A man named Archibald Sutherland was admitted into the hospital this afternoon with a compound dislocation of the elbow joint, caused by falling down a hotel cellar. -Evening Star, 4/4/1892.
INQUESTS.
DEATH AT THE HOSPITAL
An inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of Archibald Sutherland, who died at the hospital on Saturday morning, was held at the institution yesterday, before Mr Coroner Carew and a jury of six.
George Murray, hairdresser, identified the body shown to the jury as that of Archibald Sutherland. He first know him in Edinburgh about 40 years ago. He was born in that city, and had been in New Zealand for fully 30 years, he was once a traveller getting orders, and for some time past sold newspapers. He was born in 1820, but was never married, witness believed. He was very-shortsighted, but used no glasses in the street. Witness had seen him frequently in the hospital since his accident, but he was hardly ever conscious. He told witness that he had been delivering papers next door to the Southern Hotel. In coming out of the hotel he stepped into the Hole. He did not describe the hole, but witness knew that he meant the trapdoor hole of the hotel cellar. Deceased blamed no one in the matter.
James Francis Murphy, miner, residing in Dunedin, knew the deceased for over 25 years at the Nevis and elsewhere on the diggings. Deceased's eyesight had been failing for the last 12 months, but up till lately he could read with glasses. He was near-sighted, and he told witness that that was the greatest thing he had to contend with. Witness had seen him every week since he was brought to the hospital, but the last three times he called he did not know witness. Deceased spoke about the accident, but at times his mind seemed to wander a little, and again he would seem to know what he was saying. He could not account for the way he fell into the hole, but he blamed no one in the matter.
Patrick Dwyer, hotelkeeper, residing at the Southern Hotel, stated that there was a trapdoor with an opening on the footpath leading into the cellar of his hotel. The opening was about 4ft by 4 1/2ft. Early in April he was getting a hogshead of beer into the cellar. The beer was being put into the cellar by the brewer's man. He was standing on the footpath in Princes street, alongside of the trapdoor. Mr Harris a traveller, was also there — standing opposite the cellar to the west of the trap, and quite close to it. Witness was also close to it. The beer had been got into the cellar, and the brewers man was down in the cellar putting it on the gauntree. The front or western part of the trap is movable, and the other part goes back on hinges against the front wall of the hotel. The movable part he had placed against the end wall of the hotel down a right-of-way. One end — about 2ft — extended on to the Princes street pavement. The part on hinges was up, and leaning against the front wall of the hotel. He saw the deceased coming along from the south on the footpath. He took no particular notice of him, but he could see that he was sober. He was facing the cellar, and also the deceased. Harris said to him, "Hulloa Dwyer, here's a drunk!" Witness then saw a drunken man coming from a northerly direction, he kept watching this man in case he might fall into the cellar. He heard a noise in the cellar, and turned round to have a look. He did not know that a man had fallen down. He thought the noise was caused by the man working the beer in the cellar, and that the cask had slipped. Presently he saw there was a man on the ground in the cellar. He then jumped down and saw who it was. He knew the man by sight, but not by name then. He lifted him up, and asked him if he was hurt. At first he said ''No"; but afterwards complained of his arm. The man asked witness to take him to the hospital. Witness did so, and found that one of his arms was broken. He asked him before the house surgeon and one of the attendants if he attached any blame to witness, and he said no.
James Francis Murphy, who was recalled, said the deceased drank very little. He never knew him the worse of drink. Deceased was in the hospital for some weeks, suffering from influenza. After he came out he seemed weak, and did no work for three weeks, but for three weeks before the accident he went about his usual work, and his intellect seemed all right.
Edmund A. Harris, a traveller in the employ of Cowie and Co., gave evidence to some extent corroborative of that given by Patrick Dwyer. He also stated that he did not see the deceased before he saw him in the cellar. Deceased said he had just paid a small coal account. He was not looking where he was going, but was counting his change. He did not attribute blame to anyone, but said his eyesight had never been right since he had influenza.
Dr Coughtrey stated that the deceased was a sober but feeble old man, with failing vision, but sound in mind. He saw him at the hospital on the 4th of April last. He found that he had been temporarily treated and bandaged. On the morning of the 8th of April, upon examination, he found he had suffered a dislocation of the right elbow joint. The lower end of the arm bone was smashed into pieces, and part of it had been torn and projected through the skin. He treated him so as to save his arm, and the thing progressed very favourably in its surgical aspect; so that that part completely healed and he had a decent arm left before he died. During the recovery the deceased exhibited symptoms of abberation of intellect, and his general strength greatly failed, so that he practically died from debility, hastened by the shock of the accident and the strain made upon his strength by nature providing the materials of repair. During the first few days he was in the hospital he told witness how he met with the accident, and he did not say that he blamed anyone, he said he fell into the trap door, and that if he had had his eyesight it would never have happened. The deceased made a will while in the hospital, and witness considered him sufficiently sane to do so. He thought the accident undoubtedly led up to his death. Deceased died on the morning of the 28th inst. The Jury returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased died from debility — the result of a shock to the system through accidentally falling into a cellar — and from old age. -ODT, 31/5/1892.
Archibald Sutherland lies buried in an unmarked grave in Dunedin's Northern Cemetery, in an overgrown section mostly occupied by paupers' graves.
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