The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-02-13 00:00:00

P 001.2.
A LIFE LOST FOR A VOTE.

On Friday afternoon G. Braxton Aldridge, Seq., the
coroner for the Borough and County of Poole, held an
Inquest on the body of a man named William Jaremieh
Baker. The doused was a fisherman. aged 58, and lived
I. one of the alley• in the flenuid, nod there wee no doubt
ne hest his life simply because he knew that having
assistants. at the expense of the pariah would
loVSUdid• his vote, and this he wished to retain. At the
muse time the evidence went to show thet he hail nut
received that proper care and attention at home which be
ought to hau had.
Maria Baker, the wife of the damaged's brother, stated
that en Monday, hearing he was ill, she went to his house,
and found him shivering in front of the fire with nothing
on but his shirk He told her he wee dying, that be was
"taming., and that he had had nothing to eat for eight
dare His daughter, who wee preeent, contradicted this
statement of her father at the time, and said she had
been all over the town "cadging" for him, and had
brought bonne money both from Kr. Dug data's and
Kr. Budge'a Upon that the dammed called her
• strumpet, and said if she did he had not seen it,
sad she and her mother had stuffed their own bellies with
IL Mrs. Baker further stated that afterwuds she took
him down SOUIO wine and custard, but... he said, he was
too far gone to take anything, and he ought to bare had
lithe week before. He did nothing but pray. She asked
the wife whether she had been for a doctor, and the
reply was "No, William doesn't want a doctor, because
he will loos his voter She told her upon that never to
mind about the vote, and not let her husband die, and
subsequently an order for medical attendance was pro-
cured from the relieving officer.
Cr. William Turner attended him on the Tuesday and
Wednesday, and be than found him to be suffering from
acute bronchitis. He was la • miserable condition, and
living with a total atomise of everything csinfortable.
Thu doctor. in reply to the coroner and toe lure, would
not say that the dammed appeared like a man who was
starving: the disease from win.* he was suffering was
quite eualcient to reduce him to the state in which he
found him. At the same time he had no hesitation in
saying death arose from the want of proper medical
attendance at the time, and, had it been afforded him a
week earlier, he would hove stood a good chance of
recovery. The state of souse of the alums of Poole may
be gathered from the feet that the withal's' added he knew
of 90 cases where people ware losing all chances of
recovery from Blum, because they were badly fed, badly
kept, badly clothed, and badly housed—living in filth and
dirt.
The Coroner thought anyone acquainted with such •
state of things should bring it before the Sanitary
AnthoritY: but the witoses said be did not think the
Authority had any power to deal with it.
Tbe wife of the deceased, Mary Baker, stated he had
been 11l for about three weeks altogether, end on the
Monday week previous he had been to Folkston' Bay, to
see his boat, and returned home wet through, and shiver.
Inc. He didn't care to have a pariah doctor, but sent her
to Mr. William Bloomfield, who looks aft., the interests
of the Conservative party in this plac% as he imsgined
they would send him a doctor. It would mem, however,
his case was not supposed to be aa bed as it wee, and
monetary relief was sent him instead. This, as we have
stated, the unfortunets man said never reached him.
Mr. Bloomfield gave evidence to the elect that he
advised him to send to the parish doctor, but he wee very
much averse to it, on aoclunt of jeopardising his vote.
The Conservative Association did not profess to supply
medical assistinoe for the members.

'll

—lrelso7;;;pireeiThi7lnm—ily—eari7ed about 10s. a week
between them, out of which nine had to live ; and the
widow stated deceased had a bed to lie on, and ahe kept
the Ore lighted all the time her husband was
The C.rouer, in summing up the case t> the jury,
briefly pointed out t them that the evidence of Dr.
Turner showed the deceased had died tram acute broil.
chitin and it was • question whether they could go any
lurther than that, and say what the primary cause of
death was. Whether deprivation and exposure scpeler-
ated it. was a quaetion for the jury, but for himself he
believed had it not been lor the poor men, unfortunate
fear of losing his vote he might have been alive at the
present Cum
Ultimately the jury returned. vet diet that the deceased
died of acute bronchitis, accelerated by neglect and want
of attendance.