Hastings and St Leonards Observer. Saturday 18 May 1872.

On Friday evening the coroner, T. T. Delasaux, Esq., held an inquest at the "Fox and Hounds," Ivy Lane, Canterbury, respecting the death of a man named Joshua Holness, a labourer, of Herne.

James Roberts said that he was a porter at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, of which institution the deceased have been and in-patient. That day, at about a quarter past one o'clock, he went into the yard of the hospital at the back part, and there found the deceased lying on the ground with his face downwards. He believed he was dead. He did not know deceased. He had been in the hospital about three weeks, suffering, as far as witness new, from a very bad cold on the chest.

Jemima Hawks, a widow, day-nurse at the hospital, stated that deceased came into the establishment on or about the 23rd April. He was under her care and she was in the habit of seeing him frequently everyday from that date. He appeared in very good health. Witness did not see anything in his demeanour to attract her attention more than any other patient. She last saw him at about one o'clock that day, in his ward, at dinner time. She went out to get him a custard, and on returning she missed him. The other patients said he gone up to the water-closet. She went up to the water closet and found the window open, and shut it. She could not find deceased, but one of the patients looked out of the window and said, "Why, there he is lying on the ground, apparently dead." Witness then went downstairs and into the yard, and there saw deceased on the ground, dead. The last witness was present. The deceased was a very short man, and the distance from the water closet is so great that he could not have fallen out of the window accidentally. Indeed, to jump out of the window he must have stood on the closet seat. Deceased had only his nightshirt on, he being in bed.

Robert Holness, a brother of the deceased stated that he lived in the parish of Herne. The deceased was aged 83 years. He had been ill occasionally for the last nine months, and has done no work during that period. Witness saw him at the hospital on the previous Sunday, where he had been an in-patient. He had some conversation with him. He appeared to be very low spirited, but not so dejected as he was on the Sunday before, and even before he went into the hospital (about three weeks previous) he was very low spirited. Witness new of no cause, however, to account for this. Deceased was a single man.

Mr. Frank Wacher, house surgeon at the hospital, stated that the deceased was an in-patient of the institution, and have been from 23rd April last suffering from asthma. Witness used to see him twice a day, deceased being under his care as medical officer. Had observed nothing of depression of spirits in him, nor did he ever complain to witness of being depressed in spirits, but the complaint he was suffering from was such as might cause depression of spirits. Had examined his body since his death externally, and found a scalp wound on the left side of his head, and a broken collar-bone on the left side also. The internal injuries was such as would cause death. Had no doubt he fell from a considerable height, and that his death was instantaneous.

The jury returned a verdict of "Temporary insanity."