The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-15 00:00:00

Mysterious Death of a Girl at Yeovil.

On Tuesday an adjourned inquest was held at the
Castle Inn, Yeovil, Somersetshire, on the body of
Elizabeth Fox, by Dr. Wybrants, and after an in-
quiry of several hours' duration a verdict of man-
slaughter was returned against Robert Slade Colmer,
a well-known herb doctor. At the opening of the
inquiry it was proved that the deceased was 20
years of age, and being a perfect stranger to Colmer
she went to his house, where she stayed a week, at
the end of which she had a miscarriage, and died
on Sunday morning, October 2, almost suddenly.
At the opening of the inquiry on Tuesday, the 6th
inst., the wife and daughter of Colmer were exa-
mined, and they stated that deceased had come to
the house complaining that she had something the
matter with her liver, that she took no medicine
whilst there, and died on the night after the miscar-
riage. Colmer has been living in Yeovil for 20 years,
has been in the habit of atiending market towns, and
was patronised by a large number of persons. His
son, Dr. Colmer, a licentiate of the Royal College
of Physicians at Edinburgh, lives with him, and al-
though he attended the young woman at her death,
ho stated at the inquest that he rarely inter-
fered with his father's patients, although he had
patients of his own in the town. Colmer, sen., is a
man about 50, is said to have known something of
astrology, and waii consulted in matters touching
recovery of stolen sheep, pigs, •, but it is under-
stood he has refused to have anything to do with
such matters for the past twelve months. However,
some extraordinary revelations came out at the in-
quest, which, if Colmer's evidence is to be believed,
proves that ho has not altogether divested himself
of a faith in the superstitious. He states that ho
took the child with the after-birth, &c., and burned
them, in accordance with the superstitious idea that
such a proceeding would relieve the pains of the
young girl, and prevent inflammation setting in.
The deceased was a servant at the Rectory at
Rimpton, Somerset, her parents living in Dorset-
shire. She left the Rectory with the avowed in-
tention of going home, instead of which she went
to Colmer's house.

Amanda Colracr, daughter of the accused, a rather
good-looking wci!•dressed girl, wearing a white
hat and black feather, said she was in the room on
the Saturday when the deceased was coofined, and
put the child into a basin. The head of it was
about the size of a small walnut. She did not know
what became of the child or the afterbirth. Sho
had never been at a confinement before, but it was
a trifling affair she should imagine.
Dr. Colmer, son of the accused, said that his
father called him to see the deceased, saying that
she was dying. He prescribed for her, and applied
galvanism with great pressure over the lower part
of the bowels, as he considered her dying from in-
ternal hmmorrhage. When he applied pressure the
swelling was at once reduced, and a quantity of
blood passed from her, when she threw back her
head and died immediately. He was present at the
post-mortem, and was of opinion that death was
caused by the means used to prevent hxmorrhage.
His sister Amanda said deceased had told her she
had procured medicine from Sherborne to procure
abortion.

Colmer, the accused, after being duly cautioned,
said that an hour atter midnight on the Saturday
he was called to see the deceased, and believing she
was dying he sent for his son; She died in about
an hour afterwards. Shortly before her death he
gave her medicine and brandy. She then told him
she had miscarried. The child was in a basin, and
was about three inches long. He could not say
whether it vas a boy or a girl, as he did not
examine it. The head was about the size of a
pigeon's egg. He took the child and afterbirth,
and burnt it. He had heard people say that it was
a common thing in the country, to burn the after-
I birth. He took it and burnt it in the ashes shortly
after he saw it.

Dr. Garland stated that he made a post•mortem.
examination of the deceased, in the presence of
Messrs. Tomkins, Alldridge, Colmer, Parsons, and
Coles. He found the organs of the body generally
healthy. The womb was enlarged, and in the left
and posterior part there was an extensive rupture,
which must have been produced by violence. No
medicine could possibly have produced it, nor could
any woman do it herself. It must have been done
by one or more persons. The deceased must have
been pregnant five or six months. He was
Posi-
tive that it was rupture of the navel that caused...
have ,
I death, and that she must have died soon after the
rupture took place. The injury could
n. the
inflicted by instruments or manipulatiovie
de-
organs were perfectly drained of blood.
ceased was a fine and well-formed girlsent at the
The other gentlemen who were Pxreeption of Dr.
post-mortem examination, with the.raeilar testimony.
Colmer, son of the accused, gave el
hish surgical
Tit% knowledge
-,. terrupted him by
ma er
question asked Awlirt.hCroelsepse,
jrii
witnesses,pre°l
of medicine, when the Corontesu
rgeona—Sir Astley
neoe,in. and others—would
observing that many emi
Cooper, Sir Benjamin I,P. ans,ing the Hall.
not deg rade themselv DS'
h s
eoluristress, at Marston, said
she used to write letters Ruth Hodges, a Be-- for the deceased to a young
Steele,
man named John ,
le with whom she kept com-
pany. -0 addressing the jury, explained
The Coroner, in
every man, whether doctor,
that the law .]! ,
linPea or not), or even a "quack," with-
surgeon (cleerainn at all, to bring competent skill to
out any lice() undertook. If he had not the skill he
any ea" d displayed gross ignorance, causing
ale was guilty of ,
death, he lf a man
to procure abort' ton
tempted
.f
he was guilty of
at medical
murder, and i aman procured abortion, and
billed the mother, he Was guilty in the eyes of the
law of wilful murder. If they believed that the
young woman was brought to that house for the
purpose of procuring abortion, and that it resulted
in death, they would have to return a verdict of wil-
ful murder. It was
not onl a matter of great consequence,
y to 'A,ir.
Colmer,
but to the community at
large, as two beings had lost their lives.
A verdict of manslaughter against Ithert Slade
Colmer was .
returned.

-DETERMINED SUlClDE.—Yesterday Dr. Llnkes-
ter received information from Mr. Murray, the sum-
moning officer of St. Pancras, that a middle-aged woman,
named Hedges, residing at No. 3, Exeter-place, Agar-town,
St. Pancras, had drowned herself there in a water-butt. It
appeared that about a fortnight ago she married, being t.len
a widow, and having a large family. On Monday evening.
one of the lodgers went to the water butt 1;9 get sonf,tohic
on-
fortunate when, on getting into the yard, she saw the lehgos
celled out
fortunate woman projecting from the top.
_ST
(deceased's)
"Here's a woman in the eater-butt." I
husband took her out and found her to
was extinct, 1;01 wife. Life