Inquest on Emily Mary Keeling

The inquest on the body of Emily Mary Keeling was then held before the Coroner, and the same jury as that which sat on the inquest on Edward James Fuller. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : — The first witness called was Emily Keeling, the mother of the deceased girl. She deposed that her husband's name was George Keeling, a bricklayer, residing in King-street, and that the deceased vtas their daughter, and her age \v« 17 last April. She would have been 18 years' of age on the 18th of this month. She la.st saw her daughter alive at 25 minutes to seven o'clock on Friday evening. She then bade her good-bye as hlio was leaving homo to the Bible-class at Alexandra-street Church. She was in perfect heilth and good spirits. About five or ten minutes after a. young man named Barrett called out, " Mr Keeling, your daughter is shot," and said that she was in Thomas's shop, at the corner of King and Stanley-streets, a short distance from their house. When she got there she found her daughter lying on a couch in Mr Thomas's house, and in a dying condition. She was quite sensible, and said, "Oh, mother, mother, I shall die." She said nothing more to witness, but asked her father to raise her leg** up. Mrs Thomas had cut the clothes open, and found the wounds, and witness saw tho blood on hor underclothing, but did not see the wounds until after the arrival of Dr., Lawnon, who arrived »cry quickly. He examined her. There was a wound on her right breast, from which the blood was flowing, and in a few momenta she died. She did not hear her daughter state who shot hor, ' but slio believed Mr Keeling did. Witness knew Edward James Fuller as .a neighbour. Ho wis-hed to pay his addresses to hor daughter two years ago, and since then he had followed her and met her. She tried to avoid him, but did not seem to have any fear of him. Mr Keeling did not approve of the match because he thought her too young. She never went out with him, but he would join her as she went to tho Sunday-school or when returning from church. Dr. Lawson deposed : Found deceased in a room at Mr Thomas's, lyiug on a couch. She was apparently buffering fiom difficulty of breathing and loss of blood. She never spoke to him or made any movement. He felt her pulse ; it wan very weak. On stripping the body he found a wound, a circular one, of a gunshot nature, half-an-inch in di imcter, on the right side over the seventh i ib. It had penetrated tho che^t and fractured the seventh rib. He s.iw no escapa «£ air from the wound at the time, and not much oxtornal bleeding— not more than a de>serfc spoonful. Witness did not ahk her any questions. Those present told him the way she had been shot. She did not say tint anyone had shot her. She expired while he was probing the wound, about two minutes after his arrival. The cause of death he believed to be internal [ hemorrhage, caused by a gunshot wound. He saw the weapon produced afterwards, and a wound from such a weapon would be sufficient to ca,u?e death. He had not extracted the bullet, but from the escape of air from the wound that day, and the hemorrhage from the mouth the previous night, he had no doubt the right lung was wounded, and that would account for the internal hemorrhage. Jabez Edward Thomas, storekeeper, recognised the deceased as the person whom he saw the man shoot at, at least ho heard the report, saw the fla&h, and was in close proximity with her, and there was no other person near them. The deceased sit for a minute or two on t\\o step, and as witness thought it a fatal case, he asked her who did it, and she replied "Tod Fuller." She then fell forward, and witness and his aon carried her in and put her on the sofa, and gave her a glass of wine, which she Hwallowed. His son went for the doctor at once, and witness sent word to the girl'« mother and father. His son drove rapidly in a trap, and returned veiy quickly with Dr. Lawson. Tho parents came immediately, And in answer to her motltor, she Mid it was Fuller who shot her. Witness knew deceased by seeing her go un and down, but never saw her in company with Fuller, whom he did not kitow. S|io died shortly after Dr. Lawaon's arrival. Pattie Burgess, a young worn in residing in Home-street, deposed that she was not acquainted with deceased, but knew her by sight. On Friday evening, -at twenty minutes to se\en o'clock, witness w;us passing the junction of . King and Stanley-Streets, and saw a young man standing at the coiner of tho streets, and she also saw Miss Keeling coming > up King-street. She was going to pass him, but lio stopped her. Witness did not know the in&n, and could not recognise him even by his dress. This man took Miss Keeling by tho arm and her. Witness passed on a few steps, when she heard the report of a pistol. She heard screams aud ran bick and saw the man running after deceased. He fired again and then ran up Stanley-«treet, and witness went to Mias Kepling's assistance and lost sight of the man. Deceased was then on the step* nt Thomas's, to which she had walked. Witness did not speak to her, but spoke to a person who wa» there. She did not hear deceased stty who had shot her. Witness then went away to tell dccasrd'» mother, and returned with her to Mr 'fhoiuas'i, but did n->t see- deceased again. Although she had seen the in in Fullei »ince hi« death, she could not identify him as the man whom she saw with, deceased. This was all the evidence, and the jury, without hesitation, brought in a verdict of " Wilful murder " against Edward James Fuller. The funeral of Miss Keeling took place on Sunday, and a procession of between 8000 and 10,000 followed her remains to the cemetery.