Coroner's Inquest. — An inquest was held yesterday afternoon at five o'clock at the hospital, before Dr Coward, coroner, on view of the body of Edward Fitton, aged twenty-six years. It appeared from the evidence that deceased was admitted into the hospital on Tuesday afternoon from Governor's Bay suffering from typhoid fever. About seven o'clock on Wednesday evening he was seen to go into the water-closet. As deceased did not, after the lapse of a considerable time, again come into the ward, search was made in the closet, and it was found that he was not there, having squeezed himself through a very small window which opened into the yard. The house surgeon immediately despatched men to look for the deceased, and, the police having been communicated with, a special detachment was told off, who continued the search all night, but without success. About a quarter to eight o'clock yesterday morning deceased was found by a man, named George Starkiss, in a pond near the fish-house in the Acclimatisation Grounds. The body was lying in about two feet of water, face downwards, close to the edge of the pond, as if the deceased had accidentally walked into it. Dr Parkerson, the house surgeon, who had made a post-mortem examination of the body, stated that death had resulted from suffocation. The jury returned a verdict that deceased, whilst suffering under delirium arising from typhoid fever, was accidentally drowned, and recommended that the watercloset windows should be barred. -Globe, 2/4/1875.
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