INQUEST.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 3103, 3 September 1884, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at tba Hospital yesterday afternoon before B. Woollcombe, Esq., Coroner, touching the death of one Bridget Healey. The following jury waa sworn m: —W. Ingram, Joa. Edwards, Wm. Priest, J. E. Davidson, D. Maclean, J. R. Stanaell, F. W. A~ Cobden, A. Millar, T\ Hooper, A. D. Wells, Geo. Tyrell, J. Badcliffe.W. H. Chapman, Geo. Small. Mr D. Maclean was chosen Foreman, and the jury having viewed tbe body, evidence waa taken as follows (the enquiry being conducted by Inapector Broham) : — James Qoggan, priest of the Herman Catholic Cbnrch, said about 6 o'clock last Sunday evoning, be saw the deceased irf the OatboUo church, his attention having been drawn to her by Martin Minogue, the man ■errant. Sbs was lying on the floor, and aeemed to be very sick. Witness aent for Sergeant Culleo, without delay, who on arrival attended to her. Witneas had known deceased abont two months, nnd she had aeemed to him to be not of sound mind. To tbe best of bia recollection — he could not ewear positively, aa be had only a very indistinct remembrance of it — she bad told him on two occasions tbat ahe intended to destroy herself, and m consequence he communicated with Sergeant Cullen tbree weeki ago, telling him that ahe waa demented. The words she naed to him were " I am going to destroy myielf." On the coroner pressing witness to be more explicit m his statement, he replied—" I am simply telling you what I believe. I have heard so many reports that they have made oonfuaion m my mind." Martin Minogu* laid he fouad deceased lyiogin tbe cbnrch, and a* she wae screaming out he went and brought the priest. He bad sever seen tbe woman before. To the Foreman : There waa no one elaa m the oburcn. J. CnUen, Sergeant of Police, waa called on Sunday evening to go to the Catholic Church, and on arrival there found deoeased lying on tbe matting between tbe seats and tbe communion rails. She appeared to be Tery ill, and waa retching. He at once cent tor Dr Ma«intyre, who arrived ahortly, and m tbe interval be removed deceased into the open air. From what the doctor told him, he looked about and foand • bottle (produced) Ijiog on the floor some four or fire feefe from where the deceased waa lying. The bottle bore a label, on which were the worda L^Tw and the name « O i W L Y Ewh , baoiD ' °>»«»»»t- He wem to Mr Eicbbftum's, made enquiries, and ascertained tbat the deceased bad not got tbe poison there. The deceased, when he arrived, raid ahe wisbed to be left m the church to die there. He had known her for tome years j ahe wa», be believed, a single woman, and aged about forty. She had shown signs of eccentricity, but oonld not be Mid to hare been of unsound mind. She bad lately been discharged from service on acosunt of her peculiar ways. Mrs Smith, a resident of North Street, was called and aaid tbe deoeaoed entered hoi service last Tuesday night. She bad given her leavo to go out on Sunday afternoon Deceased appeared to be perfectly sane so fsi M abe knew. P. Macintyre, doly qualified medioal practitioner, said be was called upon by Sergeant Cullen to go to the Catholic Ohuroh oo Sunday evening lait. He aaw a woman there, who be found was suffering from collapse, waa very weak and m pain. The woman told him she had taken poison, and that the bottle which bad contained it was inside the churob. He examined the bottle (produced), and found tbat it smelt very • rongly of ammonia. He used such antidotei • i were handy, and the woman was es soon si possible removed to the Hospital. On an empty atomaoh it would not take muoh ammonia to prove fatal j but the deceased's stomach waa not empty j the probability wai she bad taken a comiderable quantity of Xo the Foreman : Women nse ammonia largely for cleaning olothee. He had known deceased for a number of yeara j had heard she waa eccentrio, but waa not personally aware of it. H. V. Drew, Besident Surgeon at th<

t Hospital, remembered the deceased being brought to the Hospital on Sunday evening. 9 She _ was m a state of collapse, and was 9 vomiting blood. He simply employed the f usual remedies, washing out her Btomach by r means of a tube. The first portion of water that came away smelt very strongly of 3 ammonia, and he repeated the operation , until no trace of ammonia was to be t found by testing the fluid. She got a little r better towards tbe evening, and bad a good ■ sleep. Be asked her why she had taken the > stuff, and ahe replied " for mischief." He j . found a oord round her waist, underneath her r dress, about three yards long, wbioh looked ; Hko the lash of a whip. The temperature of , her body never rose to its proper levol. Her t vital powers never recovered, and she died on i Monday afternoon about half-past three , o'olook. With the exception of tha reply she i gave no evidence whatever, and she was too , weak to get a written •tatement from. There i was evidence sufficient to his mind that' she , bad taken what was contained m the bottle > produced, and that it was enough to kill her. The Coroner said from the medical evidence there was enough to show that tho deceased i had taken ammonia, and that it was enough to , kill her. It was for the jury to say whether they were satisfied that the deceased bad , taken the poison herself, whether aho took it , whilst m a state of insanity, or whether she was of sound mind, m which case they would have to return a verdiot oifelo de te. After a short deliberation the Foreman laid the jury were unanimously of opinion " That the deaoascd Bridget Healey took poison whilst m a state of temporary insanity,"