The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-10-18 00:00:00

Poiiiiia

Tag IN-QUIST.

From the evidence of G. Clifton, Esq., governor, it
appeared that Joseph Gartimer was admitted in
October, 1880, Udder sentence of seven years' penal
pserervviiuu
servitude, and
dily
had
an exa
seveny.tarc;i similar
sentence,supervision,lie b
havianig
had no punishum.,t for offence at Portland, his
conduct having beeti ezemplaty. On Wednesday he
was at work with • party under charge of Warder
Walter Hardy, and at the time of his being struck
by Convict Edward Etheridge, the Partl WAS in
temporary cha:ge of Assistant Warden Soft, while
Warder Hardy was attending to necessary duties. A
few minutes after five in the afternoon the deceased
was brought in on a stretcher, and the Governor
sent for the m dical officer who was in immediam
attendance, and proeotuical him dead. Deceased's
ag 3 WWI 36 years.
John Sims, a convict of the party, said they
numbered 19, two being away under another officer.
After four, Warder Hardy went to the tool box with
Mr. Drew, storekeeper, to 1441 the tool* were coma,
and Assistant-Warder John Holt took temporary
charge of the party. Each had a barrow, wattliar
stones, and the deceased had f mud a mouse; hut the
mouse escaoed from his ptcket. On going with the
nest lead of etouee ,A,nvic. Edward Etheridge picked
up a mouse from the ground. At that tune deceased
was behind him; they were walking double file, and
Sims was in the same file with Etheridge. Deceased
said nothing then; but when they gut to the place
where they hal ii tiil the barrows, Gardiner went up
to Etheridge, and sail—" Now, I Mein et have my
mouse," and immediately took hold of iLlieridge
with one hand near his neck, and with tLe other baud
struck him on the face with hit clenched fist, and
eadieridge in return struck him with his fist in the
face and on the breast, then the two clerd, and ha 1 a
tumel together, with their arms round each others'
necks. Gerdiuer fell hackwards on the ground, and
Etheridge on the top of him, and the latter struck the
deceased two or three times while he wad ou the
gr and, in the face said on the chest. Did not hear
them say anything; they both got up and went
on filling their barrows, Li that the whole thing
did not take above two or three minutes. They
filled their barrows, wheeled them lime distance,
and emptied them, when, just as they were return.
lug, deceased sat down on his empty barrow,
and said he wail ill; he got up in • moment or
two and came on with his wheelbarrow, but again set
down on the barrow. This he did tires times, and
than Assistant Warder Holt told deceased he had
better go and speak to Warder Hardy. He made ihe
attempt, and went about hall's-dozen yards, but then
fell down on the grass. The Amistant-Warder celled
Warder Hardy, who came, four convicts lifted up the
deceased, and earned him to the magasiue, from
whence he was immediately taken to tee Infirmary.
The day before he hal complained of having pains in
his chest. Wiliam' had never known the two quarrel
before. The ground where the quarrel took place was
hard with stones lying on the top. Assistant- Warder
Holt wee looking over • wall, but quite near enough
to have heard if the deceased had called out; but he
did not call out to say one. When Etheridge
was striking deceased on the ground, deceased tried to
strike him in return • but neither used anything but
their hands and clenched firm to hurt each other.

Charles Puckett, another convict, corroborated, and
said when Gardiner was on the ground, Etheridge
had his knee on hie chest. The officer' when the
deceased eat down on his way back, asked him if there
we. earthing the mitter ; but be noinie no reply.
Dr. H. F. Aalchrin, who has been medical officer
in the Convict service over twenty one years, spoke to
finding the men dead He made a post morkm,
assisted by Dr. McLean, and found all the organs
healthy except the lungs, which were cones ed, evi-
dently recently, and he thought,from feeble action of the
heart; and the heart was very pale, I,lt, and
friable, and la • fatty degenerated state. Tao
head and to ly were minutely examined, and there
were no marks or brui 01 of any kind, certaiolv
none to account for de at, directly, or indirectly, and
the (AWN of death was abut), de,reuereded heart, whicn
excitement caused to stop. With a heart in that state
any undue excitement might have caused his death;
the kneeliag of a person on the deceased's breast would
impede the respiration, increase the action of the
heart, and thereby cause it to stop, and wheeling of.
heavy load of stones up a steep incline would have
• similar effect. Nothing in the pose modem g e the
al ightast clue ti the Cal Lie of death, except the diseased
state of the heatt. On Etherid,e's lip was found a
contused wound from a recent blow.

' Dr. Allan rciessui, wii7)—ase-isted-Dr. Michela in the
paid Norton, quite agreed with him; there was not a
trace ot external violence on the be ty.
A. W. John Holt sin, the deceased sitting on his
barrow, and asked what was the matter, when deceased
said he wee ill and had a pain in his chest. He anal.
no oomplaint aiainst anyone, and on witnesa asking if
he wanted to g, and see the doctor, deczated said •
be should be better presently." Me picked up his bar-
row, wheeled it a little distance, and eat down again,
when the assistant warder passed him over to Warder
Hardy, who in the cuirass of three or four minutes,
pease] the man, and the principal officLr of the dis-
trict, Principal Warder :heart, came, a stretcher was
got, and the deceased taken to the infirmary. If any
struggle took place, it could not have been scarcely a
minute, and could only have happened whilst the
corner wan being turnesi.
Verdict: Died from &diseased heart.