Obituaries Australia

Another inquest was held in Windsor, at Mr. Fisher's, Royal Oak Inn, on the body of Mrs. Sarah White, who died after an illness of rather better than an hour and a half. William White being called, deposed that he was the husband of the deceased, and saw her on Saturday afternoon in good health. From that time until about one o'clock p.m. on Sunday he was absent from home. Upon his arriving at home at that time, he found the deceased dying, and she expired in a few minutes. Examined by the Coroner: I sell fruit in my shop, which the deceased always attended to; some of the fruit becomes rotten before being sold. Mary Compton being sworn: I keep a fruit shop, two doors off White's; on Sunday morning, about half-past eleven o'clock, Dr. Day called on me to go and attend on Mrs. White; I went along with Margaret Dudley, and upon going into the residence of Mrs. White, we found her stretched upon the floor by her bedside; Dr. Day assisted us to lift deceased upon the bed; from the appearances upon the floor, it was evident that she had been purging and vomiting violently; she was not purged after we went in: Dr. Day procured the assistance of Dr. Dowe; the hands and feet of deceased were put into hot water; hot brandy and water was administered to her internally; dry mustard was applied to her stomach, and some also put into her mouth; Margaret Dudley cannot give any further evidence than I have given, as she went along with me to the deceased, and remained with me till the deceased had expired. When we first went in there was a chair at the bedside of the deceased, from which it appeared that she had been endeavouring to get into bed. Henry Day, surgeon, being sworn, deposed: Between eleven and twelve o'clock on Sunday forenoon I was called on to see the deceased; I got the two next door neighbours, Mary Compton and Margaret Dudley, to attend on the deceased and put her to bed. She was then lying stretched upon the floor by the bedside, and had evidently been purging and vomiting violently; she was then in a state of collapse; I requested the assistance of Dr. Dowe, who came and saw her in that state. (The treatment described by this witness was exactly the same as mentioned by the former witness.) She expired about one o'clock; I am of opinion that deceased died of cholera, induced by living in a low damp situation, and surrounded by fruit in a state of decomposition. By the Coroner–I attended the deceased for the first time yesterday; I have seen cases of cholera, but this was a more marked case. Fruit after rain is unwholesome, and would produce many of the symptoms of cholera. I do not think any further examination of the body would throw any light on the subject. The Jury returned a verdict–died of cholera, induced by fruit in a state of decomposition.