DISTRESSING SUICIDE OP AN OTAGO LADY AT SYDNEY.

Otago Witness, Issue 527, 4 January 1862, Page 5

DISTRESSING SUICIDE OP AN OTAGO LADY AT SYDNEY.

EXTRAORDINARY VERDICT OF THE JURY.

W take from the Sydney Empire of Dec. 13, the following detailed account of the suicide of Miss Loftus. a lady long resident, and much respected in Otago :—: —

It is our painful duty to record another case of self-destruction, closely succeeding the several cases that have recently startled the inhabitants of this city. The case that we have now to relate is that of a person on whom a verdict oi'foi'o de Ac lias been passed — a lady of respectable connections in England — one highly educated, strictly moral in life, amiable in character, and wellknown for her philanthropic and amiable disposition.

Miss Mary Loftus, as stated, in our issue of yesterday, was found lyiug at the foot of a large rock, between thirty and forty feet high in the Domain, on Tuesday evening last. As will be seen from the appended evidence, taken at the inquest on the body, the deceased was unmarried, possessed a considerable amount of property, and was secretary or' the Governesses' and Female Servants' Home. She was personally acquainted with the Bishop of Sydney, and was a commnniuuit of the Chinch of England, being an attendant upon the ministrations of the Dean of Sydney till about two months ago, when on her removal to another part of the city, she discontinued her attendance nt St. Philip's. On last Tuesday morning, when apparently much depressed in spirits, she left her lodgings to go into the Domain, and wis not seen afterwards till found lying at thu toot of a large rock us described, olie told the person who had found her that she had thrown herself oft" the rock, but before doing so took offher petticoat, in which were steel hoops, — her crinoline falsely so called — for the purpose (as was assumed by the jury) of rendering her attempt at self-destruction less liable of frustration, as the skirt described might in a great measure have broken her fall. She was removed in a cab to the Infirmary (as she refused to give the name of the people with whom she lodged), where she was attended by Dr. Roberts, who had known her as a " highly educated and amiable lady." The Dean of Sydney, who war, also acquainted with her, was also called, and remained in conversation with her some time before her death, but the purport of tliis conversation is only known to lumself, as he declined to divulge anything she told him in her last hours.

On Wednesday an inquest on the deceased's body was commenced in the Coroner's office, the following gentlemen composing the jury : — Mr. A. Ashdown (of the firm of Ashdown and C 0.,) foreman, Mr. J. M'Donald, Mr. E. Dawsou, Mr. J. Vickery, Mr. S. Goold, Mr. W. Muddock, and Mr. W. J. Cates. The following is a tolerably full abstract of the evidence taken :—: —

James W. Waugh deposed : 1 am a bookseller, residing in Stanley-street ; 1 knew the deceased, Mary Loftus, who was about fifty-six years of age, and have known her for the last eight or nine years. She was an Englishwoman, aud came out to Melbourne twelve- years ago, with a Sirs. Dunlop, to whose family she was governess ; subsequently she was head mistress at the Clergj Daughters' School, and during the last two months lodged at my place ; she was intimately acquainted with the Bishop of Sydney, and wa ; Secretary to the .Female Servants' Home ; during the last two months she suffered from great depression of spirits, apparently in regard to religious matters, as she expressed doubts of her personal salvation ; she read many religious books, and was fond of retiring to her room ; she was on good terms with all the clergymen ; she was of a nervous, sensitive temperament, would quarrel with any person, but would soon become friendly again ; she fancied she had wronged many people ; I tried to make my home as cheerful as I could for her ; she left my house about half-past ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, saying she intended going for a walk in the Domain, as she was suffering from great depression of spirits ; she generally retired to rest early, and in the morning would complain of not having slept well ; I would not swear that her mind was impaired, but she. was under the impression that her mind would go some day ; she had plenty of opportunities of committing suicide ; I had no idea that she contemplated such a thing ; there was uo change in her room yesterday, but on opening her drawers on Tuesday evening, after the occurrence wliieh resulted in her death, her keys being sent by the Dean of Sydney, I found a letter, (luted two months back, stating how she wished her property disposed of ; I knew she suffered from disease of the heart ; she fancied she was in difficulties, her property being situated in New Zealand, and she feared losing it through the war or the gold discovery there. She possessed property in the neighbourhood of Otago, and I believe some allotments at Coogee, in this colony ; she Jived at Otago for some time, and had friends there ; she borrowed money from different persons ; she was a member of the Church of England, but had a good feeling towards 'Presbyterians ; I am very much surprised at tho occiu'rcnce which resulted in her death, but I am told that she looked rather strange when she left my house hi the morning.

