MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF TWO GIRLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6667, 31 March 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF TWO GIRLS.

The London newepapere report the myatenoua death of two servant K i,l ß at Gfossop, ia JJerbyahire. One account states :—The Li tile moor Independent Chapel, of which tto Kev. George Sadler is the pastor, stands ju-t off Victoria-., treet, at Gloss-p. and adjoining this place of worship is to minister's re-.dcixar, frooting Gl.i.Nr~j,.. s!rcoCr Xhe family is a large one, coexisting of Mr. badler, his Wife, his irother, and five children, together with two others ho has recently adopted. In the house on Satur* day the 27ch January, in addition to the member* of the family, were the two ser-vants-Caroline Smith, aged 20, whose rather 13 a banksman, living at 67 Brad-lord-street, Attereliffe Common ; and Hannali Bailey, aged 17, whose parents lire at Shifnal, m Shropshire. The former enterecl ilr. Sadler's service about three years ftgo { aud the latter at the beginning or November last year. Oqo after the kitchen and the cooking, and the other had care of r lie children. Bth girls seemed thoroughly comfortable aud contented, aaJ show ed not the slightest sign of anxiety or trvubl-, so it ,iny J,e imagineci how startled were the household ou Sunday morning when it was discovered tha r - the two servants, who had retired to rest apparently in health, were lying ,w<!e by ,-ide dead ia b?d. f/r? -'»»* or &° fuller states that bctli Uarne and the younger servant appeard quite well on Saturday. Owing to his mothers 2 lines*, and the domestic claims upon his wife, the eldest servant had pret'.v general control of the krtei.eo, aud was scarcely ever interfered with. She waa a girl in whom they placed great confidence, and this sno had never abus- d. In fact, both girls d'd their w< rk satisfactorily aod agreed with one anoher. What they had for supper on Saturday evening he does not know, but th-re is 11 > trace of poison in the house; and, far an h«n been ascertained at present, they had nothng but ordinary fool. It was always "Carrie's" duty to wait upon the Rev. ,e::tloman, and when he got h line at half-past nine o'clock ou Saturday niu'ht «he brought la is supper aj usual. Shortly before eleven o'clock both girls came to bid his wife and himself " good-night," Tney were qaestiomd as to whether the lights, l\res, and doors were all right, and they said *' \ es." Then he said to f M2arrie," I wans to he at Sunday school to-morrow morning at nine. Let me have breakfast at eight prompt." She replied, 4 'All right, sir; good-nightand both girls then went to bed. Itiat waa the last he saw of them alive. They occupied au attic as a sleeping chamber, aud t-lept together in one bed. , 1 he room, he said, had been measured sinca the;r decease, aud had b-*en found to con- j tain a sufficient number of cubic feet to ' render it a healthy bedroom. Owing to his moth- r s illness, au adult nurse was in attendance upon her. and the nurse sat up the whole, or nearly the whole of the night. 1 hs heard nothing strange—no cry or sound < f any kind ; but at half-past six o'clock on Sunday morning at his mother's request, she went to the attic to arouse the servants. Isot caring to enter th" chamber, she opened the door a little and called to the girls, but got no reply. She stayed at least a quarter of an hour calling to them a -d knocking at the door; then, becoming alarmed at their s lence. she wentt-i Mr. Sadler's mother, and said she afr-dd there was something amiss. The nurse :.ow proceeded to Mrs. Sadler s bedroom, and the minister'.-! wife, on hearing that the woman ha i been unable to arouse the servants, went a*, once into tlio At tirst sh-* thought the girls *-vere only in a deep sleep, but on touching them s!.e was lyrritied to tind that their bodies were cold. H-r busbard was asleep at the time, but, goiug huiricdlv into his chamber, she awoke him, and was in such a state of excitement that h-j had great difficulty in calming her f ars. She sa'd she had tried in vaiu to awaken the girls, and prevailed i upon him to go to their bedroom at once. I On looking at them he thought they hid | been seized with lit-*. Roth girls lay with i their faces upwards, and the youngest one, H.«nnah Raiiey, had her righ arm thrown I out. J here was a little vomit on the pillow near her mouth, but no contorti n of features in either g.rl, the face and Lody Gf Hannah Radey, however, beuig slightly discoloured. Not only himself, but Lis wife and nurse endeavoured to arouse them, but their efforts were unavailing. He immediately aent his nephew for Dr. Ma-jkeuzle, aud the medical man s >on arrived. As soon as he entered the chamber he sai l, **Th-y are dead.'* It has been tound that the flue of the chimney which heats the chapel ruus along one corner of the attic iu which the deceased were sleeping. Saturday night was densely foggy, and it is conjectured, with good show of reason, th..i the fumes frcm the coke could not get away thr ugfi the heavy state of the atmosphere, and that they tilled the chamber aud suffocated ths sleeping girls. At the inquest on the bodies it that the chapel j -ine.l the house, and when layers of paper were tripped fom the wall of the attic in which the girls slept, it was discovered that a quantity of sulphurous gas from the coke used for heating the chapel had passed into the bedroom, aud Dr. Rhodes expressed an opinion that the girls had died from asphyxia The inquiry was adjourned.