THE INQUEST ON MARGARET M'INTYRE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 125, 29 May 1877, Page 2

THE INQUEST ON MARGARET M'INTYRE.

The following further details of the evidence taken at this inquest have been telegraphed to the Post by its Dunedin correspondent :— May 23. Some important evidence was given at the inquest last night. Isabella Esplin, aged twelve, said that from where she was employed she could overlook Mrs Reid's garden. Ten days ago she saw the latter beating her servant, who had been shaking carpets. Mrs Reid also took her by the hair of her head aud dragged her into the house. Lewis Harris, another deposed to hearing violent screams from Mrs Reid's house about three weeks ago. He was satisfied it was not one of her children. At the time he thought some one was getting an unmerciful thrashing. Mrs Reid's daughter, aged eleven, denied that her mother ever ill-treated the deceased. Mrs Reid's counsel wanted to call former servants as to her treatment of them, but the Coroner determined that it was unnecessary, as he intended to tell the jury to reject the girl Esplin's evidence. May 25. At the inquest in reference to the death of Margaret M'lntyre, Mrs John Stephenson deposed to hearing the deceased screaming yery much on Good Friday morning. Later in the day she saw that the girl walked lame. There were continually noises and screams from Mrs Reid's house, but on other occasions witness could not recognise the voice. Dr Bakewell, who also attended the post mortem examination, said : " I consider the want of food was the primary cause of death. I drew up that opinion after very earef ully considering the case. Inflammation and congestion in this case result from the |girl being subject to privations in the first instance. Her emaciation undoubtedly is the result of want of proper or sufficient food. The injuries were sufficient to have hastened her death very seriously. The bruises were not produced by any sharp instrument. They might have been produced by blows or being thrown down. If the girl were a lunatic, of suicidal tendencies, they might have been produced by her throwing herself about. By falling down in a fit she might have self-produced the one on the top of her head. I never saw scratches like these, and cannot form any idea as to how they were caused unless by rats. Some of the abrasions appeared to have been caused by finger nails." The Coroner here read over that portion of Mrs Reid's evidence in which she stated that tho deceased fell down frequently in fits, and had caused bruises over her forehead by striking her hea,d against the sharp edge of a box. " If she had been in want of food she would have suffered from giddiness, and if medical assistance had been called in four days previouslv her life might have been saved. This he asserted positively. If the girl had had strength enough to get up unaided, she would have had strength enough to protect herself from falling." Mrs Harris, another neighbor, said that she had heard frequent groans proceeding from Mrs Reid's house, as though from a grown up person, a woman, being thrashed and gagged. Frances Scannel, Mrs Stephenson's nurse girl, saw deceag. ed crying on Good Friday, and heard her say that her leg was hurt. Mrs Reid's daughter came out and said, " Where did she strike," but witness could not hear the reply. A few minutes afterwards the former came out and gave the deceased some bread. The inquost is not likely to terminate to-night. The Coroner has explained he had not any intention of rejecting the girl Esplin's evidence.