James Emmies, a draper's assistant, residing in Phillip-street, said, at about 4 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, when getting oysters from the rocks in the Domain opposite Potts' Point, on turning a corner I found the deceased lying on her back on the rocks with her feet towards tho sea ; 1 observed she was alive aud said to her, " Are you awtfve that the sea is all around you, and that you will not be able to get out ?" She replied she was not able to move. I then went close to her, and asked her how she got there, she replied she threw herself off the cliff. I said " I would go and fetch

a woman to you," being underthe impression that she was in labour ; on my way I observed a man with a silk umbrella, and on beckoning him towards me, he said he found it on the top of the rock ; he accompanied me to where the deceased, lay, and as we lifted her upr, she said, ."Mjrback is broken." We removed her and laid her on some grass. I then went to the battery, and got two, artillerymen, and when we got back' for the deceased the man before alluded to, asked her if that was her umbrella. She took it, looked at it, and said it was. He asked her where she left it ; she replied, " I left it there," pointing to the top of the rock. He asked if she left anything else there, and _ she said " Yes, I left a skirt there." ■ I went up and found it .immediately over where she was lying ; it was a linsey wool steel skirt, and strong: enough to keep her from falling had it caught in anything. The fall from the top of the rock is about thirty or forty feet. It is my impression, that, if she fell from where she said she did, she would have been smashed to pieces. There is a zig-zag road from tne top of the footpath to the shore. When I found her, her clothes, consisting of mantle and black silk dress, were not disturbed. She expressed a wish to go to the Infirmary. I asked her, why she threw herself off the rock, and she replied that she was in great' distress. She appeared quite mild and resigned. She said her leg was broken. One of the soldiers' wives came up, and the deceased asked her if that was the day the band played in the Gardens, and being answered in the affirmative, she said she could not hear it. She therefore remarked that there were so many Stil)bath-breake r s and drunkards that she was afraid of becoming one. I noticed her tongue was parched, but she refused drink when offered her by the soldier's wife. The soldier's wife, asked her v she had a husband. She replied " No." She was then asked for the names of any of her friends, but she would not give any, saying, " They will soon know what has happened." The deceased was removed in a cab to the Infirmary by Mr. Kemp, the Domain bailiff. 1 saw the deceased walking in the Domain a few days since, and thought then that there was something the matter with her ; but I aftmvardß saw her walking in company with another lady.

Ueorge Kemp, the Domain bailiff, described the locality of the occurrence, and said that, on being called, he went to the injured lady, and asked her if she woidd like to go to her own residence, to which she replied that she had none ; she declined telling her name ; she evidently did not wish to be asked any questions. As Mr. Kemp was conveying her hi a cab to the Infirmary, she pulled her dress over her face as if she did not wifih to be seen.

I fannah Welsh, a female nurse in the Infirmary, said when the deceased Avas admitted into the establishment she complained of her back, and was bleeding from a cut on the lower part of her back ; when witness asked her how she got injured, she answered, " Ask me no questions " ; wine and water, and afterwards brandy and water we.c administered to the deceased ; she was much exhausted when admitted, and expired at half-past two o'clock on Wednesday morning. »

Dr. Alfred Roberts deposed : About six o'clock on Tuesday evening I was sent for to the Infirmp ry, and upon my arrival found the deceased, Mr ry Loftus, who was suffering from severe injui ies received, I was informed, by falling over a precipice in the Domain ; I examined her and found, in addition to some bruises over the body, ' a severe fracture of the left leg, close to and below tho knee joint ; she was in a condition of extreme col 'apse, almost pulseless, and quite cold ; she wa 3 put carefully to bed and received every attentio.i ; but she did not rally from the first shock, an 1 died between two and three o'clock on the fbK owing morning. I cannot doubt j'that her tic; th was caused by injuries received by the fall. Tl.e fracture of 'the leg was not in my opinion sufficient to produce the state of collapse and slnek in which I found her ; but I flunk it highly probable that she had received some great internarTnjury, of which there was no proportionate ex;ernal evidence. I had known the deceased as a ] ighly educated, most estimable, and amiable UuV, for some years. She possessed a highly nervous and anxious temperament, and was of hi: h religious principle. From my knowledge of Hie deceased lady, I am of opinion that she would no- have attempted any act likely to shorten her liff had not her reasoning faculties beep unba'anced. Deceased stated to me that her fall wa 4 not an accident, and that she had been driven lo it by prolonged and excessive mental distress ; bin the cause of this she did not mention. Judging from the general tenor of her conversation wi h me, I believe 'that during the period of her ex: -stence after her arrival in the Infirmary she did not possess her ordinary reasoning facilities, alt'iough capable of giving a distinct and reliable account of what had occurred. I do not think thi.t her views of religious principle, &c, were the same as those she had formerly entertained.

