DEATH FROM EXPOSURE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 847, 20 June 1910, Page 3

DEATH FROM EXPOSURE.

o _ .A WOMAN'S LONELY END. Whilst Wellington . generally . was grouped round blazing fires, or snugly tucked in bed v.-ith extra blankets to keep out the cold on Friday' night, an unfortunate woman named Helen Mario Anderson, 30. years of age, met her death front exposure to the blizzard on the Lyall Bay sand-hills. The dead body of the woman was found on Saturday morning and was brought in to tho morgue whero an inquiry was held by Mr. W. K. Hasdcleii, S.M., coroner. The polico were 'represented by Station-Sergeant Darby. : Ada Edwards, machinist, stated 'that she knew the deceased slightly, and last saw her at the waiting-room of the To Aro Railway Station at about 10.30 on Fridav morning. Deceased had been in the Wellington Gaol and had only been discharged ■on Friday morning. At the time witness last saw deceased she could not tell whether she had'.been drinking. Chas. Henry, driver, Kilbirnic, stated that ho know deceased by sight. On his way.to work at the Heads on Friday morning he saw u body on the side of tho road at the far end of lyall Bay Beach close to the fishermen's huts. Witness went down to the body and found it to bo that of the deceased. The only article of clothing missing was the hat. Arthur Branz, carrier, Seatoun, stated that he saw deceased at the city boundary between 2 and 2.30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. She was walking towards Seatoun carrying her hat in her hand. Witness did not notice any signs of drink about her. Dr. Fyffe stated that ho made a postmortem examination of tho body. Deceased was a woman apparently about 45 years of age. There were no external marks of violence. Tho only conclusion he could come to was that tho woman must have died from exhaustion and exposure. Mitchell Brown, fisherman, at Lyall Bay, identified the body as that of Helen Anderson. He had known deceased for about four years. She had kept house for him for some months, but she indulged in liquor so frequently that he had to tell her to go. About 1 D or 10 days ago deceased had calledat his house and had lunch, but she had been away for nine or ten weeks previous to this. She was under tho inlluonce of drink when he last saw.her. The body of deceased was found on the road about half a mile from witness's house. She.may -have been making for his house. ' The weather on Friday was terrible, rain and hail being carried by the southerly gale. Andrew Larson, labourer, stated that deceased was a relation of his. She was a widow and had a family of four. Shewas born in Norway and was 39 years of »ge. Constable Price gave evidence as to tlio finding of, the body on tho 6and-hills at the north' end of Lyall Bay Beach. Deceased was addicted to diink. A verdict was brought in that death iras due to exhaustion and exposure.