The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-04 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEATH OF A WOMAN FROM

DESTITUTION.

INQUEST.-THIS DAY.

This morning an inquiry was held at the Spread
Eagle tavern, High-street, Homerton, respecting the death
of Caroline Raymond, aged 44 years, who was found dying
in a room under circumstances of a mbocking character.
James Raymond, 5, Plaiaant.place, Hackney said that
deceased was his wife. She had been bedridden for a
week. On Friday she complained of weakness, and spat
up water. lie was a shoemaker, and he worked for the
shops. He did not use his own materials. He had four
children, aged three, nine, twelve, and fifteen years.
The eldest boy was at sea, and one of the other
children was a cripple. His average earnings were 15e.
a week, and oat of that he had to pay 2a. 6d. rent. Three
weeks ago the deceased became so careless and slovenly
that witness refused to sleep with her. Dr. Ribble saw
her, and he said that she was suffering from no disease,
and that she wanted fresh air. On Friday the landlord
reported the case to the sanitary inspector, and he cameand
saw her. The parish doctors were then called in, and on
Saturday night she was removed to the workhouse. The
room emelt from want of ventilation. They lived in
two rooms, one of which was very small, and he worked in
that. There was a bedstead in the room, and on that his
wife lay. She was in a wretched state. The children lay
on the floor. Last August be, as well as his wife and
children, left the Dethnal•green workhouse. During the
whole of last winter they had no furniture or bedding of
any kind, and they all slept on the floor. The bedstead
on which the deceased was found lying belonged to the
landlord. Three years ago his family were destitute, and
they had been compelled to go into the Shoreditch work-
house, and they were passed on to Bethnal-green. He had
not applied to the parish for relief since he left Bethnal.
green workhouse. They were in want, and the children
were as bad as ourselves."

Mr. J. W. Jones, sanitary inspector to the Board of
Health for Hackney, said that on Thursday, Mr. Payne,
the landlord of the house, informed him that the deceased
was living there in such a shocking, filthy condition that
he could not hear the house. The smell from the
room was fearfuL Last Friday he visited her, and he
found her lying on the bedstead almost in a state of nudity.
She bad no chemise on and she was only partly covered by
small bit of drugget. She was in • most deplorable state,
and witness was obliged to give her little daughter some
disinfecting powder, the smell in the room was so fearful.
He told the husband to call at the Town-hall the next
morning, but as be did not do so, witness got Drs. Ninall
and Snipe to give an order for her removal to the Hackney
Union. The doctors saw her before she was removed, and
she was given medicine. She was adffering from diarrhus.
Rhe was in a dreadful state on Saturday. The bit of
dragnet had been removed, and an old coat, which only
party covered her limbs, was thrown over her.
Mr. H. Payne, the landlord, said that the deceased
lived in his house one year and seven months. She was
his own sister. She had been very neglectful for years.
He was a cordwainer,

Catherine Bridetock, nurse in the receiving ward of
Hackney Workhouse, said that the deceased was brought
into the ward at half-past 9 o'clock on Saturday night.
She was in such a low, weak, exhausted state that she had
to be given brandy and water to revive her. She expired
at balf.past 5 o'clock on Sunday evening.
Dr. George Miller, the workhouse surgeon, said that
when he was called to see the deceased he found her dying.
She was very much emaciated.
Mr. R. W. Tomlinson, relieving officer' said that on the
Bth of April he gave an order for the medical officer to
visit the deceased.
_ _ _

.
This witness was cross-examined by the coroner, and
he said that he hail not visited the deceased. According to
the published orders of the Poor-law Board be ought to
have visited the woman. If be had thought that it WILII
an urgent case he should have done so. He never visited
such cases.

The Coroner—The printed rules declare that you should
do so in all cases.

The witness said that he did not know that he was
neglecting his duty when he was giving the order and not
visiting the deceased. He bad not looked into the rules
about visiting before the present affair occurred as be did
after. He did not see the woman. The reason people
were not visited was that it would take ► staff of six re-
lieving officers to visit all the cases.
Dr. Miller, recalled, said that the post mortem exami-
nation of the deceased's body proved that her blood was
very thin and watery from impoverished living. In the
abesnoe of any disease, he believed that death was brought
about by the condition of the woman's brain. The condi-
tion in which she bad for such a length of thus lived would
undoubtedly accelerate any disease.
The Coroner said that the case was one of a very di►