The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-12-06 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEATH IN A CONVENT.

On Satarday night, Dr. Biggs, depaty.soreass for
Somersetshire, held an inquest at the Arao's Vali
Convent of the Good Shepherd at Bristol, on the body
of Mary Boylan, • young woman of twenty-eight
who had died in the convent, under somewhat
sudden and singular circumotances, she having
been found in her sleeping room or cell en Wednes-
day morning unoooseious, and in a partially suffocated
state, from whish she never rallied.
From the evidence of Lester Rigby, it appeared that
the Convent of the Good Shepherd has three divinions
—the convent for the sisters and "consecrated peni-
tents," who remain for life, the refuge fir penitent
women, and a reformatory. Mary B tylan had been
14,11 il•mate of the rebute section of the t stabl.shment fr
about twelve veers al*ogether, but she had severai time.
gone out to situations. From one of these she returned
on Tuesday night. She appeared in her ordinary health,
and she went to bed in • small eleeping-room about nine
feet square. There wee no fire-grate in the room and no
ventilation. It had a gas-light, and also•gaa-stove, the
jets of which had been lit to warm the room. It was
thought that before going to bed deceased would put
these gaslights out. Next morning Sister Rigby rose
at six, and found that, contrary to custom, B.oylan's
door was locked, and she could get no reply to her
knocks. She heard her breati.ing heavily, and know.
lug that Boylan had had a hard day's work the pre-
vious day, and matt be therefcre tired, she was not
alarmed. Sister Rigby turned off the maintap of
the gee as casual about this time in the morning, and
at about half-past eight o'clock she still found Boylan's
door locked. This state of things continuing till nine
o'clock, and no answer being obtainable from
within, Sister Rigby and • consecrated penitent
named Gericombe went round to the window of
the small apartment, and saw Mary Boylan sp.
parently breathing with great difficulty, her face being
deadly pallid. They got into the room by breaking
the window, and found that the apartment was filled
with vitiated sir, which was quite overpowering. The
heavy breathing of the young woman then ceaaed, and
when the window was open they thought her dead,
Mr. Carr, a surgeon living in the neighbourhood, was
called in, but the young woman only partially rallied,
and died on Thursday, about 27 hour' after she was
discovered in the date described, The gas-burner was
found half on, and the jets in tbe stove full on, but
the gas at the main was turned off two houre before the
ebtere gained an entrance into the room. Sister Rigby
could not say whether deceased kept the stove jets and
the ges burner alight all night, or whether the gas in
the bracket, the tap of whirl wsa found on at half
force, had been escaping.
The Coroner (himself • medical men) observed that
one theory might be that the stove jets and the
burner having been left burning all night in this ills
ventilated apartment, the oxygen in the room was
consumed till there was no more to feed the gas,
which then went out and escaped, and thus the
deceased was being gradually suffocated when dis-
covered.

A juryman suggested Another theory, that while the
stove was kept burning the gas bracket had been turned
off by deceased who inadvertently turned it back on
half fore... again. He wouli account for no explosion
oemrring from the gee jets in the stove by pointing out
that these wsre only • couple of inches from the
ground, whereas the gas escaping, while it did not
quite fill the apartment. would ountinually rime, and
psrimpe find some vent through the crevices of the
window,

Mr. Carr said the symptom. were similar to those he
had teen in deaths from charcoaL Be had no doubt
that death resulted from poisoning by inhalation of
the coal gas. The jury returned a verdict of "Acct.
dental death," adopting the view of the medical wit-
ness, that death resulted from poisoning by the inhala-
tion of coal gas.
The Coroner thought the lemon to be learnei from
this case was that, in a small room like that, • gas
stove was utterly inadmissible runless placed in a fire
grate, and he intimated that he had the &lIIIIVAIIOI3 of
the Lady Superior that every precaution should be
taker' in future to prevent the recurrence of so paint al
an event.