THE INQUEST.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1182, 18 July 1911, Page 5

THE INQUEST.

O'SHAUGHNESSVS EVIDENCE. "A STEANGE WOMAN IN THE HOUSE." At the inquest in connection with tho death of L'lsio Holland, James JLklwacd U'Shaughnessy, in answer to the chiel detective, stated that he kept a store opposite Page's shop on the new North ltoad, and resided in I'irst Avenue, Kingsland. His wile was formerly Mrs. Maxwell.

Mr. Marsack; Wo have been told that a man supposed to bo you rang up a doctor on tne morning ot the lath instant. Did you do so? Mr. Singer (who watched the proceedings on benalf 01 Mr. and Mrs. O'Shaughnessy) asked luat the witness should be lormally cautioned by the coroner. This was done, and Air. Singer advised the witness to exerciso his privilege and retuse to answer the question. The chief detective repeated the question, and Mr. Singer formally advised the witness to decline to answer. The Coroner: Well, 1 think you're going too tar altogether, Mr. Singer. Tho foreman: An J 1 think he is going too tar,.and prejudicing his client. Mr. Singer said that might bo so, but he asked the Coroner to take a note of his objection. This, the Coroner said, he would do, and the question was put as follows;— "Didn't you have occasion to telephone to a. doctor on the night of the 13th—11th June?" Tho witness, acting.on Mr. Singer's advice, declined to answer, but his Worship over-ruled tho objection and told tho witness ho would have to answer. O'Shaughnessy then replied that he had occasion to ring up Ho rang up Dr. Milson first from tho store between 1.30 and 2 a.m., liut the doctor declined to come, saying he did not go outside of his own practice, and afterwards' witness rang lip Dr. Brockway. Mr. Marsack: Why did you ring up the doctors?— Because there was a strange woman ill in the house; at least wo thought she was ill. I hnd not seen her before I rang up. Air. Singer said that the witness was entitled'to claim tho privilege of not disclosing any communication' made to him by his wifo during marriage under Section 6 of the .Evidence Act, l!) 08.

The Coroner over-ruled the objection, and upon Mr. Singer protesting, said he would have no more argument on tho matter, and if counsel continued ho did so at his peril. Tho Coroner added that it wns an extreme measure, but he would have Mr. Singer removed if the interruption continued. An Unknown Visitor. . Witness, continuing, in reply to Mr. Marsack, said he first knew from his wife that there was a strange woman in the house. In company with his wifo ho caTiio down from the storo w.ith the day's takings. When they came to tho house it was lighted up, and ho saw Mrs. liassell sitting in the kitchen. Witness went straight to his bedroom, and a few minutes later came back to the kitchen. Mrs. Hassell was still there, but Mrs. O'Shaughnessy had gone into tho room where deceased was, and he heard her questioning the woman, but did not hear any reply. When his wife came back to tho kitchen witness asked who the woman \rv, and what was the matter, and she said she did not know, and could get no answers from her; that she asked her i' she should send for. a doctor, mill she merely shook her head. Mrs. O'Shaughnessy then v.cnt back tc the bedroom, leaving witness in the kitchen with Mrs. Hassoll, who appeared to bo dozing off to sleep in an armchair. Mrs. O Shaughnessy came out of the bedroom several times, and remarked that she could make nothing out of tho strange woman, but that she was under the influence of drink. Between 1.30 and 2 a.m. Mrs. O'Shaughnessy came out again, and said she would not let it go on any lougor, and that witness would have to go and telephone for a doctor, as she saw froth coming from 1 the woman's mouth. When Dr. Broci-

