The Forest of Dean Examiner : — 1875-02-26 (Blakeney, Gloucestershire, England)

HORSLEY. Mr. Leslie Trotter, medical practitioner, of Coleford, stated that on the 9th inst. he made a . post marten examination, under the direction of , the Coroner, upon the body of the deceased man, Thomas Watson. Began with the brain, sthich he found healthy. Then ermined the chest. The walls of the heart were rather thin, the right side Containing blood. Both lungs were', congested, especially the left. The stomach con- ' tained about six ounces of fluid. It had patches. of congestion on it in both °deices, more especially at the lower end. The muhuous membrane was softened. The up.per part of the small intestine was congested m patches as well, but no ulceration. The liver was about the, average site, and fatty; its actual weight was about Ulbs., which is about lib. over the average. Deceased's body was immensely fat. The gall bladder was about two-thirds full. Left kidney congested. Noticed that all the organs were exceedingly much covered with fat. The appearance was such as he should expect to find from a man of drunken habits; it would not be at all surprising to find in the case of a man of such drunken habits as deceased the condition described, or that he would suddenly collapse altogether. He was of opinion also that deceased at the time of of his death wa,s suffering fawn dianistea, so that he must have. been in a very weak state. When at the water-closet he must have been in such a condition, and the probability was that he fainted : at that time. He died of fatal syncope. 1 The Coroper Mr. Horsley says he died from exhaustion—syncope, owing to the absence of sufficient stamina to keep him alive. Dlr. Trotter Just so he died from eiraustion and fatal syncope. This concluded the evidence, when The Coroner proceeded briefly to address the jury, observing that he should not have to trouble them with many remarks, more particularly with regard to the cause of death, which was very conclusively shown by the evideneeof Mr. Trotter. He would here state that ite believed it to be a very pretax case for investigation. He should always have a very painful recollection of this inquiry—a case in which a man had as nearly as possible committed suicide, but upon grounds in regard to which the jury need not inquire. Both hilnself andthe jury, hs)  thought, were pretty well satisfied in their own ininds what it was tlaak led the deceased to take the extraordinary etemrse he dick. He (the emptier) never found a case in his experie' nee M which he had had greater difficulty in getting anything like the truth, and in whidi, on the other hand, was adduced a greater amount of untruth. In fact, he. never heard so great an amount of falsehood in the course of his life. More disgraceful, or more disreputable evidence sould scarcely be adduced, although, as he had ; said, it could have no important. bearing On the verdict of the jury with regard to the death of ! deceased. He wise perfectly well satisfied that ; the truth, end nothing but the troth, had been brought before them. Personally, he did not believe the evidence of Powell, and as to the witness Barnett, the manner in which he had perjured himself was of the most flagrant character. Mr. Shadrach Hughes then interrupted the Coroner, and said he wanted to ask one little little question. Would his honour, the Coroner, allow him one word? If he could do no good, he did not intend to do any harm. The Coroner: If you, as a Juryman, desire to ask as question you may do so. Mr. Hughes: I shall he glad to say that I thin): poor Watson was lost entirely for the &ant of looking after. I have said this before—(a laugh). He's lost and I'll never go on for any other verdict. I don't agree with what the Coroner said just now, unless I misunderstood him. HO.B lest for the want of looking after, and it's & great pity that a good healthy man to be lost in that way. It is one of the worst things that ever was. The speaker, who appeared to be slightly inebriated, proceeded to say that Watson was as good neighbour, when the Coroner interposed and added that it wes useless to attempt to find a verdict which the evidence would not carry, or in. consist with the facts. The evidence was that the deceased suddenly became a man of very drunken habits, and as the Coroner had already remarked there were some grounds for his taking the unfortunate course which unhappily cost hint his life. He had the means of assistance if his wife failed to do her duty. He could have sent for aid. There was no evidence of criminal neglect on the part of the wife, although her conduct ' in not preventing her husband in killing himself by drink as he did, was most lamentable and disgraceful. The act of taking a bucket of cider ! was a terrible thing for any woman to do. She ; however did this, but it could not be said that by ; so doing there was any criminal neglect or crime, rendering her liable at criminal law. He, the Coroner, believed if the evidence was correct, in a most shameful and disgraceful manner, for instead of alsisting her husband to take away his wife, she should have done all in her power to iprevent him doing so, The facts were that she aided hiss in every possible way. Alter some further remarke, the Coroner suggested that the 'jury should accept the evidence of Dr. Trotter.. The Jury, after shortly consulting together, found that the cause of death was syncope, brought on by excessive drinking, and they, the Jury, desired to express very strongly their dia. approval of the unsatisfactory manner in which vvituesses. Power and Barnett, gave their evidence.