SUDDEN DEATH.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1931, 12 March 1875, Page 2

SUDDEN DEATH.

CORONEE'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held at tke House to-day at eleven o'clock, on view of the body.of Mrs Duke (who was found dead in. her own house in Abraham street yesterday evening at five o'clock) before Dr. Kilgour and a respectable jury. The following gentlemen comprised the jury : —Messrs John Frater (foreman) J. Angove, Jas; Browning, James Mennic, .Robert B. Thomson, Owen Breslau, James Downes; Joseph Clark, John Lanagan, William Hallins, John Hamilton and John, Martin. ' The'facts of this painful case' will be found in the following evidence :— William Lloyd, miner, residing in Grahamstown, deposed—That he saw Mrs Sawyer's servant yesterday go to? see ;if Mrs" Duke * would command-have some dinner. It was five in the afternoob# She came running out again u and said, "My God! Mrs Duke is dead." 1 immediately went into the house of dejceased.;^ I toojc hold of i^her;; gave her 5 some slaps an the back, but it was apparent to me that she was dead. I then, laid deceased on her back and chafed her hand. Mr Sandes, chemist, came in, and he put his ear to deceased's chest, and thought he heard one beat. He gave me some mixture, part ofcprhich I got into deceased's" mouth, and it did not return. Dr Perston an<J Sergeant Elliott soon after arrived. There were two .or, three empty bottles which smelt of drink:. I knew Mrs Duke personally. She was spmetimes in the habit of taking liquor, bWierwise she was a very respectable person. : Deceased smelt of drink. Her clothes were quite loose and free al)out the, neck and „ There was no delay in sending for medical assistance.

By the Police: I recognise the young person now before the Court as the servant of Mrs Sawyer, who discovered the deceased. , . : W. A. PerstoD, duly qualified,medical practitioner, being sworn, deposed—l was called between five and six o'clock yesterday evening to see the deceased. On my 'arrival I found her dead, and from the appearance of the body she must have been' dead for a considerable time ; as near as I could judge for about two hours. I have this day made a post mortem examination. In general the internal organs were healthy and the body well nourished. The stomach was completely empty. The heart contained only a very small quantity of fluid blood. A slight extravasation into the pericardium. The brain was healthy. Death appears to have resultedfrom cessation of the heart's action— from syncope. Attribute the syncope to exhaustion from want of" food—there, being no food in the stomach or bowels, The liver was healthy ; the gall bladder was a good deal enlarged—not full of bile lungs healthy. j

. Ami Patten, sworn, deposed—l am in service at Mrs Sawyer's public house in Owen-street, Grahamstown. Yesterday afternoon at fire o'clock I just went* to Mrs Duke's house to ask her to come and have some dinner, and I saw Mrs Duke partly sitting on a chair with her head resting on a -bucket of water. I just took hold of her arm, when I saw her face was quite black. Pound she was dead. I went along b}' the back way, saw Mr Lloyd, and told him Mrs Duke was dead. I went into the_ kitchen and told Mr Sawyer, and he went in directly.- I had, known Mrs Duke not three weeks. She had not been drinking during that timj, more than a glass, of beer a day. There was a bottle on, the table and one on the ground, which smelt of brandy. Deceased smelt of liquor. By the foreman—lt was usual for Mrs Duke to have her meals at Mrs Sawyer's. She had part of a cup of cocoa yesterday morning at ten o'clock. She ate nothing with it. < She had nothing to eat the day before, but had a cup of tea. She said she didn't care for eating. She appeared to be very stupid yesterday: had about a nobbier of brandy between 8 and 9 o'clock, but didn't complain of being unwell.

By the Police—lt was on Saturday morning, I first noticed she had been drinking. The last time I saw Mrs Duke alive was about 11 o'clock yesterday. She was then sitting in a chair with her head resting on the table. I said, "Halloa, have you been getting more beer ?" She said no, but would I give her a glass if she came in, and I replied that I wbnld noisgive her any. She seemed to be quite drunk then. She had been working for Mrs Sawyer some time, and could have had her meals regularly. Mrs Sawyer and I asked her to eat something three or four times yesterday, morning. >

James Elliott, sergeant of police, stationed at Grahamstown, on oath deposed—: About half-past five yesterday evening the witness Lloyd informed me that Mrs Duke was dead in her own house. I proceeded to the house and found .deceased lying on the floor. Her hands were quite cold;-, her faca^and neck black. She was quite dead. Shortly after Dr. Perston arrived. . Searched about the house and found one bottle on the table empty, and one close to the chair where she had been sitting. BotH smelt of brandy. The furniture and other things about the house had a neglected appearance. I took charge-of the body* Found only an empty purse in deceased's pocket. s

This concluded the evidence, and the" Coroner reviewed the evidence. He said it was quite evident that the deceased died., of inanition. She had not had proper nourishment, and too much ardeni spirit, the effect of which was to exhaust the nervous system and-produce syncope* ' The jury without any deliberation gave a verdict in accordance with the evidence. That the deceased came to her death by 7 syncope, caused by exhaustion. . j