CORONER'S INQUEST.

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1192, 17 February 1880, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday at the Frankton Hotel, near Hamilton, before B. 0. Beale, Esq., Coroner, on the body of James Purvis. The following jury was B worn .-—Thomas Jolly (foreman), Fredk. Sergeant, James Webb, C. Johnson, Geo. Mays, Jeremiah Sullivan, Samuel Miller, James Harker, Martin Brown, H. P. Mc M herson, James Berry, and Kiran Devery. The jury having viewed the body, Joseph Talbott, sworn, said : I am a ganger employed on the railway. Deceased had been working with me nearly two years aa a lineman. On Saturday morning on coming to work he told me that he took a pain across his chest. In the forenoon he complained of heartburn. He was vomiting at noon. He did not complain all the afternoon, working the same as U9ual. He went home at 4 o'clock, saying he would come down at half-past 5 o'clock if he came at all He turned round and told me he had forgotten his oilskin, and asked me to bring it up on Monday morning. I did not see him again till I found him dead on the trolly. I was then with Mr Caldwell and Mr Manners. It was about 9 o clock on Saturday evening-. Deceased was ill with a sore side last summer, and was attended by Dr. Beale. He said four weeks ago his side vas not quite well, but very nearly so. He complained of fever ia wet and cold weather. To dergt. WcGrovern : Ho did not complain on Saturday morning that he had eaten anything that disagreed with him ; but had a feeling as if he had eaten somothing very hot. To a juror: Ffe never complained of any particular pain before Saturday. To a juror: I am not aware that he ever expressed a wish to see the railway doctor. Mary Devery j I am the wife of Kiren Devery. I have known deceased 10 ot 11 months. On Saturday evening, about half-past 8 o'clock, while putting my children to bed, I heard very heavy moans a fpw yards from my house, which is close to the railway line. I went out and listened for the direction of the voice, as it was very dark. I thought it came from the line, and searching found deceased lying on his back on the line, with his knees drawn up. His kit and hat were under his head. I spo^etohim, asking 1 what had happened, and was he hurt. He replied, "Is tfcat you, Mrs Devery ?" He said, " I have been past two hours lyino* above the tanks (a short distance above where found and deceased's own house) . He said he felt very cold, and had boen in a sweat. -■ c asVed for Devery and Talbott, wanting to see the former. I tried to get him in to give him a hot drink, but had no one to help me, and he said he was not able to move. He asked me to raise his head up out of the sand. I then grot him a pillow and wrapped him in a blanket, where he lay, and went down to the station about half-a-mile away for assistance. As I went I heard him say, " After all am I to die on tha road.'' I saw Mr Manners, and told him to come as quickly as possibly with assistance, and ran back to whore I left Purviv. I found him with his head turned round on the pillow, his eyeh turned b ick, and his mouth full of froth. I found he was dead. Mr Caldwell and Mr Manners came up in a minute or two afterwards,

To the Coroner : Deceased complained of being cold, bat did not ask for water. Previously ha had complained of a sore in his Hide. George Manners, sworn, deposed he was a ganger employed oa the railway. On Saturday evening, about half- past 8, he was called by last witness to come to Purvis assistance. Haviug fetched Mr Oaldwell he (witness) got a trolly on to the line and a lantern, and they went up to where deceased lay. He thought there was a slight motion of deoeasod's mouth at that time. Deceased was lying with a blanket over him and a pillow under his head. They brought the body to the hotel. He had known deceased about 17 months. He was not a robu3t man, but capable of doing his work, and never complained of its oppressing him. He was a single man of temperate habits. WalterHusseyFittonSandes.M.R.C.S., England : I atn a duly qualified medical practitioner residing in Hamilton. I was oalied in to see deceased on Saturday evening. I found him lying on a table dead at the Railway Hotel. I examined ths body, and found no sign of violence upon it. He had an open wound on the left side with all the appearance of being long standing, apparently a year or two— every appearance of proceeding from diseased rib-j or chronic abcess, most probably the former. From evidence I got at the time I saw deceased I came to the conclusion that deceased died from heart disease, the wound in his side having no reference to his death. He was wearing a double truss and was ruptured, and the bowel on the right side was down. I don't think it was strangulated, but easily reducible. I never attendod deceased during his life. The information given me by his brother that deceased had pain in his chest led me to believe he had heart disease ; and deceased himself had a belief that he would die suddenly. to a juror: I am of opinion that the sore in the side did not cause death. The brother of deceased stated that for a long time deceased "had been complaining of pain in the chest, and said that he believed he would die suddenly. Deceased was discharged from the Imperial service in 1873, where he had served 21 years. Deceased was 47 years of ago.

ViJBDICT. The jury after a short deliberation, returned a verdict "That deceased died from natural causes, probably heart disease."