The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-28 00:00:00

BOARD OF GUARDIANS.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD INQUIRY.
Tho 3 weekly meeting of this Board was held at the
Board Room, yesterday, Mr. Raybould in the klair.
There were also present Me.43rs. H. Billinghaw. M.
Lavende., Stringer, Robertson, Hinglev, Burr
Sidd,sway, Parkes, Weston, Guest, Thompson.
Browning, Wood, Homer, J. BillinOiam, Giles.
Mills, Crump, Plant, Rhodes, Foley, ForreAt and .1.
8r00k,.. Admitted into the house during the weak
23. discharged 21, riead 1, remaining in the 13:Aise
568; corresponding week last yeae 482 Out door
relief :—liingswinford district £43 2s 101; S otir-
, bridgP di Aria .234 its 3d; Halesowen ditri.t £29
is 10d; non-r-sident 6s 4d; total £lO7 7s 41,
against £77 1240 d last year.
Ater toe meeting an inquiry was held toucb.ii.g
th:: alleged negligence of Mr. Bloxhatn (medical
officer), and Mr. Chapman (relieving officr), f r
the IMesoweu district.

Mr, Waldron appeared on bdialf a Mr. Bloximin
and
.11r. Chapma,,.

The arst inquiry was against the two officersio
the case of Mary Rieltard-..
The first-witness ex 'mined was Elizabeth Ray-
bould, daughter of Miry Richard, the deceased,
who said that at the time of her mother's death she
was living about 40 yards from her home. Her
mother was ill about five or six months. Mr.
Goulder attended her, but ceased doieg so about
three weeks before he saw Mr. Bloxham. ller
mother asked her to go t) Halesowen to Mr. Chap-
man for a note. As she was going she saw Mr.
Bloxham go into Mr Cooper',,, and she follow d
himiin and asked him if he would please to g and
eee her niother, as she was very ill. Mr. Bloxham
asked who she was and she told him it was Mrs.
Richards, who used to live by the pump. He naed
if anybody had been attending her and she replie I
that Mr. Goulder had, but had ceased attenling
her for the la.t three weeks. She t.,ld him he had
been ill four ile‘ouths. He was then about three
minntrs drive from her mother's house and it was
between throe and four o'clock in the afternoon.
The next time she saw him was in January wh .n
he called at her mother's house. Her mother aiked
him to al:ow her a little re;ier. He said he could
only give her a note for the house. He asked her
mother how it was she had that Mr. Etingley, the
little sneak, repertinghir te the Board twice. He
was in the house about 10 minutes and on that
occasion examined her mother's le,.rs and told her she
was to use linseed meal, and also te send for some
medicine. She (witness) asked him to allow her a
bit of mutton and he said he could not do any mer
than give her a note for the house. On the firs- of
February he came again and asked her mother why
she had not gene into the house, She replier', she
was not fit, it would kill her if she was moved. Mr.
Bloxham "I know be:ter than that you are fit."
On the 3rd February she died about 5.30.. in the
morning.
Cross-examined by Mr. Waldron : There was
nobody in the house to wait on her in the day time
except a neiehbour. Ihe week ending January 7th
her brother Jelin re.rtrd llsand her mother received
the money. Her sister was at work the same week
at ehainmaking and she wtaild also have the money
for that. From the 11th of January to the is'
February her mother did not use tLe linseed meal,
and it was five days after he ordered the medicine
before it was fe'ched. She also admitted that dur-
ing tl:e whole of January there was not a single day
but what there was in the house a quantity of eread,
butter, tea, sugar, and mt at.
Police-constable Oakey said he visit-A Mrs.
Richards' house and asked her if se was in wait of
anyih;ne She said she had nothing to depend
upon only what her children eerned. He reported
it to Mr. II ngley, the overseer, the same day.
Mr. James Iliegley, overseer aed Guardian for
Cradley. said that from what he heard he went to
Mtg. Richards' house on the 7th January. Mrs.
Richards was lying on a few rags on seine bed.steads
in the front of the fire. She pointed to a pie, e, of
dry bread that was on the window and said
.‘• filet
is all we have in the house' He told Mrs. Richards
if ,he wetil(l send up to a grocer's shop n-hi -h ho
mentioned, he would order some sugar, tea and oa-•
meal for her. He did not know whether she sent
or not.

;Voir. Longe (the inrpector) said Mr, Bloxhant re-
fused to order any relief on the ground that it was
not a case for him to relieve on that oeca.4ion. He
also ordered linseed meal and medicine, but did not
attend her then for sometime. There was flu doubt
about Mr. Bloxham not having attended as he
ought
Mr. flingley, in cross.examination by Mr Wel-lron
s4id that if he had known that there wr.s 15s per
week going into the house he should not have
written the letter to the Local Government Board.
He had continually been bringing the case helve
th Board.
Mr. Wall (clerk), said that on the 7th January
Mr. Chapman was ordered to attend to the case.
He went on the 13th and ought ?a have reported
the case to the Board on the 14th He did not do
that at the meeting on that day, the 21st day or
the meeting on the 28th day of January. N.,thing
had been heard of it at all.
Mary Richards said that in December and
January last she was living with her mother. Sh,
went to tne relief station at Cradley and saw Mr.
Chapman and asked him if he would be so kind as
to come and see her mo,her. He gave her a note
for the do-tor. He did not come to tee her
mother. She knew that her mother had a bo'tle
of medicine but lid not know she was ordered to
us, linseed meal.
Oross-ex,mined : When she went to Mr. Chap-
man she did not sat'
ni3soltitelhia
jyrta‘aninif7teadwryaaninthsi-f:irnherinenitf
ofiotoirlhiecr.
Oanndt;'oldthe'
name out on the no, •k for relief. an 1 he said he
would come and see abou: it. Her mot or had the
eontrol o! the teoney that sho and her brother
earned.
John Richard., sun of the deceased, Mary Richer is
also gave evidence.
Mr. Wa!dron then fedi() I Mr. Bloxham. who sa,;(l
that he was a surgeon living at Hale-owen, rted wea
medical offie• r for the Haleso- en tliqriet. On the
30th December, he saw Mrs liaybould in respect of
Mrs. Richards, who aslied him if he would go and
see her mother. He enquired how long she had
been ill and who had been attending her. She
rep ied that 13,e bad been hi about 5 months. He
said to the woman th t no would coma and see her,
as she was under medicill attendance, the first time
he came to Cradley. On the 11th January he
visited her in answer to a note. He did not think
it necesiqtry to go before because she was under
medical attendance. fie ezamined her and found
she was suffering from a good deal of debility and
from two wounds on her legs. tie ordered linseed
meal poultices to be used and also for them to send
as
saseh repliede
0o noid
et
rheadt
its she
stohnhtillsdsunorgteuryse f tohr e
very improper treatment, On the 31st January
Mr. Chapman came to him and told him to go and
!-e-• Mary Richards as she was worse. He went the
!OilOw,itiv to see her and told her that the pro-
plaeo for her was in tha honse. Sae said hat
Woe was not its a fit state, but he said he weuld
eteld the reommildlity,