THE YARRA BRIDGE MYSTERY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1672, 26 September 1887, Page 3

THE YARRA BRIDGE MYSTERY.

Public Interest m the Victoria Bridge case of suicide has continued unabated. The "Australasian " has published portraits of MUaS^ai-i snd Cap aia Mooie, an example that h.a baen fo;l owed by the Ulna .rat _<i monthlies and by the '* Evening herald." Tne peculiar o_rcum.tano_s render the -fl .ir fur removed from th. ordinary run of suicidts The evldenoa completely disproves C_ptain Moore's statement. Ho eaid Mies Swain and him Sctlf were passing over the bridge whea, aa ho slopped to light hiß cigar, Bhe suddenly sprang over tha railing into the Yarra, which ia neariy 70ft below ; tha . he followed down the bank, and fell about 40ft, where he lay bruised for a minute or two ; that he offered a man who came up any money to save the girl, and tha_ he was ton much hurt to go into the water himself, though a splendid swimmer bu_ it ia proved that the two. were quite two miuutea standing on the bridge, ihat they wore quarrelling, and that ihe oapttin was heard to aay " I don't oara what you do." Warder Flynn, of Kew Lunatic. Asylum, , who is the man who came on the sCene ; found Captain Moore, on the bank of the river, and aß.erts he seemed quite uninjured ; that he Baid nothing about a fall ; that he off .red him nothing to save the lady, and tbat they watohed her fl sating down thi Btream within a few yards of the bank till she disappeared, Ab both the captain and the warder could swim their conduct is inexplicable, though the latter excuses himself by saying he was recovering from an attaok of typhlod fever. Mr Clark, a'tanner, who lives clo3e to the bridge, declarea that whefi he heard the Tomßn'a screams firßt they came from the land, but afterwards he heard her icreamß from the river. When he went out to see what was wrong he Bays that by going into the river up to the knees a man oould have grasped Misa Swain at the spot where the body sank. Dr J. E. Neild was recalled, and repeated his evidence given at the opening of the inqury to the -fleet that the cause cf death waa drowning. The 0 ironer suggested that the ladies In the Court Bhould retire for a few momenta, as oertain queßtions of an Indelicate nature were likely to be askod. Several ladiea accordingly retired from the Court. In answer to the coron.r, Dr Neillgrove cvi dence to the effect that the deceased had habitually beon Improperly intimate with a man or men. The Coroner : Why did you not explain that m your report ? Dr Neild : I wrote down all I thought necessary; and left it to yourßelf to put any further questions. That is my usu il habit. My examination was for the purpose of aecertainlng the cause of death, which waa quite dear to my mind. I stated m the report no more than I thought necessary, leaving you to ask any further questloDß you might think fit. I did not deliberately and distinctly, I may say I did not wi.h to, make any at item .nt . In my report whloh would oao?e any reft _ctlon on the girl. As you have put the question, of conrße I answer It. Mr Smith : Was it ln any way sag- < gested to you to omit anything ? -No. I had no o mraunication with anyone before ( writing my report. Do you sho the Importance of the . evidenoe now . — No. I confess I do not 1 do not think It necessary man ioquiry ' of this kind to go into particulars of that sort. I have had many aimilar caaes, and both the city and district coroners have alwjya repressed any desire to inquire into raatterß of this kind. In a case where a young unmarried woman haa come to death by violonce, and upon whose eye you found a wound of some kind, have you ever been told not to tell the whole truth m suoh a caee as that ?— I did tell the whole of the truth In this case. Idi I not aeo how the matter could a feet the cause of death, and I have had particular Instructions not to mention thia kind of th'nj. If- only administers lo general public prurlenc3, and l will not do it. Have you formed ary opinion se to why the deceased went into tho water . — I think I can give you somo information as co the predisposing motive. Do you think the f )C . of deceased being about to be left waa a likely motive? — Yes ; but there was another crcut--stance — a contributory cause. Do you think any p.rt of your evidenoe had any connection with tha predisposing motive? -I do. Ib the evidenoe you have given part of that bearing on the predisposing cause 1 — No. An imputation has been made that I have been keeping back evidence, and I wish to contradict that. Mr Smythe : Do not imagine that for a moment, Dr Neild. — I am bound to think so, after what the Coroner haß stated. The Coroner : So far a . lam concerned, I made no imputation at all ; lam above that sort of thlog. Mr Smythe : You say thnre was a contributory cause ; what was it ? Witness replied that It was a certain condition of the deceased. Mr Symthe : Could the Injury to the eye havo been oauaed by a fall ou the water ?— I don't think it was. The injury was quite recent. Examined by Mr Cold ham : The Injury to the eye might have been caused whllit the deceased waß floating down the river, | by coming In contact with Borne hard substance bejore death ensued. I have i known at leaat a dozen cases, m every one j of which, owing to persons being m a i similar oondition to deceased, euloidal hyateria was produced, ■ The story of how the deceased actually pot into the water is so far wrapped m ' mystery, which seems unlikely to be di.polled. Tbe general Impression is that . the girl committed suicide through pique 3 at Captain Moore's refusing to marry her ; X hut it ia plain that his Btory is untrue, £ which, with the other peoallar surround/ Ingß of the oase, give it a deep Interest In . the publio mind.