THE CORNISH CASE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9139, 7 May 1908, Page 5

THE CORNISH CASE.

Per Press Association. Dnnedin, May 6. The inquest on the body of Mrs Cornish, wife of the licensee of the Stirling Hotel, was continued last night after the telegraph office had closed. It was commenced at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and concluded at 8.45 this morning. The (following additional evidence was given : Lily Knox, aged 16, employed as housemaid at the Stirling Hotel for nearly five months, said she last saw deceased alive at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the passage. She rose at 5.45 on 'Friday, but saw nothing of Mr and Mrs Cornish till between 2.80 and B p.m., when she saw the former in the bathroom getting washed. Neither Mr nor Mrs Cornish had had dinner that day. She had never known Mr and Mrs Cornish to quarrel, and they used to get on pretty well. Mr Cornish always seemed sober, but deceased seemed always under the influence of liquor. William Taylor, barman, employed for seven months at the hotel, said that during that time Mrs Cornish had seldom been sober in the evening, and was often drunk in the morning as well. On the afternoon of Thursday last deceased was very drank. Witness last saw heron that day about ten p.m. To the Inspector: He had (killed a pig he believed, on the Wednesday preceding Mrs Cornish’s death. Mr Cornish sat on the pig, holding Its foie-legs while witness killed it. Blood spurted, aud (Mr Cornish got most of it. Mrs Cornish was present during the process. She seemed middling drunk, aud fell on entering the doorway. Witness was unaware that No. 4 room had been occupied on Thursday night. Evidence was also given by Constable Marshall and Detective Hunt.

Inspector O’Brien referred to a statement by Cornish that there was a strange man in the house on Thursday night, and said he did not propose to ask for an adjournment to enable the police to get this man, if there was a man, but would leave it entirely to the Coroner and Jury.

The jury retired at 37 minutes to three, and returned at a quarter to four with the following verdict: — “We find that deceased came [to her death by a fall, and in our opinion such fall would not have proved fatal had it not been for the couof her brain, brought on by excessive use of alcohol.” The foreman of the jury added that they did not say how or where the woman fell, but she was in a state on the night in question to fall anywhere. They had examined the door of the bedroom, and had oome to the conclusion that it was just as, likely as not that death resulted either from a fall against the door or against the architrave of the door. Dunedin, May 6. Proceedings in the Cornish case lasted till 4 this morning. The verdict was that deceased came by her death by a fall and in the opinion of the jury such fall would not have provedrfatal had it not been for the congested state of deceased’s brain, brought on by excessive use of alcohol.