The Evening Telegraph

CITY INTELLIGENCE
[For Additional City Intelligence see Eighth Page.]

Coroner's Investigation.—An investigation was made yesterday afternoon by the Coroner, into the cause of the death of Christian Berger, which occurred yesterday morning, an account of which was given in this paper at that time. The following evidence was given at the investigation:-

Andrew Fleming, sworn.—I am a keeper in the prison, and had charge of Christian Berger; on Monday his mother was allowed to see him and gave him an apple, part of which he ate; since then no one has visited him but a minister of the Gospel and official visitors; I never knew of his threatening to take his life; yesterday I was at his cell a little after seven o'clock; at dinner time I was there again, and he asked to have more meat; about five o'clock I again went to the cell, and found him lying on his face on the floor; his face was a blackish red, and when I lifted him up he could not speak: I remained with him well on to six o'clock; I asked him if he had been taking anything, and he said he had not; Dr. Klapp had been sent for and he examined Berger and felt his pulse; before I left him he said, "Fleming, can you do anything for me?" I did not see him again until I found him this morning dead; he was lying on his side, head down; last week he complained of feeling unwell, and said he was worried; he was a hearty eater.

Dr. H. Klapp testified that he saw Berger about a week ago, when he was suffering from a slight bilious attack, gave him medicine, and he recovered. The next the doctor saw of him was on Wednesday about 5 o'clock, when he found him suffering from epilepsy: applied the proper remedies, and in an hour he came out of the fit and recovered his voice: sought to ascertain if he had been taking anything, which he denied. The doctor saw him again at half-past 9 o'clock, when he was asleep in a chair; called him three or four times before he answered; spoke to him about sleeping in a chair, and he said he would go to bed; noticed nothing unusual in him; never intimated that he intended to commit suicide. He left no paper behind: could not read nor write: on one occasion he asked as to the amount of pain by hanging.

Dr. Shapleigh, sworn—I made a post-mortem examination of the body of Christian Berger: found a slight abrasion on the right side of the face, as if from a fall; the face, neck, and upper part of the breast were of a dark color; found the heart, lungs, and liver in a healthy condition; the blood-vessels of the scalp were filled with blood, and the brain was in a state of great congestion; also the membranes of the brain. I am of the opinion that Christian Berger came to his death from congestion of the brain. There are many causes of congestion of the brain. Convulsions will cause it; interruption of respiration also, and of the circulation of the blood. He might have had a convulsion in the afternoon, and a worse one at night. There was no indication of poison. The drawing up of the mouth and frothing at the mouth indicate spasmodic motion. The stomach was nearly empty; the intestines were in a healthy condition. Active poison would have caused inflammation of the stomach; narcotics could be detected in no other way except by the smell, or by chemical analysis.

The testimony was here closed, and the jury returned a verdict of death from congestion of the brain. Arrangements were made by the father of Berger to have him buried.