A SENSATIONAL DEATH.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 370, 4 July 1874, Page 4

A SENSATIONAL DEATH.

{From the'"Sobart Town Mercury, Wednesday, 10th June. In our local columns yesterday we mentioned the case of a young woman named Elizabeth <ooleman, whose death was reported as having occurred on Thursday last in lower Collins-street. It has for some days past been rumoured that the girl was really in a state of trance, aud feeling that there might possibly be some truth in the rumor, our reporter yesterday paid a visit to the house of the girl. This was shortly after midday, and to our reporters great surprise he found the street. in front of the house fairly crowded with women and children, and it was not without the utmost effort he was enabled to make his way through the crowd 1 and reach the doorway. The honse where the body of the girl lies is exceedingly mean in its outward appearance, and when the interior was reached, the same cold and uncomfortable aspect was presented. The first room, however, is a workshop, and when our reporter had been conducted through it he found himself in the chamber of the dead. Men, women, and children, of every size, and of every age, were there, looking with strange curiosity on the "supposed" dead body, and, with a morbid feeling, applying their own peculiar tests as to the life or death of the girl. Some inquisitive women, instead of showing that regard for the dead which human nature m a Christianised country is apt to exhibit, almost wrangled over tho remains ; and used their hands in a variety of ways as though the touch thereof was magical. The reporter was conducted to the bedside of the girl by her father ; and certainly her appearance was nob sngge'stive of the last mortal agony having passed. The features appeared calm and settled, the flesh giving no evidence to the touch of the rigidity of death, except by its icy coldness. The lips exhibited none of tiie livid symptoms usually noticeable in a corpse, but rather appeared to retain the life fluid, as when in health. When pressed downwards by the finger the nether iip was quite pliable, and returned to its former position as soon as the touch was removed. The general appearance of tho face was composed, and bi# for the fact that her head was partialty bourfd up, the girl would have certainly been taken to be enjoying a quiet sleep after some muscular excitement All the muscles were pliable, and, in fact, the skin of the face was j almost a natural color. There was, I however, a slight dark discolourisation of the flesh on the chesfc bone between the breasts, aud that was the only noticeable external sign of impending decomposition. From enquiries made of the girl's father, it appears that the first symptoms of life afcer her supposed decease were manifested on Monday, when the body was being placed by Mr. Clark in a coffin. Observing certain indications of what he thought was life, Mr. Clark acquainted the father, and the result was instead of carrying her remains to the cemetery the girl was taken out of the coffin and placed in a bed. Several medical gentlemen were called in, and they pronounced the girl to be dead, but subsequently her father applied some warm bricks to her feet. He alleges that in a very short time the lower limbs became quickened in a slight degree, and consequently he was prompted to forego all funeral arrangements until further inquiries were made. Dr. Cams was sent for, aud opened veins in various parts of the body and the result showed no blood. The father, however, was still dissatisfied, and the same medical gentleman at five o'clock yesterday applied the galvanic battery to the body, but without the slightest apparent restoration of animation, thereby confirming the opinion that after all the girl expired from natural causes. Setting aside the ghastly aspect of the case, and the morbid anxiety manifested by numbers of idle gossips, as well as by numerous parties of persons whose pretensions to superior knowledge — or at - least, whose affection to ignore everything in the way of sensation — ought to have told them better, the surroundings of the mournful event were repulsive in the extreme. Hundreds of people were permitted access to the room. Children of tender age were allowed to approach the death chamber : and the chamber itsself was degraded, unintentionally perhaps, into a theatrical scene. The parents were, undoubtedly, under the circumstances, justified in retaining the body, but if a little more circumspection as regards the- most sacred feelings of our nature had been observed, the idle tongue of rumor would have been more quickly silenced. It was commonly reported that the girl had taken poison, but the medical evidence was wholly against the presumption. On the 11th the " Mercury " writes :—: — Notwithstanding the experiments made by Dr. Cams on the supposed dead body of the girl E. Coleman, which were mentioned in our last issue, the house were she lies continued to be visited tlirougout yesterday by a large number of people, curious to see what they so.emed to have made up their minds was a real case of trance. There were no fresh-signs of decomposition visible in the early part of the day, but towards evening it became patent that the body was decaying, and it is likely that the parents will not carry ont their originally formed intention of postponing the funeral until Friday. The body was considerably swollen last night and though the lips presented an appearance far from death-like many of those who had believed in the theory that the girl was entranced, admitted that vitality had departed from the body. Since the above was written, public curiosity in this strange case seems to have again revived. At nine o'clock last night scores of people were about the bed side, and' many conflicting opinions were expressed as to her condition ; but, of course they were wholly unreliable. The sad spectacle has now, we regret to say,' beea reduced to a mere show ; a woman being stationed at the entrance-door with a plate in her hands, on which is placed a piece of paper with an inscription soliciting alms on behalf of her father, " who is out of imploy." Several small coins were collected in this way, - and the result is that the • excitement, instead of being allayed is intensified- Such conduct on on the part of parents in making a theatre out of a death chamber is highly reprehensible, and reflects considerable discredit on the public who encourage it. . .

A limited liability company is about to be started in London, for opening, on temperance principles, a number of "peoples cafes" in some of the leading thoroughfares of the most densely-populated parts of the metropolis, to serve as a counter attraction to the publichouse. - The prelimary steps were taken at a 4 meeting held in London on Tuesday,'"over "which the Earl of Shaftesbury presided.