THE DEATH OF DR. MARK.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1630, 12 May 1879, Page 3

THE DEATH OF DR. MARK.

♦ INQUEST. An inquest was held at ton o’clock this morning at the house of the deceased, Colombo street south, bet ore Dr. Coward. Coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr E. W. Millett was foreman, upon the body of Moritz Mark, whose death by poison has been chronicled in a previous issue. After the body had been seen by the jury, the following evidence was taken : Mary Jane Mark deposed —I last saw my husband between eleven and twelve o’clock on Saturday. He was in v ry good spirits, but ho was very much upset over the Hospital dispute, which had been on his mind for several days. He wished to be quiet, to write the bills out. I wanted him him to sit with

I me, but ho said he could not keep quiet, and | Would wike the baby walking up and down. Ho asked me to remember any patients that I knew, and I did so, telling him (he names. Just before one o'clock I went to him to attend some patients, when 1 found the door locked. 1 then looked through the window, when I saw him lying on the floor. I tried to burst the door, but could not. 1 (hen told the giii, and broke the window, and got in through the broken window, I thought at first that he was alive, but I don’t think now that ho could have been. I got some brandy and poured it down his throat, and rubbed his hands, thinking he was in a fit. I sent off immediately for medical advice, and Dr. C. Patrick and Dr. Price came up together. My husband had no previoue intention of committing suicide. The temptation must have been put in his Way. He had told me before that it was wicked to seek self-destruction when I have been reading cases, of suicide to him. When I went into him t saw two bottles beside him, containing morphia and chloral. They were both nearly empty. I also saw a letter on his writingdesk, addressed to mo. It is only a farewell to me, but on the outside it told me (hat he had taken poison, and asked me to forgive him It said that he had takt n morphia and chloral at he.lf-pa«t twelve o’clock, and asked me to have him buried on his own land at Opawa. Is it necessary to read the whole of the lofctei*P It ia only a farewell to mo. The Coroner—What you have read is sufficient for our purposes. Mrs Murk—He was very much upsrti tu)-/Ut the hospital matter, and when ho went into the consulting room ho said he could not settle down until it was settled.

Mary Elizabeth Oakes deposed, I am a domestic Servant, and hato bebn living with Dr. Mark for the last twelve months. I have not observed anything extraordinary about him lately.. When I saw him on Saturday, lie was the same aa usual. Mrs Mark called me about one o’clock on Saturday, and told me that the doctor was lying on the (1 >or, and she thought ho hud got a fit. I broke open the window. She picke t the doctor up, and called for the brandy. I then loft the room to try and get a medical man. I never heard the doctor express himself as troubled in his mind.

Constable Brookes deposed, about two i.‘clock on Saturday last, it was reported t< him Dr. Mark had taken poLon. 1 came to the house, when I found that deceased was lying on the bed dead, I then took posses sion of these two bottles (produced) and this pot, which I found on his case in the consulting room. One bottle is marked “ Solution of Morphia” and the other "Chloral.” Dr. Patrick deposed —1 was called to seethe deceased at twenty-five minutes past one on Saturday. Ho was thCnjdead, j have made a post-mortnn examination. 1 found the brain rather congested, but not much. There was an old standing disease in the left lung. The heart was healthy. The liver and kidneys were Intensely Congested. The stomach contained about a small tea cupful of half-digested food, I kept the stomach and its contents for analysis. I hate not jet, however, made the examination. There was nothing about the body to account for death. The. Coroner—lt would take some considerable time to make an analysis Witness—lt would take four days at least. Foreman of the Jury—Then there is no medical testimony as to the cause of death. The Coroner—lf there was any suspicion, wc would adjourn the enquiry, but hia own letter informs us as to the cause of death. The placidity of his features, as spoken of by the witness, was an indication of morphia, which is a sedative. .

L. Nasholski—l was brother-in-law of the deceased. The writing tnd signature on the envelope produced is his handwriting, I have not seen Dr. Mark down-hearted lately. The father-in-law of the deceased also identified the writing, although not on oath. One of the jurymen here spoke about the medical testimony. The Coroner replied that it was not every medical man who could make an analysis of the stomach.

After a brief deliberation, the jury returned a verdict that deceased died from the effects of poison administered by himself.