeable appearance being a quantity ot green mucus about the mouth, and a distension of the abdomen. This latter symptom witness had noted immediately after de;>th of decease!, but not to the extent observable at the post mortem examination. The lungs were hea'thy, but there were extensive adhesions to the walls of the chest on both sides, but not of resent formation. The pericardium, or membranous sac surrounding the heart, contained from two to three ounces of dark claret colored serum. The substance of the heart was soft and almost resembling Inng substance. The right side of the hoart was gorged with dark colored blood, the left side was empty. The whole of the intestines were distended and exhibiting red streaks on the inuer convolutions. In the cavity of the peritonoeum or membrane surrounding the bow Is, there was an escape of straw co ored serum, and strong inflammatory appearances,

which Beamed more intense on the right side. There was also a large discharge of pus. On raising the free edge of the liver witness discovered what appeared to be to site of a suffused abcess, there was also extensive adhesions between the right lobe of the liver and the larger bowel. The internal surface of the body was not inflamed, but the parts surrounding the abcess was deeply stained with yellowish bile. The stomach was almost empty containing barely an ounce of dark liquor. The surface of the organ itself was of a darker color than natural, but presented no inflammatory appearances. At the junction of the gullet and stomach there was a small perforation about large enough to admit the diameter of an ordinary lead pencil. The edges of the perforation were thin and laminated but bore neither external nor internal appearances of inflammation. The liver was congested and dark in color, the bladder empty and contracted. The pelvis cavity contained a large quantity of pus, which had apparently gravitated there from the diffused abcess. The immediate cause of death was peritonitus, or inflammation of the membrane containing the bowels, most probably induced by the giving way of the abcess ;>t the place indicated Witness did not think the aperture in the cesaphagu*, or gullet, had induced the inflammation, although the small quantity of fluid in the pericardium would tend to make death more sudden. . The disease must have existed for some days previous to death. The Coroner having directed the jury as to the simple facts of the evidence, they retired, and shortly after returned a verdict of death from natural causes. ' L For remainder of news see 4<tJi page.~\

100 George Moody, Kennedy street, carpenter 101 J. T. Crawford, Lyttelton street, pianoforte-maker 102 John Oakley, carpenter 103 A. Rudaell, Kennedy street, carpenter 104 John Derungs 105 Laurence Larsen, Lyttelton Btreet, waterman 106 T. W. Melville, Cobden • street, plumber 107 C. Gabnell, Bright street, householder 108 Andrew Clark, Wallabi stree boatman 109 John Terry, Palmerston street, waterman 110 W. Struthers, Molesworth street, painter 111 Francis H. Cox, Wharf street, hotelkeeper 112 C. O'Grady, Molesworth street, hotelkeeper 113 Hugh M'Farlane, Wallabi street, blacksmith 114 William Morris, Wallabi street, contractor "115 E. M'Lagan, Wallabi street, householder 116 Walter Bull, Wallabi street, builder 117 R. Gordon, Wallabi street, expressman 118 J. Magner, Wallabi street, jeweller 119 R. C. Chambers, Wallabi street, miriing manager 120 Joachim Frank, Wallabi street, Blacksmith 121 Michael Organ, fellmonger 122 Robert Wbyte, Lyttelton street, clothier 123 Jonah Levi, Pakiugton street, general dealer 124 Daniel Quadri, Cobden street, householder 125 Edward Quigley, Palmerston street, carrier ,a 126 Peter Seaton, Wharf street, wharfowner 127 B. Oxner, Nelson street, householder 128 Lorenz Fuchs, Cobden street, boatman 129 Samuel Riley, Nelson street, shipowner 130 John Ward, Palmerston street, builder 131 A. D. Bayfield, Kennedy street, banker 132 Arthurs Maguire, Paking ton street, hotelkeeper. 133 R, Smith, Wharf street, hotelkeeper 134 H. S. Andrews, Wharf street, tinsmith 135 William Atkina, Cobden street, waterman 136 Jane Stephenson, Wharf street, • householder 137 John Rogers Eraser, Kennedy street, teacher 138 John Fielder, Rintoul street, householder 139 John Hale, Wharf street, contractor 140 Charles Leach, Palmerston street, Miner 141 John A. Carr, Bright street, carpenter 142 Robert S. Sutton, Bright street, miner 143 Charles Bishop, Peel street, labourer 144 George Morley, Peel street, builder 145 S. Thorpe, Bright street, surgeon 146 A. C. Soutar, Bright street, clergyman 147 Joseph Cooper, Wallabi' street, greengrocer 148 John Blacklock, Wallabi street, shoemaker 149 Francis Jephcoate, gardener 150 William Sloan, carpenter 151 D. Day, Bright street, Clerk 152 David Reeves, Wallabi Street, householder 153 W. L. Miller, Molesworth street, clerk 154 Thomas Easton, Bright street. miner 155 Albert Sunstroum, Cobden street, householder 156 Thomas Walsh, Lyttelton street, clergyman 157 Joseph Shelly, Palmerston street, miner 158 Reid and Co., Molesworth street, Westport Times 159 William Fagg, Orawaiti road, watchman 160 Thomas Hussey, Cobden street, aiter 161 George Snow Atkinson, Orawaiti road, publican 162 W. M. Hannah, Wharf street, boatman 163 Nicholas Rodovinig, Nelson street, boatman 164 George Carruthers, Rintoul street, bailiff 165 Edward Jacobsen, Nelson street, boatman 166 John Read, Nelson street,boatman 168 Joseph Giles, Municipal Reserve, Resident Magistrate. 169 W. S. Munday, Rintodl street, Collector of Customs 170 J. A. Bertrand, Kennedy street, clerk I, John Corr, of Westport, in the Province of Nelson, in New Zealand, merchant, do solemnly and sincerely •declare that all the signatures numbered 1 to 157 inclusive, affixed to the above Petition, are the genuine signatures of the persons whose they purport to be, and that such persons are inhabitant householders of the district therein Teferred to. JNO. OORR. Declared at Westport, in the Province of Nelson, this 17th. day of Januory, 1873, belore ene, JOSEPH GILES, Justice of the Peace.

I, John Mushes, of Weßtport, in the Province of Nelson, in the Colony of New Zealand, hotelkeeper, do solemnly and sincerely declare that all the signatures numbered 158 to 170, inclusive, affixed to the above petition, are the genuine signatures of the persons whose they purport to be, and that such persons are inhabitant householders of the district therein referred to. J. HUQHES. Declared at Westport, in the Province of Nelson, this 17th. day of January, 1873, before me, JOSEPH GILES. Justice of the Peace. Superintendent's Office, Nelson, 21st January, 1873. Sib, —A Petition, praying Your Excellency to constitute the Town of Westport, in the Province of Nelson, a borough under "The Municipal Corporation Act, 1867," having been transmitted to me in pursuance of the 22nd section of the said Act, I have the honor to signify to Tour Excellency that I do not dissent from the prayer of that Petition. I have &c, OSWALD CURTIS, Superintendent. His Excellency Sir G. P. Bowen, Governor of New Zealand.