SIRS. O'DOWD'S DEATH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11685, 21 June 1901, Page 6

SIRS. O'DOWD'S DEATH.

THE INQUEST. DR. LOWE'S EVIDENCE. | ANOTHER ADJOURNMENT GRANTED. 1 The i!:juest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mary O'Dowd (wife ■ of the licensee of the Criterion Hotel) was I resumed at the Criterion Hotel yesterday I forenoon, before Mr. Thomas Gresharn. j coroner, and a jury of six. The Hon. J. ! A. Tele. Crown Prosecutor, appeared for : the police, and Mr. J. R. Reed appeared : for Dr. Wilkins. who was also present. EVIDENCE BY THE HOUSEMAID. Hat tie de Youngh, housemaid, deposed that when the deceased left the hotel on Wednesday afternoon. May 15. she told witness that she was not feeling very well. i end that she intended going to see Dr. Wiikins. When she returned she told witness she had '.ecu to Dr. Wiikins. and that he had ••replaced" something internally. The deceased did not say what had been re- ; placed. That evening, when witness went to deceased's purse to get some money to i purchase smelling salts, at-ked for by de- . ceased, she found only 3d. Deceased said she must haw spent the rest. To the Jurv : When deceased told witi ness she was going to >- Di. Wilkins, she ! said she was not feeling well, and had a ; pain in her side. THE CHEQUE. : Godfrey Thome George, ledger-keeper at ; the National Bank of New Zealand, stated ! that Mr. Frank O'Dowd (husband of the de- ' erased) had an account at that hank. On ; May 15 last the deceased came into the bank ! sonic time during the afternoon, and prei sented a cheque, signed F. P. O'Dowd, for £0. Witness gave instructions for it to be | marked. He saw the deceased go up to the | counter with the cheque, and believed that ; she cot single notes. | ~ DR. LOWE'S STATEMENT. ; Dr. George De Give Lowe, the next wit- ! tie;-', deposed to being called in on the i evening of May 16 last to attend Mrs. O'j Dowd. I Witness said he believed that a conversaj tion with a patient was a private communii 'on. ! Mr. Tole said that was not so ; they must i know ail. I The Coroner told the witness that he j need have no doubt on that subject. Such i a communication was not privileged. Witi ness must tell them all about it. ! Resuming his evidence Dr. Lowe stated I that deceased, in answer to questions put I by him. admitted that she was pregnant, I and asked for chloroform. Witness said to ; her. " You have been to another doctor';" ; but she replied " No, I have not ; give me chlorofoim." Witness then described bis treatment. As he was leaving the room Mrs. Tattersall (the cook) raid in witness : and Mr. O'Dowd. " I asked Mr. O'Dowd I did you (referring to witness) know that | Mrs. O'Dowd had been to another doctor." | Witness said the patient had denied it, but he (witness) knew that she had been. He \ then asked who was the doctor, and Mrs. j Tattersall replied. Mrs. O'Dowd told me j she had been to Dr. Wiikins." Witness I asked the time, and Mrs. Tattersall replied, ! Yesterday afternoon." When on his way ; downstairs witness told the husband that | his wife was very ill, and that there was i peritonitis. He did not think the husband I lealised the gravity of the case at that ! stage. Witness returned at eleven p.m., I when deceased's symptoms were worse. He then made an examination, using no instruments except a Sim's speculum, and a cotI ton carrier, both being perfectly innocuous I instruments, and thoroughly sterilised. Mr. I O'Dowd was present during the whole of 1 the visit. Witness then described the con- ; dition in which he found the decease.!. Be- ! fore he made the examination the deceased I turned her face towards him. and her first I exclamation was, "Oh. doctor, doctor! give ime chloroform." Her husband asked what j she wanted chloroform for, and she again I called out for chloroform, and said she was j dying, and that she knew she would not i recover. Witness tried to cheer her up. | He asked her why the had not I old him j that she had been to another doctor. Her j answer was. " Oh, give me chloroform.'' Witness said. " You went to Dr. Wilkins, didn't yon'.'" and she said "Yes." Witness next asked "When?" to which she replied "Yesterday afternoon." Witness then asked. " Did Dr. Wilkins perform an operation on you'.''' Her answer was " Yes." When asked what kind of instruments Dr. Wiikins used, the deceased said she could not see. Witness left at about half-past twelve. To Mr. Tole: At the time when witness tried to cheer the deceased up. she was not, in his opinion, dying, although she was dangerously ill. | To the Jury: He did not consider at any | stage of deceased's illness that it was neces- ; sary to consult with any other medical pracI titioner for the following reasons: Firstly, | because he was perfectly satisfied in his own mind as to the nature of the illness; [that the treatment given at the lime was | correct; there was never any doubt in his ! mind on any point in the case: and, therefore, as far as he was concerned, he required no consultant. Secondly, had Mr. O'Dowd, or the deceased, or anyone interested in the deceased, expressed the slightest wish to see another medical man. or other medical men, he would have been only too willing to have met anyone they might have named. Continuing his evidence, the witness said he came back to the hotel at about ten minutes past five a.m., and found the de ceased unconscious, and dying. She died about one minute after he entered the room. | The post-mortem appearances indicated I a sudden, violent form of death. Witness declined to give a certificate when requested by the undertaker. He was present at the post-mortem examination of the body on Friday afternoon. May 17. and his observations exactly coincided with those of Drs. Lindsay and Lewis. In his opinion death was caused by acute blood-poisoning, which was brought about by the presence in the uterus of a decomposing macerated foetus. The conditions were such as could have been caused by the agency of an instrument. There was no natural disease of the womb to account for the conditions observed. All the organs were perfectly healthy. To Mr. Reed: There was no sign of violence. The appearances at the post-mortem examination were consistent, with abortion, natural or otherwise. There was no sign of tiny instrument having been used. An instrument could have very easily been used without leaving any trace. " The abortion had not been complete. FUR I'llEß ADJOURNMENT. Mr. Reed, at this stage (noon), explained that he had to proceed to Christchurch with his volunteer corps, the No. 3 Native Rifles, and requested an adjournment. He said he would return on July 1.

Mr. Tole agreed to the request. Mr. Ratjeu (one of the jurymen) said the matter had been hanging over for a long time, and lie thought it was high time that same finality was readied.

The Coroner said it was imperative Mr. Reed should go to Christ h. Several of the jurymen intimated that July 1 would suit them.

Dr. Lowe, whose evidence was not concluded, said he could not attend at ten a.m. on July 1, as he had another engagement. Mr. R. G. Macky. the foreman, said Mr. Ryan (one of the jurymen), who was connected with mining, complained most bitterly against the adjournments. The Coroner said he knew the position of Mr. Ryan was placed in, but it could not be avoided. He was sorry there had to be an adjournment, but it was inevitable. Personally he would have been willing to sit right on and conclude the inquest. Mr. Ryan : Under the circumstances I suppose I shall have to come back again. The Crown Prosecutor said he was very sorry, but the adjournment could not be helped. Mr. Ratjen: Can we make any protest against these continual adjournments? The Coroner: You can do anything you like, but it will only take up time. The. Crown Prosecutor: We must consider the convenience of ad!.

The Coroner: You can make any amount of protests, but it won't avail you in any shape or form. Finally, it was decided to adjourn till July 1, at ten a.m., with the understanding that another witness would be taken at that time, and that Dr. Lowe should attend at a later hour and resume his evidence.