After the above evidence was taken, the enquiry was adjourned to two o'clock yesterday afternoon, when, before proceeding to take more evidence, the coroner and jury visited the locality of the occurence and closely inspected it. Tie jurymen were satisfied that if the deceased ha I jumped off from the top of the rock she would have fallen on the ledge below, and most likely have rolled down to where she was found. The juiy then returned and proceeded with the inquest.

Mrs. Mary L. Waugh corroborated the evidence given by her husband on the preceeding day. SI c had known the deceased for six years, and ckring the last two months h.id lived with them ; she was much depressed iv spirits, which witness attributed to her peculiar views of religion, and lo the unsettled state of her affairs ; she was more depressed on the Sabbath than on other days ; shj was under the impression that her mind would become impaired ; on one occasion when re iding a newspaper report of C.apt. M'Kenzie's st.ition (which was her property) being proclaim01! a gold-field, she said she dreaded poverty, and would be glad if she was prepared to be taken avay ; she went out on Tuesday morning saying sl'3 was going for a walk to the Domain, being vt ry much depressed ; I sometimes went withher tor a walk round the Domain ; the deceased was shortsighted and wore glasses ; about aweekago wien going round the Domain, she made some remarks about the rocks ; she had no relations in tl c colony ; she was not actually embarrassed in si pecuniary way. but she dreaded becoming poor ; oi casionally she complained of irregular action of tlia heart.

William Macquarie Cowper, Dean of Sydney, said : I have known Miss Loftus tolerably well for about eighteen months ; during a portion of that time she wns a member of my congregation, but left two months ago in consequence of removal to another part of the city ; I saw her in the Infirmary on Tuesday evening ; I must decline divulging what passed between myself and Miss Loftus during her last hours ; I think I am not at liberty to do so ; I have no reason to think that her mind was impaired during the eighteen months I have known her ; she was an eccentric woman ; I am aware site was much depressed at times about her property in New Zealand, which gave her a great deal of trouble ; she told me so two or three times when l'esiding in the parish of St. Philips ; I never understood that she waa in want, and never knew that her mind was disturbed in regard to religion ; she was a regular communicant wliile residing in my parish ; I was with her at ten o'clock on Tuesday night, and I understand she died between two and three o'clock on the following morning

By a juror : I cannot say whether the deceased was insane or not on Tuesday night j I have not formed a decided opinion on the subject ; she was suffering excruciating 1 pain.

The Coroner then addressed the jury, and" touched upon the points of evidence calculated to throw light upon the deceased's state" of mind prior to the time when she was found by Emmies.

flic jury desired the room to be cleared, which was accordingly done ; and, after deliberating for about three-quarters of an hour, they called in the Coroner. The foreman said they had agreed in their decision, and, after duly considering all the circumstances of the case, were, on the evidence, compelled to firift a verdict of/e/o de se. The Coroner said he was bound to receive their decision, though a verdict of felo de se entailed the forfeiture'" of all chattels, real and personal," of the deceased to the Crown, besides deprivation of the rites of the Church, and necessitated a private interment of the body between the hours of nine and twelve at' night, within twenty-four hours of the finding of the inquisition.

The foreman remarked that with, the cqnsequehces they had nothing to do — they were bound to find according to the evidence, -.and thereu^a the foreman and other jurors signed the-verdict.

Coohixcai..— lt if proposed to introduce ZthjErV cochineal insect into Australia. ,;Th|sc4cli'.ifpi l »i| which the insect feeds grow; luxurianttyfitipDp^fe'j.^ parts of the Australian coi6nie?^"4R^S^f^if4«|g