THE BURIAL OF EDITH RICHARDS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1669, 8 February 1913, Page 6

THE BURIAL OF EDITH RICHARDS.

UNDUE HURRY?

POINTED WORDS AT INQUEST.

BY THE CORONER,

Rather unusual wore the events jesterday at tho place appointed for tho hold"ilf of an inquest concerning tho death oi Edith Richards, who died in tho public hospital on Thursday. Tho inquest was to have taken place at tho hospital, and thoso required to bo present wero assembled in l the allotted room.

When the coroner (Dr. M'Arthur, S.M.) arrived ho proceeded to the hospital morgue for the purposo of viewing tho body find then discovered that the body lvas not there. He made further search; and then 6ent for Dr. Woodhouse. Upon Dr. Woodhouse appearing tho coroner asked him what had become of the body.

Dr. Woodhouse replied that ha had authority for tho signing of a cer.tificat© as to tho causo of death« Tho coroner remarked that tho case was an extraordinary one. In the' report which had been submitted to him the woman was described as single, while, in the press, sho had been referred to ua married. She was supposed to have died as the result, of a miscarriage, but it was also said that 6he had taken a certain liquid. The case was ono in which tho body 6hould not havo been buried until the;coroner- had given a certificate for burial.

Senior-,Sergeant Rutledge,' who represented tho police, stated that deceased had gone under tho namo of Mrs. Edith Richards, but 6he had also been known by other names.

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Dr. Woodhouse replied that tho undertaker had been.

Tho Coroner: Of course, but who gave instructions to burv her? Dr. Woodhouse: The relatives. The coroner, asked why ho had not been consulted. 1

Dr. Woo3house said'that tho hospital had rccmved a message from the polico stating, that they could not find dence of suicide. From this Dr. Woodhouso had assumed that the police would not bo having anything nioro to do with tho case.

nil'n? Coron er: Wo. are not concerned about any question of criminality. . Wo want to ascertain the circumstances which brought about death. 'You don't mean to say that if a person dies from so-and-6<Vmi T cnl ;, 6:1 vo \certificate of burial? Dr. Wooilhouso: Not at all. Wo havo not done that. But when I got that message I thought that the police would have nothing moro to do with the case. That, added Dr. Woodhouse, was why he had given Dr. Fraser authority to El the'cause of death. But he had said that tho wholo rm wflIS 0116 r inquiry. The Coroner: Somebody has been fixing this. up. Somebody has been in a hurrv to get her out of tho road. .3° ro r r then stated that he would open, at tho Magistrate's Court at 11,30 o clock this morning. '