THE ISLAND BAY FATALITY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 79, 27 December 1907, Page 3

THE ISLAND BAY FATALITY.

\ :.';.- iRESI-it. OF !-.THE ".''., • An. inquest; was .held at-the. , morgue, yesterdriy .morniiis;;.,before Mr.". Janies Aslicrpft, cofpner/'cpncerning'tlie death of the;woman Edith' Green,' whose body was found at the foPt'- , ' of the cliff' behind ■ Baylis's '.quarry at Tsian'd'-Bay- on Tuesday ■mormn.ji ■'. • ' George; Henry BsylLsjim.,contractor, residing at Island Bay, stated that he found th'b body'-of deceased-at 7.45 on the : morning of the 24th. "Witness was .walking along the beach just past the fisherman's lints wi'ou , he saw the body of a woman' lyhg :;t the foot of",tho cliffs above' high-water mai.\. Tim woman's face .was., marked, a'nd ■■ilio 'sklo : -of the cliff • appeared as though' someone had fallen down it. The height .of/the cliff at the •spot'was about 100 feet or over. .It-would be: possible to reach the/top of the. cliff by different, gullies, in 'the vicinity. Bent for a constable and went to the ton rlf the'-cliff, .wherea hand-bag.was found. .There 'wore indications of someone having fallen bycr. the cliff; The following.undatert' letter, addressed to Miss Mullins, and signed "Mrs. Morris,"' was . found; in the hand-bag,:—"l am sending a. friend round to you. Can you put her up'for.-a-fwr days, as I have.no room at my place* , I am'sure you will oblige me' if -you can." To witness' mind , the nppearance of the.-'grpund chowe'd that ' the woman had walked up. to the top and accidentally slipped over-the edge of.,the' cliff'. ' 'Dr. Honry deposed'that, ho was called to Island Bay nt 8 a.m;' On -December,24., and found deceased lying: at the foot of the cliff in -the neighbourhood of, the ,qnar'ry. :' On making an examination of tho btwy ho found 'that the skull and-'ja'w were fractured, And ah : ankle 'dislocated. "Death.must' have been .practically' , .ins^atntnneous. 1 ' :.Tho ; body, appearej"fo.'h.avo '.struck' 'the foot of the'.chff aiid" to*-have' rolled a :few.' yards. Witness went up to thetop'ofithe clitf 'and traced "the woman's fall from the top to the' bottom by Various bits 'of' vegetation dislodged. ; In .witness' opinion: .the- woman had certainly slipped-over the edge of the cliff. If: she'.had 'thr.own. herself over' , she' : would-' ; not 'have ihfi .stoopside'- of ■ the cliff at "the' top. '■■ Joseph Frederick;Moore,.labourer, residing ! at bis 'wife.'s' boarding-house, No; 9, ■Dixon Street, identified the,'body as :that. Edith a. widow; who had been' employed as Iβ'. domestic' servant at the .boarding-house, tast'Monday week, deceased had-been l given notice to; l.eavo" oh.accqiirit. of' her : driiiking lip bits.' .-'Her time- espircd oh Monday last, li'ut':shejleft;'on'. FridayVwjtliont giying'.notic'e. Sl;e : retiirned-.to the.Jiousb'at'-O p.m". on''Fridav,'and'6ii being asked. ■why,'-;slie' was not doing i'berT.-work, replied -that! she.was' not-a servantj-and' was'not .gbhig to; do', any more work, as sh'e had"souie friends'(p go.to. Deceased'tlieii.left the house, taking, a• s'm'nll suin' of money-'she' had left" in: her , rooni. llrs. Green.had ; spoken.'a.bout , her -child, two v.cars of :':age, wlu'ch .wasiiv the Receiving , Home. ;Witn'ess's:-.wife'liad!beeir told "by. a" lndv who went lo ; the house that the child was adopted by deceased.", • >'•''.■'.-..■;...'.. .•■•■-• .' . ■ Gdnstable.Longbbttom deposed - -'that: lie knew.deceased as Mrs: Green .about nine months,ago.'-'when 'she was burned outvij) Abel Sniitb. Street. Since .that,.time• she -had been, burned. piit at .Island' Bay. Ju April last'..deceaied.-was committed "to the Mount View : Mental Hospital, hor child being sent to tlio-Receiving Homo at the samo time. considered Mrs.-Green was then a hard-working woman, who did' not '.drink. , -', •Cpnstahlo Sims , corroborated''the gen'oral evidence cf the witneasos Baylis and Dr. Henry. ' In his opinion deceased, had accidentally fallen over the cliff, a-distance of about 150" feet. Thoro was a mark'in the long .grass -nt:' tho top of the: cliff which showed that someone- had been, sitting there nlone. Witness-thought-deceascd'hiight have .f r 11—n over tho cliff when rising to -go •'nt 'dusk.-.- , ' ■ ■ ; -''•■■.■•.■ : Letters were found .in deceased's- ; room .'from a niece' in '; Nelson and a nephew in Bombay, and it is also believed , that she has a sister at Rahotli, Tar.anaki.;. '■ ■ ■ . A verdict of "'Accidental Death" , was retuined. ' -. . •.-. -.