INQUEST.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 245, 3 February 1877, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inqncst was held this afternoon before Mr. Parker, District Coroner, into the circumstances attending the death of Emma Wildish, who died suddenly, yesI torday. The Jury, of which the following is a list, having proceeded to the residence of '' of the deceased and viewed the bod}', returned to the Northern Hotel, when ! Jkiii<„3 Mar*!::::! was chos-n foreman : t Petri- G'ockbnrn, Duncan Young, Thomas Pratt, John M:!iington, Thoma3 Moore, Alexander Clydesdale, Tiiomas Du::ean, | Gordon Innis Miliington, John Todd : Smith, James Marshall, Henry Tempord, and Peter Nel-.on. The following cvidenca was then taken : Albert isaac Garland, deposed : I am a legally-qualified medical practitioner, at Oamaru. I made a pod mortem examination of the body of Emma Wildish, assisted by Dr. Fleming. I saw her first about sis o'clock last evening. She was t'itn lying in the front room, quite dead. There were no external marks of violence on the body. The heart was found much enlarged, with very extensive valvular disease, which was quite sufficient to account for death. The liver also was much enlarged ; the lung=» congested, as would be the case in death from heart disease. The other organs examined were fairly healthy. As deccas.d was pregnant, in t:.c ease of her falling or receiving a blow, it would complicate the dis.asj of the heart. To t!ie Foreman : There were no marks on the body, but I examined the ground upon which she was found, and there were marks there. The ground was sloping, and very slippeiy, and the least movement from the cow would have caused her to fall h-ick. The cow was still tied tip for milking when I caw it. 1 tee I o'ilie f;>.!'-f. d i' at the dec"as:d did front the eh'.ei." of the state of her henrr. Elizibth M : :3..- { .h deposed: I am the v.;f" of Tli «'iia: M'lJefh. and reside in tee next c nht-e :•> where the (licensed live 1. Abi.ut t .ll minntis io six las' evening, I :yvx Mfs. WddUh driving a cow close to the house, and about, ten uiiuutes af'er•var's 1 heard her little boy sereami: g, b:i a; thvught his mother was c' a. i;inj him, 1 ;o >!; no notice of it- When I hear. 1 ; : his:-, however. cutting'owa.-ds tic hu-isc, I v.eiil t.» the d..->". lie said s=.m -• 'dug about the t-»-v, whereupon, coue!u.ling that his it:o;';s-r was under v!ie animal, I ran towards it. and s •„.'.- Mrs. Wil lish king v. i!i her leg.-* under the cow. I then sent him for s m;e assistance, and pullled her from under t!ie animal. It was not, however, standing on her. As there was not water near her, I did not like to leave her to procure some, so I rubbed my hand on the wet gras3, and rubbed it on her forehead, to revive her. It was raining at the time. Sir- was notsens'ble, bit there was a no:-;e in her throat. Her heart was beating very fast, and suddenly stopped. I put my hand to her heart the moment I went to her, as she had complained so much of her heart for seme time. Ido not think the cow kicked her, for it was ox.ictly in the po-.ithm as if she had been \ milking, and the cow was leg-roped. Had ,; the cow kicked, it must have spilt the imilk. The animal was not generally quiet, but yesterday ic appeared unusually so. Site was lying on her back, the stool I between her and it appeared as if she had slipped back, and fallen in a fit, and as if no si niggle whatever laid taken place. Two minutes had not elapsed from the t'ntic I wont to her until we got her to tile house, but she was dead before we got her to the house. Dv. Garland was sent sent for, and a long time elapsed before he came, when he said she was dead. To the Foreman :—As there was no i mark on her dress I do not think the cow I had knocked her over. The ground was ; very sloping and slippery, and we had a j ; very hard matter to get her up to the j house. Deceased was a native of Eng- I land, and was a resident of the Colony for about eighteen mouths. Ido not know her correct age, but I should think about thirty-six years, and she had five children* the oldest being about fourteen. I found £2l 10s.j her watch, earrings, and rings, of which I took possession, and gave them to Mr. Wildish this morning. Mr. Wiididi has been in the Hospital since the accident, but he is coming home this afternoon. The money 1 handed to the police, but the watch and Irimkcts are still in my possession ; but I w.il hand j them over to the husband of the deceased this evening. The Foreman said that the evidence of the doctor was of so conclusive a nature, that the Jury were of opinion that the deceased Emma Wildish died from j "Natural Causes." | Before dispersing, the Jury tendered j their thanks to the Coroner for providing } a conveyance when going to view the j body. " |