THREE SISTERS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1935, Page 8

THREE SISTERS

DEATH WITHIN 48 HOURS. Early'last month three midclle-age.d spinsters, who had made a special journey from the Cumberland mining town of Workington to see the Jubilee celebrations, were walking arm-in-arm through the streets of London, thrilled by the floodlighting and the great crowds. A week later all three lay dead, in a nursing Lome at Lindsor. Their deaths had occurred within 48 hours of each other. The sisters were Miss Mary Eleanor Dunn, aged-60; Miss Gertrude Blanche Dunn,'aged 59; and Miss Annie Leah Dunn, aged 48. They lived at CroftHouse, Elizabeth Street-, Workington. Ever since childhood they had kept together. Their -friends described them as thinking and moving; as one person. Often they had expressed a wish that when the time came for them to die they, might die' together. One of them contracted a cold which developed into pneumonia, and she went to bed. That was on a Thursday. By the end of the week the other two contracted colds. On the Saturday Gertrude, the first one to be taken ill, died. On the Sunday Mary died, and almost at dawn next day Annie, the youngest, also died. An official at the London hotel where they stayed made the following statement:—“On May 6 they were, happy and smiling. The next day there came a tragic transformation. Miss Marv told me that Miss Gertrude had a cold and her two sisters were very worried l have never seen people change so quickly. “It was as .1 air-three had been suddenly stricken with some awful illness or great worry. One guest in the hotel remarked to me: “They seem as though they expect nothing but death.’ Miss Gertrude did not get any better. “On Mav 8 they announced their intention of leaving, and eventually do cided to go to Windsor. They took thoir three small handbags and left in a taxicab for Paddington. All three looked terribly depressed; The three had contracted influenza, and oil the doctor’s advice tliov were moved to a Windsor nursing home, where they died.