A LUSITANIA WIDOW

Evening Star, Issue 16990, 12 March 1919, Page 2

A LUSITANIA WIDOW

Medical evidence failed to fathom a nwetejioiiiS death from poisoning, into which the coroner at Kensington, London, inouired on December 12. The inquest was on Constance Edn Dunne aged 31. the widow of Captain I'ianci's John Newton Dunne, R.F.A. Her sister stated that Mrs. Dunne's first husband went down in the Lusitania, with a little daughter acred three. Mrs Dunno was a>o on tho ship, and was saved after beimr in the water for 36 hours She suffered v°ry_ much from exposure, and since lhat experience she was mentally and physically a changed woman. She latermarried Captain D'.niiio. and then recovered her health. The witness added that Mrs Dunne was divorced in America, but he.* husband had followed her on to the Lusiiania without her knowledge, and sho heard afterwards that she went down with the little girl in his arms. Captain Dunne va." taken ill with influenza and pneumonia Mrs Dunne nursed him up to his death. On Monday &he was very distressed, and looked terribly ill. On th l ' next- day the witness went to the flat, and on Tuesday she learnt that Captain and Mis Dunne -were dead. Miss Elizabeth Nisbet, a professional nurse, said Captain Dunne died at 11 p.m. on Monday. Mrs Dunne was very calm. She asked foe some brandy, and vritne..« took it up to her Mrs Dunno said she wished to be in the dark on the stairs. Tho witness did not see her put anything into the tumbler containing the brandy. Later Mrs JDt.nn-e was found unconscious on the stairs. She was taken to her room, and died at 9 o'clock next morning 1 . -After death no poison was found 'n the place. Dr Bu C. Jewsbury. pathologist at Charing Cress Hospital, who made a postmortem examination, .-aid Mrs Dunne had apparently been starving for six day*. There was no evidence ot disease, and "he thought she mis-ht have* taken some drug. lie could h'nd no cause of death, but believed it was due to coma from narcotic poisoning. She must have taken something before she> died, not necessarily to cause her death. It was not veronal or cocam-a. The Coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, finding .jhai death was due to poisoning.