NELSON, this day. SUDDEN DEATH.
Captain Heffer, Superintendent of the Lunatic Asylum, fell dead this morning while dressing. A kick he received from one of the patients some days ago is supposed to have led to his death. An inquest will be held. -Auckland Star, 10/10/1879.
NELSON, October 11. At the inquest on Captain Heffer, Superintendent of the Lunatic Asylum, the jury found that the deceased died from fatty degeneration of the heart, death being accelerated by a kick received from a patient while deceased was in the execution of his duty. -Evening Star, 11/10/1876.
THE LATE INQUEST.
To The Editor Of the Evening Mail.
Sir, There are various ways of describing an occurrence. Mr Hackett's letter would lead you to suppose that an attempt was made to alter the sense of the verdict returned by the jury at the inquest held at the Lunatic Asylum on Friday last. As the jury are charged to enquire how, when, and by what means, &c., and make a true presentment according to the evidence, it is evidently the duty of the Coroner to see that those requirements are fulfilled, and when such verdicts as "Death from natural causes," "Accidental death" are returned, he is frequently called upon to, and does insert with the consent of the jury, such words as will make the verdict legally correct. The verdict returned by the jury on Friday was deficient in certain technical particulars which, with the acting Coroner's approval, I suggested the place where the death occurred was not recited; the actual cause of death was unfortunately but too plain disease of the heart, but as the evidence of Dr Marks specified the true nature of the disease, it was suggested and afterwards accepted that the words "fatty degeneration of the heart" should be inserted, the propriety of which must be indisputable if only for the purpose of registration. This was the compromise alluded to by Mr Hackett. I leave you to judge sir, whether the concluding sentence of the verdict as drawn up by the foreman of the jury "while the deceased was in the performance of his duty," would not be more correctly expressed by the substitution of the words "while the said John Heffer was &c. I quite agree with Mr Hackett that the delay was owing to stubbornness but not of nine thirteenths of the jury. — I am Yours, &c,
Leonard Boor. - Nelson Evening Mail, 14/10/1879.
To the Editor of the "Evening Mail." Sir — I must crave space to dissent from several of the statements in Mr Hackett's letter of last night re the recent inquest. Mr Hackett, I have no hesitation in saying, is out in his prelusive flourish, out in his serious assault. He blandly informs the public that "the jury, including himself, being stubborn insisted on their language and sense being entered as the verdict." As a matter of fact I took the sense of the jury individually and found eleven out of thirteen jurymen quite willing that the verdict should be entered up in the usual legal phrase and in accordance with the evidence. It thus seems to me that the "deadlock" was caused by the stubbornness, not of the jury, but of Mr Hackett and another, whose intelligence, though high, I could not allow to over-ride the combined intelligence of the rest of the jury. I append below the complete list that the public may see there were other intelligent men on the jury besides Mr Hackett. With regard to the cause of death there can be no manner of doubt, as the following quotations from the depositions will show. Dr. Boor depones — "I do not think the kick was the cause of death." Dr. Marks, who made the post mortem examination, says — "I believe Captain Heffer died of heart disease. I believe indigestion was caused by the blow." Mr Hackett asserts that the form of the verdict suggested as the proper form "was different in language and sense from that agreed on by the jury." I admit there was a desire to alter the language, but I do not admit there was any desire to alter the sense. There was also on my part a desire to word the verdict, so that there need be no necessity to take any further steps against the person inculpated in Mr Hackett's written verdict. The inquisition must be certain as to when, how, and by what means; it also requires that the name, surname, &c. of any person inculpated be stated in full. Mr Hackett's pet written verdict contained neither the when nor the requisite description of the person inculpated. Yet so wedded was Mr Hackett to the ipsissima verba of his verdict that he would not even permit the substitution of the word said for the word deceased, in the last clause which runs thus: — "Whilst the deceased, John Heffer, was in the performance of his duty." In justification of my reliance on Dr. Boor I quote from the New Zealand Justice of the Peace: — "Justices casually acting as coroners will naturally look for assistance to the medical witnesses." Though Mr Hackett assured me he had been a coroner himself in New South Wales, and had sat on over a hundred inquests, I confess that, under the circumstances, I preferred trusting to the guidance of one whom I have known intimately for many years, to trusting to the advice of one who is to me comparatively a stranger.
I am, &c, J. Mackay.
P.S. — Jurymen: Messrs Hackett, Thomson, Hounsell, Moutray, Hall, Bond, McCabe, Turner, Haslem, Menary, Gatland, Good and Oxley. -Nelson Evening Mail, 14/10/1879.
Nehon Colonist: — Yesterday morning Captain Heffer, the Superintendent of the Lunatic Asylum, died very suddenly. It appears that on Monday last, while Captain Heffer was superintending the removal of a male patient into the room for violent patients, the lunatic struck him severely in the stomach with his bootless feet. Although he had for some time back suffered from severe attacks of indigestion, Captain Heffer had been much worse in health since Monday, and had a restless night on Thursday. About nine o'clock yesterday morning, Mrs Heffer had just left him, with a view to prepare him a cup of cocoa, when he was heard to fall. Mr Orsman and another of the attendants immediately ran to Captain Heller's bedroom, where they found him dressed, lying on his face near the door. He did not speak, and merely gave one gasp. Dr Boor was quickly fetched, but he found that deceased was quite dead. Last night an inquest was held at the Asylum, before Mr Joseph Mackay, J.P., and a jury, of whom Mr Hackett was foreman. Mrs Heffer, Mr Orsman, Dr Boor, and Dr Marks were the witnesses examined. The latter gentleman, who had made the post mortem examination, stated that he found deceased's heart was very much diseased from fatty degeneration, also that his liver was in a very bad state. The condition of deceased's heart was quite sufficient to have caused his death at any moment. A blow in the stomach might cause indigestion. A verdict was returned to the effect that deceased died from fatty degeneration of the heart, but the jury added to the verdict their opinion that his death was accelerated by the blow he received from a lunatic while in discharge of his duties. Deceased came to Nelson some years ago, and he was greatly respected. Yesterday the vessels at the port had their flags half mast as a tribute of respect for deceased. -Wanganui Chronicle, 15/10/1879.
THE INQUEST AT THE ASYLUM.
To the Editor of the Colonist. Sir, — What a great, wise, and important personage is Mr Hackett. A gentleman, for the first time in his life acted at Coroner at an inquest, and in doing so took the advice of the Coroner for his district, who happened to be present as a witness. The acting Coroner showed every respect to the jury, and only appeared anxious to get the verdict framed according to the instructions given by the Government. It is the opinion of more than one of the jury that Mr Hackett has made a great noise, and all about nothing. — Yours, &c,
A JURYMAN. -Colonist, 16/10/1879.
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