A SAD FATALITY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 37, 15 February 1915, Page 5

A SAD FATALITY.

THE DEATH OF MISS MCALLISTER

The late Miss Agnes Gray McAllister, whose sad death at New Plymouth was reported on Saturday, was a sister of Mr James McAllister of this town, and was until recently an exceedingly capable and highly regard, ed teacher in the service of the Taranaki Education Board, and had to relinquish her position through illhealjbh. Her condition had been improving of late, and on Friday she was, as her medical attendant stated at the inquest, brighter and better than he had seen her since her first admission to the hospital. Hie sudden end comes as a great shock to her friends, with whom great sympathy is felt.

An inquest was held on Saturday, at which Mr D. S. Wylie, Medical Practitioner, deposed that the deceased had been admitted early in January to the New Plymouth hospital, suffering from neurasthenia. Her condition improved, rnd on 29th fann. arv she was removed to Miss Pol-

lock’s private hospital, where he attended her, and saw her on 1' riday morning. Shortly after 8 o’clock on Saturday morning, Miss Pollock telephoned him that the deceased was missing. He suggested that she should go to the deceased’s mother’s place, to ascertain if the deceased had gone there. In the meantime, he went to the home, and then reported the occurrence to the police. When admitted to the hospital, deceased’s mental and physical condition was depressed, but the possibility of this fatality occurring had never suggested itself. Xor did he think there had been any intention of suicide, but that she wandered more or less blindly into the sea. On Friday morning, on the occasion of his last visit, she was better and brighter than at any time since Ist January, and her condition was certainly not such as would suggest the possibility of suicide.

To the Coroner: The deceased had never shown any inclination to leave the hospital. She suffered from sleeplessness. She might have become deranged, but he did not think it probable. Dr. E. A. Walker gave evidence that death was the result of asphyxia duo to drowning. Sarah Pollock, proprietress of a convalescent home in Vivian Street, gave evidence that upon deceased’s absence being discovered at about 7.30 o’clock on Saturday the medical attendant was advised, and a search was instituted. Witness had never for a moment thought the deceased was *a person likely to do herself an injury. Until the fatality was proved, she had no idea that the deceased could walk as far as the beach. Her opinion was that the deceased had merely wandered away, and got lost. She ventured the opinion that the deceased had set out for her mother’s.

Dr. Wylie interposed that the deceased had been suffering from persistent insomnia, and people in that condition were liable to leave a house —as deceased had done—and walk about. He did not for a moment believe that the deceased had intended to commit suicide. The Coroner returned an open verdict that the deceased was found drowned and that there was no evidence to show how she got into the water.