The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-24

| A. About five minutes.
Q. And during that timo you heard no
noise in the cabi
A. No; thought the deceased had gone to
sleep.
Q. And after the man in tho light coat
said good night To the deceased what hap
penedf
A. He Lit a cigarette, gave mo n half
sovereign, and walked OFF towards Mel
bourne
9. Did you observe if the gentleman in
the light coat had his handkerchief with
himf
A. Oh, yes; because he busted his boots
with it, The road was very dusty.
=. Did you notice any striking popularity
about himl
A. Well, no; except that be wore a dia-
mond ring
Q. What was there peculiar about thata
A. He wore it on the forefnger of tho
right hand, and ! never saw it that way
before.
O. When did you notice thiss
A. When he was Lighting his cigarette.
.. How often did you call to the deceased
when YOU got to the Junctionl
4. Three or four times. then got down,
and found he was quite dead.
G. How was he lying!
A. lie was doubled up in the far corner Of
the cab, very much in the same position as
left him when put him in His head was
hanging on one side, and there was a hand
kerchicf across his mouth. When | touched
him be fell into the other corner Of the cab,
q. I L.. .l...I I
dately drove 10 the S. kilda police station
and told the police
At the conclusion Of Royston's evidence,
during which Gorby had been continually
taking notes, Robert Chinston was called.
He depOsed:
lam duly qualified medical practitioner,
residing in Collins street East. Imados pest
mortem examination of the body Of tho de
ceased on Friday.
Q. That was within a few hours after his
death.
A. Yes; seeing from the position Of the
handkerchief and the presence of chloroform
that he had died through choroform, and
knowing how quickly that poison evaporates,
! made the examination at once.
Coroner: Go on, sir.
healthy looking and well nOurisied There
were no marks of violence The staining APP
parent at the back Of the legs and trunk was
due TO post norton congestion. Internally,
the brain was hyperImic, and there was a
considerable amount Of congestion especially
apparent in the superficial vessels There
was no brain disease. The lung, were healthy,
but slightly congestcl On opening the
thorax there was faint spritl.ous odor dis
cernible The stomach contained about
pint Of completely digested food. Tho heart
was laccid Tho right heart contained
considerable quantity of dark fluid blood.
There was a tendency TO fatty degeneration
of that organ. am Of the opinion that de
ceased died from the inhalation OF some such
vapor as chloroform or methylene.
O. You say there was tendency 10 fatty
degeneration Of the heart. Would that have
ANYTHING to do with the death Of deceasedf
A Not of itself. But chlorotorm admin
istered while the heart was in such state
would have a decided tendency to accelerate
the fatal result At the same time, may
mention that the post mortem signs OF poison
ing by chloroform are mostly negative.
DR.. Chinston was then permitted TO retire,
and Clement Rankin, another hansom cab
man. was called He deposed: am cab
man, living in Collingwood, and usually
drive hanson cab remember Thursday
last | had driven party down To st.
Kilda, and was returning about half-past
o'clock \ short distance past the grammar
school | was hailed by a gentleman IN light
coat; he was smoking cigarette. and told
me to drive him to Powlett street, East Mel
bourne | did so, and he got out a, the cor
ner of Wellington parade and Pow'ett street.
He paid me half sovereign for my fare,
and then walked up Powlett street, while
drove back TO town.
O. What time was ii you stopped at Pow
lett street,
a. Two o'clock exactly.
O. How do you know.
A. Because it was n still night, and l
heard the postofiice clock strike O'Clock.
O. Did You notice anything peculiar about
the man in the light coati
A. No; he looked Just the same IS any one
else Thought he was someswell o. the town
out for q lark His hat was pulled down over
his eyes and could not see his face.
O. Did you notice if he wore rasl
a. Yes, did. When he was handing mo
the half sovereign | saw he had diamond
ring on the forefinger of his right hand.
Q. He did not say why be was on the St
Kilda road at such an houri
A. No; he did not.
Clement Rankin was then ordered TO stand
down, and the coroner then summed up an
address of half an hours duration. There
was, he pointed out, no doubt that the death
of the deceased had resulted not from natural
causoa but from the effects Of poisoning.
Only hight evidence had been obtained up
TO the present time regarding the clrcum-
stances of the case, but the only person who
could be accused ot committing the crime
was the unknown aan who entered the cab
with the deceased On Friday morning at the
corner of tho ScGpch church near the Burke
and Wills monument Ii had been proved
the deceased, when he entered the cab, wa,
to ali appearances. in good health, though in
a state OF intoxication, and the fact that he
was found by the cabman Royston, after the
man in the light coat had left the cab, with
u handkerchief saturated with chioroform
tied over his mouth, would seem to show that