CORONER'S INQUEST.
An inquest was held on Wednesday at the Commercial Hotel on Wednesday on the body of Thomas Milham, alias Sheather.
James Harding deposed : I am a farmer, residing at Oura; have seen the body of deceased, and identify as that of a man I always knew as " Tom," and whom I have often seen; last saw him alive on Sunday morning, 19th inst. ; on Saturday night, the 18th, about 9 o'clock, I was on horseback on my way home from Wagga, and on passing M'Mullen's publichouse in North Wagga deceased came out on horseback and joined me ; he was not sober; we rode together towards Oura ; we went on quietly for about two miles, abreast of each other, when deceased's horse appeared to plunge suddenly forward, as though he had been struck with the spur; deceased fell off instantly, and the horse ran away; the man did not get up, and I said, "Are you all right ?" he replied, " Yes ;" then went after the horse, which I caught and brought back in about twenty minutes; when I returned deceased lay on his belly moaning; I said "Are you hurt, Tom ?" he made no answer, and only moaned ; then rode as fast as I could to Mr. Robert M'Intyre's, and told him what had happened ; three men returned with me to where deceased lay to see if we could get him to Mr. M'Intyre's place, but we could not get him up ; as deceased was not sober we thought if we let him lie and have a sleep he would be all right; then went home and left the other men with him ; the next morning (Sunday) I was passing the spot with my wife and saw deceased lying where I had left him the night before; saw he was moving; he raised his head and lifted his feet, and I thought he was all right; never saw him alive afterwards; deceased and I had nothing at all to drink together ; he always appeared to be a strong, healthy, able-bodied man.
Robert Somerville deposed : I am a farming man, in the employ of Mr. Robert M'Intyre ; have seen the body, the subject of this inquest, and identify it as that of a man I always knew as Tom Sheather; remember the night of Saturday, the 18th instant; then saw the last witness ; he came to Mr. M'Intyre's brother's place, where I was, and was riding very fast; he said, " Old Tom has fallen off his horse, and I doubt if he is not almost killed," and asked me to go down and see him; this was about 9 o'clock ; went with two others and Harding himself to the spot where diseased was lying; he was lying almost on the track, on his side, with his back against a tree ; he was not moaning, but he commenced to do so when we strove to raise him up ; he seemed to be in a sleep and was snoring; we thought him drunk, and that he would be all right after he had had a sleep, and we left him ; we were with him about an hour ; at daybreak I went to where deceased lay, and took a billy of water with me; found him lying a few feet from where I left him the night before; spoke to him and asked him if he was fit to come home, and tried to rouse him and get him up, but all he would say was "Let me be," and he did not make any attempt to rise; observed a little skin off tho top of his head put my hand on it and said, "Is that sore, Tom ?" deceased said " No;" then felt the back of his head, and he immediately cried out, "Oh, Somerville, don't do that ;" when I found I could not raise deceased, I went home and told Mr. M'Intyre ; he told me to catch a horse, put him into a waggonette, and go for deceased ; I did so ; when I got within about eighty rods of the deceased I saw him getting to his feet ; he walked about seven or eight steps towards me and then lay down against another tree ; when I got to him he was on his mouth and nose again; tried to raise him and said "I have the horse and waggonette for you ;" after a little he attempted to scramble up, and with my assistance got upright ; he then leant his head against a tree, and said " God have mercy on me" two or three times; then he lay down again and I could not rouse him any more; got help from a traveller, and put deceased into the vehicle; took him to Mr. M'Intyre's, and two of us carried him in and laid him on his bed; he only snored, and did not appear to rouse himself; on Monday, at noon, Mr. M'Intyre gave me a note to the police at Wagga; I did not know tbe contents of it, but Mr. M'Intyre told me it was for the police to come and take deceased away; gave the note to a constable who gave it to the sergeant; the sergeant wrote a reply and gave it to me ; he said, " I have no horse or convenience to send for the man, but if Mr. M'Intyre will send him in I will get him into the hospital"; as soon as I got back I gave the note to Mr. R, M'Intyre's brother to deliver to him; on Tuesday morning, by Mr. M'lntyre's directions, I took deceased in the waggonnette to the hospital, and delivered him to the wardsman ; It was after night on Monday before I got back to Mr. M'Intyre's and gave the sergeant's note to his brother ; it was between 10 and 11 o'clock in the forenoon on Tuesday when I got to the hospital with deceased. To my knowledge deceased had never spoken from Sunday, just before we placed him in tho waggonette; of my own knowledge I do not know the deceased was in the habit of drinking to excess; he was living when I got him to the hospital, but never appeared to recognise me from the time I put my hand to the back of his head on Sunday.
