INQUESTS.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 356, 3 August 1875, Page 2

INQUESTS.

An inquest was held-at the'Royal (Hotel, Lyttelton, yesterday, on the body of Edward D. Parry, a colored man, cook on board the Countess of Kintore.

Mr John King was chosen foreman of the jury. Captain Braddick, master of the : ship, sworn, said—l remember Friday, the 30th. The deceased has been in my employ for more than three years. I first heard of the man’s death on Saturday from the watermen. On Friday deceased said he had a cold, but did not want to see a doctor. The man has been a sober, steady man since he ■ has been with me ; in fact, the best man I ever had in that position. John Eobb said —L’am second officer of the ship Countess of Kintore. I remember Friday last. ■ J knew deceased. I saw him on Friday at six p.m.; he was then in good health and at work, ; At. three o’clock a.m,

on Saturday morning I- was called on deck to see deceased ; he was lying stretched out on deck on his back ; he could not speak, he merely breathed ; he died before four a.m. Nothing was given to him, as we did not know what to give ; he was in his shirt and a pair of drawers when I saw him, and we then carried him into his bed, and he died there at four a.m, George Phillips, said—l am sailmaker on board the Countess of Kintore. I remember seeing deceased on Friday last, at 8 p.m. He :complained to me; he went to bed before 8.30 p.m. Deceased slept above me, in the same in, .the house on deck. About 11.30 p.m, deceased had a fit, and it awoke me ; he was then sitting up in his bed, and talking, but it was only nonsense. I then sent one of the boys for the chief mate. The chief mate asked if he would take any medicine, but he refused, and laid down again, and asked me to put the blankets over him. About 3-a.m. J heard the second officer putting deceased into his bed, and got up and looke'd at' him. He was then dead. Dr Rouse, sworn, said—l have performed' a post-mortem examination on the body of deceased. I opened the chest; the lungs were small, and adherent in patches from old disease ;- the pericardium -was enormously enlarged, containing, fully a quart of serum. The heart was enlarged greatly ; the left ventricle thickened to an enormous extent, -He died from effusion of serum into the pericardium. This concluded the evidence, and a verdict was returned of “ Died from natural causes.” An inquest was also'Held yesterday afternoon at the Royal- Hotql, Lyttelton, on the body of’a girl Jfia.mqd jMjary A-nue Young, who was drowned by her molhefon Sunday, Ist instant. Mr John Pope was chosen foreman of the, jury.' J: ’ 3n9c midr.-x n.L.; jV, ‘ James Alexander Young, sworn, said—l am a laborer residing in Lyttelton. ;My wife’s name is -Mary Young, and she is the mother of the deceased child. She has been ill for three weeks, and very ill since Sunday week. I last saw<-'the child alive about 2.30 p.m. on Sunday,' Ist instant; -“When I jleff the house at that time, she was playing in the house with her brother. I left my house to get some castor oil for the children, I was absent about twelve minutes. When Ireturned my two eldest girls were crying, and the eldest, seven years old,said mamma got up and put Mary in a cask of water. I rah to my own bedroom to see if my wife was there and saw her lying in beck I was so excited I did not .. know; ; Said.; I ran round to. the ’ water casks; and saw the child -in a - cask of water, and pulled'herqntj. tjberchild'Wiis' not dead. I [took her into the kitchen, and held the child’s head dow;h.wafds, after tearing all the clothes off hef.. .1 then sent my little; boy for a woman,'and shd came; and another man coining, we sent him for.Dr .McDonald. We tried all we could to save the child by hoiding r tbe child’s head down. Dr McDonald came, and used remedies,, but'in.spite qf f all the child died. For the last .nine days ihy wife has been out of her mind,'. On Sunday week, my wife tried to drown herself ip the same cask.- I Have never heard her threaten the life of the children. She was very fond of them. She wanted looking after. Three of my children have been down with thi fever, and my wife was nursing them till Hel health utterly failed. I did not think it was necessary to confine my wife in a madhouse, She only tried once to take away life. Hugh McDonald sworn, t said—l am t medical practitioner. r I was attending th< mother of deceased,- Mary Young. ;hav< attended'ffief specially' since last Wednesday, and the children for the last month. jThey have all been suffering from low fever, the mpther since* Wednesday, '’but" I heard she had been ill somie time previously. Shie has not been delirious when I haye seen her, but I heard from her neighbours and husband that she was delirious every day, and had been so before-1 attended v her. I have not been able to detect any aberration of mind; she was confined about a month ago, A few days after the children were ill, and she nursed, them altogether for days. I made my ordinary visit yesterday about 2 \ p.m., when Mrs Young spoke quite sensibly to me, saying she' felt better. A little after- three I was told by a man named Davies to come and look at a baby who was ill. At 3.30 p.m. Mr Pope came to me and told me the child had been taken out of a cask of water. I went up at once and found the child in bed. Her skin was quite cold. I applied the usual remedies, hot blankets and hot bottles, rubbed the skin with brandy, and tried artificial respiration, which I continued for half an hour, but ineffectually. I saw Mrs Young yesterday about 3.30 p.m; she was delirious, but only passing delirium; she was quite sensible an hour and a half afterwards, and she then stated she had put the child in the water, but gave no reason ;|she was much distressed that the childwasdrowned. On Friday I advised her husband to send her to the Hospital; but he said he would rather waif and attend her himself. I attribute the disturbed . state of her mind to over exertion after her confinement and want of sleep. She is insane this morning, no doubt through the death of the child. Dr Rouse, sworn, said—l saw Mary Young, the mother of deceased, at 5 p.m. yesterday afternoon. She was then sullen, and I could get nothing out of her; her look was vacant. She was then apparently insane; her nervous system was in a state of extreme exhaustion. r ■ 1 Dr Coward spoke strongly on the subject of the .ignorance existing as to the treatment of people apparently drowned, and stated, at the request of Captain Kiddey, one of the jury, that he would speak to the Government on the subject of having some bills giving directions in the case, of persons apparently drowned posted id' prominent positions throughout Lyttelton, The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the girl Mary AnqYoung was destroyed by her mother, ‘Mary .f.Young, whilst in a state of temporary insanity.