INQUEST.

Colonist, Volume XXXV, Issue 7334, 31 May 1892, Page 3

INQUEST.

i An inquest on the late Mrs Jeannie Liddell 1 was held at the Sbip Hotel at 3 o'olock yesterday afternoon, before 0. Curtis, Esq., ; Coroner, and the following Jury:— Wm. 1 Akersten (foreman), F. Bandall, J. Gay nor, i J. Easdale, W. T. Trott, and J. 0. Bnrford. : Sergeant Slattery and Constable Phair I appeared for the police, and the following : evidence was oalled. ; Andrew Liddell: lam son of the deoeased, , who resided at Beachville by herself. I was I present at the fire on Saturday night, and I i identify the body removed therefrom as that i of my mother. I last saw her alive at a few . minutes to 5 o'clock that evening, when I left ) her. Sbe was then in her usual state of : health. I did not live with her, but oontri--3 buted towards her support. I went up on I Saturday afternoon to cut firewood, and do i anything I oould for her. I generally pay t her on Friday, as I did last Friday. I was in town when the bell rang. Prior to my i marriage my mother lived with me. She was 3 in the habit of lying down without intending I to sleep, but would do so and leave the oandle 3 burning. I saw nothing that evening to lead I me to the belief that she was not quite oapable i of looking aftor herself. She was a widow, 3 and aged 56 years. i By the Jury : She was not in the habit of using a kero_ei_9 lamp, though there was . such in tbe house, as well as kerosene. She 3 had a kerosene stove, kept in a back room. . I don't think she was using it though. She had a good fira of coals when I wes there. 1 . never saw her in better health than on a Saturday. She was not subjeot to fits. 1 F. W. Flowerday: On Saturday evening 3 last I was attending to my shop on the Ha^n road, tars Liddell, the deceased,

oame in about half an hour before the bell rang. She complained of feeling unwell, and bought some baoon, whioh she Baid she would like for her supper. She looked weak and unwell, but was perfeotly sober. I have known her for about 25 years. Hannah lateromun ; I am the wile of Heinrich Intermann, the licensee of the Clarendon Hotel, Haven road. On Saturday evening last I was in the bar. Deceased came io, and oomplained of feeling very ill. This was between 6 and 7 I think, I don't know the time, but it was after the gas was lit. I filled a quart bottle thai she brought witb her with beer, she said it was not for herself. She did not have anything to drink in th« house. She did not have the appearance of having been drinking when she oame in, but she appeared very ill and weak, so muoh so that when she had gone I remarked to my husband tbat I was afraid she was very ill. She lef', and after going to Mr Flowerday's returned to shake bands with myself and husband, a thing she never did before, though she was always very polite. I then watched her go past the Gasworks. By the Jury : She did not oome often for beer, perhaps only once a week, and then she was always anxious tbat \te sbould think the drink was not for herself, but for person, she was working for. I never saw deoeased drink at all. That night she seemed to bave something weighing upon her, and that made me watch her go away. She was perfeotly coherent in her speech, and I should think quite sober. Margaret Hughes : lam daughter of Andrew Hughes, residing at Beachville. On Saturday night, about eight o'clock, my attention was attracted by a crackling noise, and looking out I saw the house, in which deceased lived, on fire at one end, the flames coming out of the window. I ran down the road and called Mr Fred Atkinson, who at once ran to the fire. By the Jury: The flames were coming from the bedroom window. I did not hear a°y C'T» an d thought that deceased was out. I did not see her at all that day. F.Atkinson: I reside at Beachville. On Saturday night last I was at home, and about eight o'clock Miss Hughes called me, saying that Mra Liddell's house was on fire. I saw the fire on going outside, and after sending a boy to ring the bell, I ran to the houee. I found the door locked, and the fire was then all in the bedroom, with the flames coming out of the window. I went round to the window, and found David McLachlan throwing water in through it, I asked him if Mrs Liddell was inside, and he replied that he did not think so. We could both see in, and saw that there was not anyone on the bed. We could not see the floor of the room, as it was covered with smoke and flames. It was impossible to see anything on the floor. We tried to keep the .fire down, but the water failed us. I was present when the body was discovered, When the end of the house fell out the body was seen to tumble from a crouching position; By the Jury : I saw Mrs Liddell that afternoon for the last time. By the time I got to the house deceased must have been dead. She was a very quiet woman, and always seemed rather feeble, and the last few days had been a little lame. If we conld have got a good tap of water we could have put the fire out. McLachlan and I got to the house at the same time. Margaret McLachlan: I am the wife of David MoLa.hlaa, residing at Beachville. On Saturday about half-past 6 or 7 o'olock my attention was drawn to Mrs Liddell, who was oarrying a light up the steps leading to her house. I think it was a candle light. She seemed to be tottering, as the light was swaying about. The path is very rough there, and deoeaeed was pretty tottery even in daylight ooming down those steps. She could not go along tbere after dark without a light. I did not Bee her go into the house. She could not well go out without my knowing of it, and the did not go out again that evening. Constable Phair: At about 8 o'olock on Saturday night the Port fire bell rang, and on learning where the fire was I, with Mr Thos. Hall, ran out the hose reel, taking it to the fire. Mr Hall stopped with the hydrant while I ran out the hose. I made inquiries at once, and was informed in reply that deceased had gone to towo. There were not more than six adults preeent when I arrived. The greater part o£ the building w^s th.n turned, with the exoepliou of the lean«to. From some cause the water oould not be turned on for fully 10 minutes, though I called out several times for it. By this time the Fire Brigade had arrived and took charge. From what I heard, the cause was that the plug was sanded up. A few minutes later I was called upon _ r.ssist to remove tbe body, whioh was lying alongside the bed with the head towards the eastward. The body waa considerably burned. Captain Bird and another gentleman lifted the body on a door, and I assisted to carry tbe same to the Haven road, when it was placed on the Salvage Corps truck and brought to the Morgue. By tbe Jury : On the floor I found portions of deceased's attire, but I should say that she had not ucdressed. Without retiring the Jury retarned a verdict that deoeased was accidentally burned to deatb.