DEATH OF GISBORNE WOMAN IN HOSPITAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3973, 20 July 1929, Page 2

DEATH OF GISBORNE WOMAN IN HOSPITAL.

STRONG COMMENT BY CORONER. Napier, Last Night. “It is a long time since I have heard evidence of such absolute callousness and neglect. Perhaps it is because I have not been told the truth. The whole, circumstances are highly suspicious; there is not only a conspiracy of silence hut a conspiracy of lies.” With these remarks, the District coroner (Mr. A. M. Mowlam, S.M.) coueluded a stern eritieism of the evidence given at the inquest in Napier to-day into the circumstances that led to the death of Eileen Carroll Hepburn in the Napier hospital on June 7. A Tofiimal verdict was returned that death Avas due to heart failure, following lung and abdominal trouble, contributed to toy circumstances that pointed to criminal interference.

When criticising the evidence, the Coroner described it as a mass of inconsistency. He refused to believe that a man should know that his stepdaughter Avas taken away from him in Gisborne in a bad state of health and to take no further interest in her until informed by telegram, 26 days later, that she was in hospital at Napier, seriously ill and that he should go to her bedside and not then be interested enough to ask lioav; she got there and Avliat Avasithe matter with her. The evidence showed that a l>arty brought the girl to Napier and took her to a Nurse Pratt’s louse, described as a. maternity home. Conflicting evidence was given as to avlio slept Avith the girl on the night of her arrival, Nurse Pratt, the girl’s aunt or another ay oman, named Patterson, The last-named took the girl to a doctor under the name of Hudson. Two doctors attended her and she was sent to hospital, after gmng birth to a se\ T en months’ child.

At the hospital, she gave the name of Hudson and it was not until two days before her death that her true identity was revealed by an aunt. Even when told she was dying, the girl refused to reveal anything except the name of the man who was responsible for her condition. Three doctors said in evidence that thetre was no doubt there had been criminal interference. The evidence of the other witnesses was of a most unsatisfactory nature.