A WELLINGTON INQUEST.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 52, 11 February 1913, Page 6

A WELLINGTON INQUEST.

REMARKS BY THE CORONER; WELLINGTON, Feb. 7. A strange discovery was. made at the Wellington Hospital this afternoon <vlien the coroner (DrMcArthur, S.M.) was to have 'held an inquest "touching ihe' death of the woman Jessie Holt, ilso known as Edith Richards, who jvas removed to the institution. after being found in a serious condition at i house in Lome street. She died on Wednesday night,, and this afternoon vhen the coroner went into the morgue ;o view the body it was not there. He then proceeded to the room where the police and witnesses were waiting, and announced that the body could not be found. Dr. Woodhouse, senior house surgeon, was summoned, atld on the cormer inquiring what had become of the 'iody, said that he had given authority for a certificate as to cause of death to be signed. Dr McArthur: Who signed it? Dr Woodhouse: Dr Eraser; but I am to blame, because I told him he could *ive a certificate to the effect that death was due to an accident. Dr McArthur: Well, this is an extraordinary case. This woman lias been put down as being married in my report, and in the newspapers she is said to be single. The woman is said to have died as the result of certain happenings, and is said to have taken lysol. There was every reason why the body should not have been taken away before I gave a burial certificate. Dr Woodhouse said that the body was taken away from the hospital this morning and buried in the afternoon. Sergeant Rutledge stated "that the deceased had been liivng with a man named Richards, and was going under the name of Mrs Edith Richards. She also 'had gone under other names.

Dr McArthur: Who was so anxious to bury her? Dr Woodhouse gave the name of the undertaker who furnished the funeral. Mr McArthur: Of course, but who gave instructions to bury her? Dr Woodhouse: The relatives buried her. He added that the hospital authorities received a message that the nonce could, not find anything to lead them to suspect that the deceased had made away with herself, and therefore be gave authority for the signing of the certificate that death was due to accident. Dr McArthur: Well, we have nothing to do with the question of criminality. We want to ascertain the circum--1 stances which brought about her death. You can't say that because a person died of so and so, you can giv'e a certificate of death. Dr Woodhouse: Not at all. We have never done so, but when I got ibis message I thought the police would have nothing further to do with her. Dr McArthur asked why he bad not been consulted. Dr Woodhouse': I told them d ; stinctIv that there must he an inquir?. Dr McArthur; There has been some undue hurry over this, but I don't say on the doctor's part. Somebody_ha~ been fixing this up, and 'somebody has been in a hurry to get hot nut of the road. WELLINGTON, f eb. 9. The inquest on the woman Jessie Edith Hoult, or Mrs 'Richards, was continued on Saturday. Dr. Woodhouse, aeting-medical superintendent if the hospital, said that deceased was admitted at midnight- on January 31. suffering from burns on the lower portion of the body. There were some ''tuises on her back. She told him that. three weeks previously she had a miscarriage and "that afterwards she 'ltd used iysol as an injection. That would, said the witness, account for her condition. She died on "Wednesday night. It was not possible to make an absolutely complete examination, owinn to her condition, without an anaesthetic, and she migbt have died under it. After some further evidence had been taken the inquest was adjourned to investigate as to where certain medicines in possession of the deceased came from.