CORONERS INQUEST.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1422, 20 February 1873, Page 2

CORONERS INQUEST.

An inquest was held before C. Whitefoord, Esq., Coroner, on Saturday. 15th instant, at Kelly's Hotel, at the Ttrelre- , mile Landing, on the body of a young woman named Ellen Sweeney, who died on the previews day. The evidence laid bare an evil condition of social affairs; and the frightful disclosures made exhibited the gross immorality sometimes found ' ■ existing on the gdldfields, in its worst light. ..The girl formerly kept a grog shanty at No Town, where she was fined forselling. spirit* E without being- licensed, and she then gave up business. Latterly she lived with a miner at Rough and Tumble Creek. According to his eyS dence, she went from the hut to Sunnybank to procure, liquor, and she did-, not return for some' days ; in fact^ ftg did not return at all. She evidently, got'possession of a quantity of liquor by some means, although ■, how she did so did not transpire. ,She at, length found her way into the hut of another miner, who, when he .returned fromi work, found Her 'Mas upon his bed, with a bottle partly full of brandy alongsidejier. Of course the firs* ~ thing he did was to drink ; the, brandy, and also, of course, more ha 4to be. ohtamedl; This went qn : until the- unfortunate girl got into suoh a state that she could take no more spirits, when she began drinking water it immoderate^ quantities. The evidence oh this point was, curious. A witness stated that the deceased drank between twenty arid thirty /' billieaful " 5* ° old water in one day^and each of fhese billies would hold about half a gallon. She | was during the time' retchine arid vomiting violently. At length two local medical practitioners were called in, and through this the police, became aware of the case. ; Steps were taken? as spon : as it was deemed advisable to • move 1 the poor creature, to forward her to Greypoflth,. but she died in the dray in which she was being-conveyed hefore the Twelve-mile. ; Landing was reached? .there wasVomething rumored about the deceased being seen "knocking about '» a a mining camp, in the neighbourhood of Black Jack s Creek, a day or two* before she died, but the full particulars are iript fit for publication: ' Dr Phillips made a post mortem exairiiriation of the body, and found the viscera rent and torn in all directions from the effects of' the retching from which the deceased suffered hefoEg she died. "Thgre waa not traoe of solid food m thestomaoh, but there-was a smell of alqohql." The cause of death was exhaustion ana prostration fronuthe effects of alcoholic poisoning,, and consequent inflammation. The iuryifefcorned a yermct in accordance with the medical evidence. The remains were interred in : |he presence of a few strarigersimmediatelv S* iTOfst was over, at the^ceWeSry^ the Twelve-mile. .-The. deceased was a native of Lancashire; England; and a&taV twenty-four years of age, JotwilSS?' ing.the Bu#srißg whioh my'sV^am Wfc-" ceded suoh a miserable death, tfceleatJS ot the deceased bore some traces of a handsomeness which" it is isiudine possessed in her lifetime. ' ' '■'