Sudden Death in Shortland.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2643, 28 June 1877, Page 2

Sudden Death in Shortland.

COKONJSR'S INQUEST.

Early'this movnirg information was given the police that the sudden death of an aqjed woman, nain^d Mrs Law, had occurred at he: 1 home on the beach, in. Shortland. The particulars of the case so far as we can learn, are these :—Last night ai; about 9 o'clock o.ie Thomas Hand ley, with whom the deceased has for some years bean residing, was taken home in a slate of drunkerness by an old man na-ned Loyett, who ; with the assistance of deceased, placed him in bed. Lovett remained talking to her some time, and she appeared t < be in her usual health, but complaired of the intense cold. He left Mrs Lpw at about 10 o'cloc'r, whea she said she going to bed. Handle/ alleges that he neither saw nor heard anything of her until he awoke in the morning, when he found her lying on the floor, wit 1! her head under the bed, dead.

An inquest was held on the body of the deceased at the Couri House, Shortland, before Dr. Kilgour ard the following jury";-Messrs J. O'Halloran, W. B. JElvin, H. Gedcly, W. Oulpitt, J. Mit-

chell, J. Courtland, A. Sherlock, W. Peak, T. S. Fohey, N. Wesson, F. Tetley, H. R. Jury, and J. E. Dodd. lhe last gentleman wrs chosra foieman.

Thoro.s Handloy, sworn, deposed—l am a fis'i-hawketf residing in Shortland. I have a bad ,cold, and had a litlle too much last night, and bad to be fakei hootio by a man named Lovetfc. Ttiis was about 8 o'clock. He put me to bed. I know no more till I goi u-j> ir'osyiinsj, when I found deceasr tlepd. S'ae was lying on the floor wifcU ber .''end under ike bed. Sbe was not i dressed. 1 last Saw her alive last night. To the the bes': of my knowledge she was sobej\ I saw her about 8 o'clock. She wps not in the habit of drinking. She Jun for the last uwelve months been complain'ng rf pains .'n her le^s She could hardly walk. I don't know that she had any other ailment. I think she was lying on her side. She seemed to have died without struggling; if she had made a noise, she must have woke me. She had been living with me three or four years. We livrd on good tei'ms. By Mr Bulled —I believe she was a married wcoian. Xdo not kmm where her husband is. We have been living together over 3 years. We lived like everyone else; we had a word ■or so sometimes. I never struck her. She told me that she thought she was suffering in her leg in consequence of being kicked by-her husband. I do not recollect being taken home, nor do I recollect seeing the deceased at 8 o'clock lasip night. I only go by what I have been told. I did not turn deceased out of bed lasfc night. ; 'She was never in the habit of getting out of bed and lying anywhere, but by me. I did not lake any liquor home last night. I do not know how old, the deceased was. When I first felt deceased she was cold. VII did not move her until the constable came. She had no bed clothes at all on her. The floor is a wooden one. v • ■ '■_■•■'

By a juror—She ate her breakfast yesterday morning. I do not know whether she had any dmner. W. A. Perston, sworn, deposed—l am a duly qualified medical practitioner. I examined the body of Ann Law, and conducted a post mortem examination on th 3 same. The body was well nourished, and fre^ from any marks of violence, but i<ia siaie of almost complete nudity, being covered only by a dirty chemise, and a small piece of flannel. Oh opening the body t!ie internal organs presented a generally healthy appearance, the chief remarkable thing being a very distended gall bladder, and the heart Tery soft and flabby. Tbe stbTiach. was nearly empty, containing only a small quantity of yellowish matter; The heart and veins contained a small quantity of fluid blood, but no clot. I aftribute de ,th to exposure to cold ilu?ing last night.. By Mr Bullon—Tiiere wf s a lot of wet | on the floor where the body was lying. There was no alcoholic smeli about the stomach. The state of ber heart, with/ exposure to cold would be sufficient to cause decth. ' Stie may have been insensible at the time she fell out of bed. There was no indication of poison nor personal injury. . By the (Soroner—lf she fell from the waakness of her legs she would likely have a difficulty in getting up again. I think m her endeavors to rk:e she may have become exhausted. Death would be progressive, as the blood was fluid. By Mr 'Dodd—l consider the immediate cause of death exposure to cold.

By the Coroner—Death was due to cold, also the flabby state of the heart. Want of nourishment may hare had something to do with the deceased's death.

Thomas Handley, re-called, deposed—l Jrovided food fo 1 myself and the deceased, generally brought it home, since her legs have been bad. Ido not know whether there was any food in the house after we had our breakfast. I think I left a bundle of eels at home. Ido not do much at the fish-hawking now. I could not say rrhether the deceased had any money yesterday. I do not know whether Jiere was any food in the house this morning. I did not look.. She had her meals regularly, although she was not a big eater. Ido not think she could get food without money, and I did not give her any money yesterday. There was food in the house, so she could not starve.

Lovett Thoroughgood, sworn, deposed —I am a carpenter. lam staying at Mr Tetley's. I took "Tommy "out of Mr Tetley's last night. It was about. 8 o'clock, I think. When I went into the house I saw Mrs Law, who, to the best of my knowledge, was sober. She complained to me of her feet. . I stayed about an hour, chatting. She made no observation respecting Handley. By Mr Bulleu—l hare known, the deceased for a good bit. I have only been in the house once before last night. Since I have known Handle? and the deceased they have been on good terms. Handley was very drunk last night. I put him to bed, and she helped me. After this I sat talking to the deceased some time, then left. When I took him home he spoke to the deceased civilly, and she answered him. The last thing she said to me was that she was going to bed. It was between 9 and 10 when I left.

Const. Cleary, sworn, deposed—About 9 o'clock this morning I received infor-> mation from Handley which caused me to. go to his house. When I got to the bedroom I saw the deceased. She was lying on her back on the floor, partly under the bed. She had no clothing except a dirty old chemise and a sort of petticoat tied around her waist. The floor underneath the body was wet. The body was not stiff, but cold. There were no marks of violence. The bed scorned to be knocked up with a Jot of old brards. There was no rrniiicrs, bat one blanket,'and a lot of old Wf«rin<» apparel. On exaniiaing the hon.") I found buUer, tea, su^ar, and pert of a lo?f of bread. I lnve known Law for some ume to be a man of intemperate habiLs. r

The verdict of the Jury was then dejr clarcu by 'Mr Dodd to be, "That deceased died from r^tuiai causes, accelerated by exposure to cold."