Robert Mclntyre deposed: I am a farmer and grazier, residing at Glenfiield, in the Wagga district; have seen the body, the subject of this inquiry, and recognise it as that of Thomas Milham, alias Sheathar, who has been frequently working for me at intervals during tho past twelve years; he was not generally intemperate ; he left my house on Saturday morning, the 18th instant, after having been settled with ; the witness Harding came to me just as I was going to bed, to say that old Tom had met with an accident; he said, " old Tom hos been thrown from his horse and very much hurt, or half killed," or words to that effect; sent him at once for help to my brother's, which is only about 300 or 400 yards from my own residence; early on Sunday morning was told by the witness Somerville that deceased appeared still very unwell: he was breathing heavily, and was not able to stand up ; then sent a wagonotte for him, and deceased was brought to my house about 9 or 10 o'clock ; he was placed on his own bed; we repeatedly tried to get tea down his throat, but could not; he appeared helpless, and always remained in one position unless moved by us ; in this state he remained all Sunday and Monday; on Monday I began to fear deceased was in danger, and in the afternoon sent Somerville with a note to the police to have deceased removed, stating my belief that he required more attention than I could give him ; Sergeant Vizzard replied that he had no means of removing deceased into town, and if he had, he had no power to remove him from my residence ; also, that if I would send him in he would have him placed in the lockup for protection; on Tuesday morning, as soon as we could possibly get deceased started, I sent him to the care of the police, as directod by Sergeant Vizzard; he was alive then, but I never saw him so afterwards; settled with deceased a week before his death, and have no money of his in my hands ; should say deceased was about fifty-two years of age ; did not notice him vomit; for some time back he appeared to have very little appetite.
Morgan O'Connor deposed : I am a legally qualified medical practitioner, residing in Wagga ; have made a postmortem examination of the body the subject of this enquiry ; on the 21st inst., about 11 o'clock a.m., was called to see the deceased in the hospital ; he was placed in the ward, and was dying ; as I found the bladder greatly distressed, I relieved that organ of the urine, and injected, by the rectum, stimulants to raise him ; they had no effect, and the man died about half- past 1 o'clock ; this morning, by direction, I made a post-mortem examination of the body ; externally there were no marks of violence, except a contusion on tho top of the head ; cut down under this; there was no fracture of thoe skull; on raising the skull cap I found extensive extravasation of blood over all the substance of the brain ; the vertebrae of the neck was sound; the liver was much diseased ; the stomach and bowels were tho roughly empty; the cause of death was extravastion of blood on the brain; have heard the evidence, and consider that a fall from a horse, such as has been described by one of the witnesses, would be likely to produce the effects I saw and have deposed to ; it would be impossible to say that had early attention been paid to deceased his life might have been saved, but drunkenness greatly aggravates effects in such cases.
The Jury returned a verdict to the effect that Thomas Milham, alias Sheather, died at the Wagga Wagga Hospital on the 21st January from the effects of a fall from his horse on the night of the I8th inst., which resulted in extravasation of blood upon the brain.
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AUSIGEN - Family History
Abt 1820 - 1879 (~ 59 years)
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