The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1886-11-24
SUICIDE.
n chinese Patient in the Queens
hospital Hangs Himself Death
OF Another when Wanted
at the Inquest.

pital, named Dun Tai, was found dead,
hanging TO his bedstead. He had
been brought to the hospital about ten
days ago, by Chinaman named Yung
Tan, who paid month in advance for
him. The patient was suffering from
mild attack of continued fever. On
Sunday last he was so far recovered as
to be changed from low diet, and Mon
day his diet was further increased. The
last two nights he was slightly delirious
but, as Mr.. Eckardt said at the inquest,
this is common in such cases after the
fever has subsidized. All the known
particulars Of his tragic death are given
in synopsis of the inquest below.
Mr. David Dayton, deputy marshal
and coroner on being notified Of the
death, summoned the following jury to
hold an inquest at the hospital: Robert
S. Scrimgeour, Daniel Logan, Ho Fon,
Chen Sing, Ian Chuck and N. G.
Gang. The body was viewed as it lay
coffined in a building on the hospital
| grounds, and was seen to have pro
nounced mark of the cord about the
neck.
DR., Brodie, the first witness, de-
scribed the case and pronounced the
cause of death to have been strdngula-
ton; he considered the patient between
IS and 10 years of age, and regarded
him as convalescent when he saw him
last on Monday.
Mr.. ]. f. Eckardt, purveyor of the
hospital was notified of the occurrence
Immediately after its discovery, and
found the body still warm although the
face was cold and the heart still. The
discovery was made by Hanakuamoo,
native attendant, who with the watch
man had the body lowered when wit
ness reached the ward. Deceased was
, little delirous the last two nights, but
had not been for several nights before
1t is very common, after fever has sub
sided, for a patient to be delirieus al
night
Peter Peters, the Waterman, hac
visited the patient on his houIly round.
among the wards during the night, anc
, nearly midnight found him up in bee
t complaining of pain in the chest
. About II o'clock deceased was talking
to another Chinaman in the room, anc
s after the latter went to sleep was quieter
When witness last saw him he wa
( very restless, but on being told he haC
better go to sleep became quieter. Al
he heard no sound from him between
e four and five o'clock, he did not go in
o as he thought he had gone to sleep
y On coming down stairs, about 81
c o'clock, after calling Mr.. Eckardt'
e assistant as usual, witness met tn
:. native attendant, who asked him if h
e knew the Chinaman had hung hinsel
Hanakuamoo, one OF the hospits
stewards, told of his discovery of tn
y hanging He was going round, a
d usual at six in the morning, removin
IS the mosquito netting for patients nc
4, able to do so themselves. Going to tn
q bed of the deceased he lifted the mo-
il quito bar, and finding deceased appa
- emily standing up, went to lay hir
down, but found him held up by tn
/. cord about his neck fastened to tn
- bedstead. The cord produced was
u thong used by Dun Tai to tie up h
% clothing. 1t had been lying with b
/, clothes on an adjacent bed, wh,re h
"a i could reach it from his own bed, b,
" anyway he was well enough to get u
;; and procure it, They asked the oth'
- Chinaman about the case, but he dl
not know anything about it.
20 This concluded the testimony. TT
IN Coroner at this stage crossed the ha
It. from the dispensary to the ward whel
an. the tragedy occurred, to ascerta
n whether the other Chinaman cou
al throw any additional light on the cas-
or In few minutes he returned and r
O. ported to the jury that the other Chin
er man had died within the hour sin'
they had visited the ward. When Il
Jury we're being shown Dun Tai's be
er, stead and how the body was found, Il
to other Chinaman was sitting on the sl'
tn- of his bed and replied to questio
nal put by the Chinese jurymen. II
nd name was York Seu, he came to t
he hospital last Sunday and was register
Ter as 81 years of age. The cause OF
to death was the opium habit, his ia
w bearing strong testimony to that tai
in. His death was not unexpecte
but it was not regarded as SO near, a
happening in the connection it did "
a strange coincidence with the
,ns quest !,
or' The jury returned a verdict Il
eel Dun Tai came to his death frc
- strangulation produced by his o
'ch hand while dellrious from fever.
the '"' $3.50. -
gel. SIDE LIGHT.