ivav came, witness followed him into tho bedroom, and it was the first he saw of tho deceased. A Mysterious Basket. When he entered tho bedroom with the doctor ho saw there a dress basket, similar to the. one produced. That was the first time he saw it, and ho did not know how it came there. Mr. Marsack: Now, didn't you carry tho basket into the house yourself on Monday night ?—No, I did not, or at any cither time. Bid you open the front door to anyone on Monday evening?—No, I'm quite sure I did not. Have you seen those blue capsules or tabloids?— Yes, Constable Wainhousc showed them to mo in tho bedroom. I have never seen any similar tabloids in the liouso- before. What occupation do you and your wife follow?—-Shopkeeper, greengrocery, confectioner, and tea-rooms. Anything else?—My wife decs nursing cases occasionally. Sho had three confinement cases since January 1, which .Dr. Grant attended, I think. Is she a certificated irnrso or midwife? —I can't say; 1 never asked her. Are those tho only nursing cases your wife has had in the house since, the first of January?—Yos. Do people—females—come to her for advice?—lso; not to my knowledge. In cross-examination by -Mr. Singer, witness said it might have been possible for some person other than Mrs. O'Shaughnessy to have gone into the bedroom without witness's knowledge. Bcplying to tho foreman of tho jury, the witness said Mrs. Hassell told him that she admitted the strange woman into the house at about U p.m. Mrs. Hassell did not liyo at witness house, but any time she- missed a train she came to stay overnight. A Detective's Statement. Detective Quartermain stated that lie visited O'Shaughnessy's house on the morning of Jun, 14, with other police officers. Ho described the condition in which he found deceased's body. Search was made in the room for letters or papers that would indicate who tho dead woman was, and in the bottom of the dress-basket was found a piece of brown wrapping-paper with "Mrs. E. Biss, Sunny Bank, Epsom Avenue," marked on it. That was tho narno of the woman who had employed the deceased. Witness remained in the house, and took a statement from Mrs. O'Shaughnessy, who had just finished it, but l»ad not signed it, when Mrs. Hartley burst into the room and told her mother, Mrs. O'Shaughucssy, that Mr. Singer had rung up and told them they were not to msiko any statements. After that the witness had difficulty in getting any information from the inmates of the house. Mrs. O'Shaughnessy eventually signed her statement. Mr. O'Sliaughnessy had signed one sheet of his statement, and had begun to sign the second when his wifo said Mr. Singer wa? in the front room and wanted to see him immediately. That was between 12 and one o'clock. Witness kept the. statement, although it was not ail signed. Between three and four p.m.

witness was sitting in the dining-room of O'Shaughnessy's house when Mrs. Camphell cam© running out. and said Mrs. O'Shauglinessy had fold them sho had taken poison. Witness went into the bedroom where Mrs. O'Shaughnessy was and cent her husband i'or a doctor. She was lying on the bed. and Mrs. Hassell was silting on the bed, and kent repeating "She's taken poison!" "She's taken poison!" 'Witness asked Mrs. O'Shauprhnessy if she had done so, and she would not renly. Eventually Mrs. Hartley came into tho room, and asked her mother th(< sum?, question. Mrs. O'Khaiwhnessy at lasf s.iid she had not, and Mrs. Hartley remarked: "To sneak the truth I almost, wished she had!'-' She then recalled O'Shnnehnessy before he could get a doctor. Mrs. Hartley, who was a 'cute, cunning woman, would make no statement. Mrs. Hnssell frequently suggested to witness that tho deed woman had taken noiVon; lint Mrs. Hassell at the time "-.is under the influence of liqunr. .I[rs. Hartley on several occasions said that she would- rather see her mother dead than arrested again.

- m>; ...v Tho Verdict. ■•■:•> Tho Coroner summed up tho evidence in an address lasting 45 minutes. Ho quoted at length from the more important statements in tho testimony of the- witnesses who had been callod, but made very fow comments upon any portion of it. In conclusion ha said that many similar cases had come before him, but usually the girls who were the victims of illegal operations were removed to a hospital, and they generally absolutely declined to say at whose house or where such operation was performed. The Coroner put the following questions to the jury, and after a deliberation extending over 30 minutes the jury returned with the answers appended:— (1) Are you of opinion , that the death of Elsie Alexandra Holland was the result of an illegal operation performed upon her?— Yes; in tho House of Mrs. O'Shauglinessy; and that on Mondav, June 12, tho deceased, at 8 p.m., was in perfect health and strength, and tho cause of death was septicaemia, following upon an illegal operation performed by some person. (2) Are you of opinion thai corrosive sublimato was placed in the mouth of tho said Elsie Alexandra Holland in order to mislead, and so defeat the ends of justice ?—Yes.

(3) In view of the whole of the evidence are you of opinion that the operation was performed by any particular person; if so, in your opinion, by whom ?—The evidence does not enable na to determine by whom such operation was actually performed.