Mr Candler, the district coroner, held an inquest at Bulleen on Saturday touching the death of Thomas Petty, a market gardener, aged 67 years, which occurred under peculiar circumstances on the 22nd inst.

Richard Clay, market-gardener at Bulleen, said that the deceased resided at the same place. About 2 o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, the 21st inst., witness was driving a fruit-cart to town, and when about 500 or 600 yards from the gate in front of deceased's house he heard a groan. Stopped his horse, struck a match, and saw the deceased lying on the road, his face being covered with blood. Deceased was in a kind of stupor, and although he could speak, yet he was unable to give any account of what had happened to him. With the assistance of Mr. H. Serpell, witness conveyed the deceased to the nearest house, and medical aid was sent for. When about 200 yards from the place where he found the deceased, witness met a dray, the horse of which was going at a sharp trot, whilst the driver could not be seen.

Thomas Petty son of the deceased, deposed that on Wednesday morning he was going to the market and met on the road a dray in which there were two men. On saying "Good night" he was answered by his father, whom he had failed to recognise in the dark. This took place about a quarter of a mile from his father's house. The deceased and a woodcarter named Leber were on perfectly good terms. He (witness) had no reason to suppose that his father had met with any foul play. The deceased died at 11 o'clock on the night of the 22nd inst.

Gottlop Leber, woodcarter, Bulleen stated that be had known the deceased for 17 years. On the night of Tuesday last he (witness) started from Prospect-hill Hotel, Kew, with a load of manure. The deceased was with him, and lay upon the top of the load. They stopped at two hotels on the road, and had some ale. Witness subsequently fell asleep on the dray, and knew nothing of what happened afterwards. His horse took him home all right, and on his arrival there he was woke up by his wife

Thomas S. Ralph, legally qualified medical practitioner, deposed that he had attended the deceased soon after he received his injuries, and found that his face was severely contused, and that he had a wound through the scalp on the top of the head. The cause of death was injury to the brain. The injuries appeared to have been causes by a fall, and not by direct violence from any person.

The jury returned a verdict that the deceased died from injuries to the head, accidently caused by falling from a dray.

Argus, Tuesday 27 February 1877, page 6