INQUEST.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 295, 13 December 1899, Page 3

INQUEST.

DEATH OF MRS MADIGAN.

An inquest was held at the Hospital J yesterday touching the death of a I married woman named Kate Madigan, who died on Monday at the Hospital from peritonitis. Mr E. Baker I (Coroner) conducted the inquiry, and ! Detective Grace and Constable Hinton ! represented the. police. j Patrick Madigan, husband of deceased, stated that he had been married il9 years, and that his wife had had | four children, the youngest being six | years of age. On Wednesday last his wife complained of illness, stating- that she thought it was influenza. Dr. Moir was called in on Friday, and on his advice she was. removed to the Hospital on Saturday. Her last child which afterwards died, was.born three or four years ago, and since then his wife had had a miscarriage about two or three years ago. She had not told him how she came by it. When taken to the Hospital on Saturday she said to witness: "If I get over this I will never do it no more." He did not know why she said this, but knew that she did.not wish to be encumbered by any more children. He had cautioned his wife during her recent illness as he was suspicious, because of her previous miscarriage. He had lived happily with his wife, who was 36 j'ears of age.

Mary Guildford, a widow residing in Union-street, stated that she had been a neighbour of deceased for two years. Three weeks or a month ago Mrs Madigan had said she was pregnant, and that she did not wish to have any more children. Just before jher illness witness asked deceased if jshe were all right, and she replied, i "Yes." On Wednesday Mrs Madigan jcame to witness and said < she was aching all over, and she suggested "that she might be going to have influenza. At about six o'clock witness asked Mrs Madigan how she was and received the reply that she felt too ill to stand and talk. This was the last time she had seen deceased.

j Dr Moir stated that deceased was in a very Weak and low condition when he was called in. He called next day and insisted on her removal to the Hospital.

Dr. Neil, medical officer at the Hospital, stated that he saw deceased oh Saturday morning, when she was in a very collapsed state. She complained of pain in the side and said she was suffering from the effects of influenza, but denied any other trouble. He saw her about an hour later and then sent for her husband, who told him that she had been pregnant for about three months.

j Dr. Lewis stated that, he had made a post mortem examination of deceased. He described the condition of the organs and stated that the uterus' was enlarged to the size of a three months' pregnancy. At the left, on the upper part, was a large rent. There were no external marks of violence. Death was owing to acute septicemia, caused by absorption into the blood of putrefactive matter, due to the rupture of the uterus, caused in the process of procuring abortion, done by an unskilled person. This could have been performed by deceased herself. . . . The jury returned a verdict "That the cause of death was acute blood poisoning through the absorption into the blood of putrefactive matter, caused by the.rupture of the uterus, and that the said rupture was due to an illegitimate act performed by deceased upon herself for the purpose of procuring abortion."