INQUEST AT ORWELL CREEK.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5255, 29 July 1885, Page 4

INQUEST AT ORWELL CREEK.

(Before Major Keddell, Coroner). An inquiry was held at Gilmour's Commercial Hotel, Orwell Creek, on Monday, touching the death of Annie Cartoni. The deceased had lived with her four children^ Mary the eldest, being about 15 years old; iii= a two-roomed cottage at the road side, and earned a. living by selling milk. A jury having' ibeen empannelled and addressed by the Coroner, retired to view the body, and. returned to;jtheroom, when the following evidence was given :— . Mary Loftguist.— I am a daughter of the deceased and lived with : 'lier.' ' My mother was ill on the 17th. She 'had a cold. I thought she had a cold. She was in the front room that day. No person was with her but myself. She asked to be left alone. I knew; a child was likely to come. I knew she was in the family way. She told me so a few days before. The child was born about five o'clock in the afternoon of that day. My mother was very ill. I was in the kitchen at the back when the child. was born. No woman was with her. : No woman attended her. Mother told me no one knew of it. She told me not to tell anybody. Four days after the birth my mother told me to go to Mrs Erickson -and tell -her- to come down as she was very ill. I went, and Mrs Erickson came. ' I think this was two days before mother died. I was in the room/when": Mrs Erickson came; the baby was, ,with, mother. She did not know mother was confined until she came. The doctor came from Ahaura to see mother on the 24th. I i was there. He said he would send medicine, and left about seven o'clock in the evening. After he left, mother told me to j fetch. Mrs Erickson. I went, and was away about- 15 • minutes. I came back alone and 'found mother dead. I wentouttOitell the people. I, told Mr Fisher and he came in and saw mother. By the jury — Mrs Fricksdn did not see the baby when she first came. The cradle was in the next room. My mother did not tell her a baby was born. She only complained of a cold. Mother told me to take the cradle away so that Mrs Erickson should not see baby. By the Coroner — I aura child 1 by mother's first husband. 'She' afterwards married Louis Cartoni,,, ,,wJiq. difxTthtee years ago. My mother has not. been married since. Mother had three; children in the house besides myself. j

Jannie Erickson. — I am the wife of George Erickson, storekeeper residing at, Orwell. Knew the deceased as the widow of. Louis. Cartoni. Knew her .j daughter Mary, who came to me on the morning of the 23rd July. She told me her mother was very ill and wished me to come down to see.her. I went at once. I found her sitting on the. floor in front of the fire. She appeared to be ill and complained of pains in the chest and side. I thought it was a.severe cold. She never mentioned a word^about her confinement.^ I saw no. baby that day., I made preparations for , mustard plasters and capplied them to her chest" and side. I remain (d there with her two or three hours and did! thebest I could. ,' I believed she suffered I from a icold., I left: for home. During-! the day :Mary! came to me: again and said! mother is very ill.' I .went' down againj'j Mrs Mori came with me. We stayed an hour or two. Deceased never mentioned . a word about her confinement that day. >i I asked her about food. We took her| some broth, which she drank ravenously. ' I left, telling her I would be back in the evening. C went there 1 at ',0 O'clock. I knocked at the door, and heard

a commotion inside. I spoke out, and said they need not open the door. , • ceased called out " Come inside." I had heard something dragged along the floor. I went inside. She appeared very short of breath, 'and asked me if I could relieve her; -.. I gave her some gruel. On the next .day, the 24th, .about half-past six an the morning, Mary came up telling me her mother was very bad, fainting. I told Mary I could do nothing, that she had better get the doctor. I went to see her about 8 o'clock, when I advised her to send' for the doctor. She said it would do next day. I returned to my home. The doctor's was sent for. I knew nothing of her confinement up to noon ofFriday, the 24th. At this time she wjiisperedtp me " There is a baby." I insisted oh the doctor being sent for. I asked her bow old the baby was, she said the baby was born on Friday. Before I saw the baby, she told me che name of the baby's father. I asked her who confined her. She told me no one was there but Mary. I understood she had no assistance at her confinement. I then realised the danger. When the doctor came he said it was an abscess on the lungs. I told the doctor she had been confined. The doctor left very soon, say- i ing he would send some medicines. Ireturned home. Mr Fisher told me she was i dead. I went down, thinking it might only be a faint. 1 found her dead. This was about 7or 8 o'clock. By the jury — Doctor requested that some one should go with him for the medicine. Mabthews's boy went for the medicine. r George was not in the House swhen I got,there at'B o'clock. ' Tlieie was plenty to eatiiv deceased's house teach -time -I was there. - : •■ - ■ •' '■ George Eveleigh -I am a legallyqualified medical paactitioner residing at Ahaura. Saw deceased first on the'24th July .about noon., Lwas-sent to attend | her as'slie:wa'i suffering^iifrom dysentery!, j I found lier in a very collapsed state, j hardly sustaining life. The slightest exertion was too much for her. I was told by her that she was confined a week previously. I did not know it before I arrived. I was told she had no assistance at her confinement. I asked her., some questions bearing on her position.! (The witness entered into minutias). She said j it had. Her low pulse led me to the suspicion it had not;^ I returned- to the Ahaura. I had sent the medicine when I i heard -she was,- dead. I have- made a po'st'mokem examination 1 by authority of the Coroner. Found a large contraction of womb, ulceration of bowels and adhesion of placenta to walls of womb. That was sufficient to cause death. The immediate cause of death was- inflammation. The" body was 'well nourished.' By the Coroner— r-A -woman acting as-deceased did runs great danger. Had deceased told me the truth, I should have done my best, though with but very little-hope of success after such a long delay. - ' The Coroner summed up the evidence. There was no legal difficulty in the case. In order to avoid exposure the unfortunate woman led to her pwn- death. No doubt the women of the community felt shocked at the matter, but the whole of the evidence leads to the conclusion that blame attached only to the deceased. Verdict— That deceased Annie Cartoni died from inflammation of the /.womb; 1 brought about through want of proper attendance.

In Paris the taste of ,the,oiay!ih:dress runs in the direction of novelties, the more eccentric the mpre_admire<L__,At_a recent race meeting a well-known actgess wore a bonnet of crimson velvet, representing a saddle, the strings forming the leathers, completed by small steel stirrups Tim corsage was a /jockey's jacket of cfierry-cdlouredisatin,' fastened with a belt and and horseshoe buckle. Horseshoes and bits were embroidered on the shirt, and the wearer's hair was dressed over a silver bit, and fell down her back as a horse's tail. ; Mullingen, a Swiss town, was totally destroyed by fire lately, several people perishing.