Obituaries Australia

On Friday last, an inquest was held before Mr. J. Dowe, the coroner, and a jury, upon the body of Miss Caroline Teale, whose death occurred as disclosed by the following evidence:- Maria O'Brien, laundress in the employ of Mr. R. Fitzgerald, deposed that the deceased was residing in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald, who had gone to Sydney on Tuesday last; deceased had charge of the house in their absence; on Wednesday last deceased told witness that she was ill, and that she would lock up the house; this occurred about seven or eight o'clock at night; witness then noticed that deceased was not all right; she had a strange tone of voice; after retiring to her room witness heard a noise, and ascertained that it was deceased who had fallen downstairs; about two o'clock P.M. yesterday (Thursday) the housemaid came and told witness that deceased was in a fit; witness went and saw her, and assisted to hold her, and hinder her from injuring herself, she threw herself about very much; witness saw her frequently catch hold of her throat with both her hands; about four o'clock the same afternoon witness called Dr. Dowe (the coroner), to see the deceased, who attended her until about nine o'clock, when he advised a second medical practitioner to be called in; witness then went for Dr. Day, who accompanied witness to see the deceased; he and Dr. Dowe attended on the deceased until after one o'clock this morning (Friday); deceased breathed her last about half-past two o'clock this morning. Dr. Henry Day deposed that he was sent for late on Thursday night by Dr. Dowe, to see the deceased, whom he found in a moribund state; the symptoms presented were such as to induce witness's belief that she died from apoplexia hysteria; witness further thought that a fall, such as was represented by Mrs. O'Brien, in her evidence, as occurring to the deceased, would bring on an attack, such as caused death, when a predisposition existed in the constitution for it. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased had died from natural causes.