The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-27 00:00:00

DISTRESSING DEATH.

An inquest was held on Wednesday afternoon, before Dr.
Bird Davis, coroner, at Birmingham, touching the death of
Mrs. Maria Ann Kennedy, the wife of Mr. Charles Rann
Kennedy, barrister, who met her death under the following
circumstances :

Mr. Charles Rann Kennedy, husband of the deceased
stated—On Saturday night last, a little after nine o'clock, I
was sitting in the back parlour engaged in reading a book. I
should mention that about quarter of an hour, perhaps 20
minutes before, my wife and children had gone to bed, they
having wished me "good night." My wife had also been in
the room, and said she was going to make a plum pudding.
About a quarter past nine o'clock I heard some one fall down-
stairs, bat not heavily. Some one called out, but the person
did not articulate clearly so that I could hear the words.
At the same time I heard the fall of a candlestick. I went
immediately out of the parlour, and found my wife lying
in a heap at the foot of the stairs, bleeding. I sat down on
the floor and raised her head upon my chest, and found she
was insensible. I called to my children, and my eldest
daughter came immediately, and my eon came directly
afterwards. I sent him to fetch Mrs. Gee, a neighbour,
and Mr. Onions, who had attended my wife before. After
sponging her head I found that she had a wound at the
back of her head, and saw the blood coining horn it. Mrs.
Gee and her husband then came, and Mr. Onions, who lives
near to me, in about seven or eight minutes after it occurred.
Mrs. Gee, with myself and daughter, took her into the
parlour. My wife had come downstairs in her night-dress
without her stockings. Mr. Onions thought she had re-
ceived a contused wound of the head, and he applied some
remedies, but had no idea of apoplexy. He advised that we
should watch her, and if any change should take place he
directed us to fetch him if she became sensible. As she did
not recover at five o'clock, I went for Mr. Onions again
and by his advice went for Mr. Oliver Pemberton. He'
with Mr. Onions, then saw the deceased, and upon exa-
mining the wound in her head, said he was afraid there was
apoplexy, and gave no hopes of her recovery. He pre-
scribed some remedies, and then left, but there was no
change for the better, and she never recovered sensibility,
but died about 11 o'clock on Sunday night. Ido not for a
moment suppose that she threw herself downstairs—not in
the least. My belief was, and is, that the deceased fell
down a part of the stairs, and struck her head, I should
think, against the kitchen door, but I do not know if it was
open or not. Ido not think the sound would have been
such as I should have heard it she had fallen down the
whole of the stairs. I counted the stairs . afterwards, and
there are ten steps. I have not the least knowledge as to
the cause of her fall, but she had a bad foot, a swelling of
the toes, which assumed the form of gout, but I doubt if it
was that, as she had not complained of it for some days,
though the swelling remained. I do not know why she
came downstairs. About five minutes before the fall took
place I heard her call to my son to ask if he had brought
all the things upstairs, meaning the plate, and I think he
replied, I believe sharply, "All right." The sound ap-
peared to come from his room as it the door was shut. She
was always very anxious about the door being fastened. I
think she must have come downstairs to see if the doors
were fastened ; or, as has been conjectured by the servant—
a mere conjecture—that she went downstairs to go into the
kitchen to fetch a night cap, the laundress having, about a
quarter of an hour before she went to bed, brought some
clothes home. The deceased was wearing no night-cap at
the time I found her at the bottom of the stairs. As to her
sobriety, what I know is this : I came home to dinner at
four, and we had dinner together at five, but we only
drank a small bottle of Bass's ale between us, She has not
drunk lately ; has been perfectly free from drinking. She
used to drink some time ago, but I stopped that.
Mr. Onions, surgeon, Bristol-road, said—l was called to
the deceased about half-past nine o'clock on Saturday
night. She was then perfectly unconscious. There was a
swelling at the back of the head, at the junction of the occi-
pital with the parietal bone. There was a contused wound
of a ragged description, and about two inches long down to
the bone. I endeavoured to restore animation, but without
success, I stayed with her for between three and four hours.
I was sent for about five o'clock the next morning, when at
my suggestion, Mr. Pemberton was sent for. The wound
was again carefully examined, but we could find no fracture.
There was no improvement afterwards, and she gradually
1
sank and died in the evening. I have examined the head
of the deceased internally, and find that the skull was frac-
tured to a considerable extent. My opinion is that the im-
mediate cause of the death of the deceased was the fracture
of the skull. There were no other marks of violence upon
the body of the deceased. A fall downatains might produce
the injury to the skull that I have described.
The Coroner briefly summed up, other evidence having
been given, and the Jury at once returned a verdict of
"Accidental death."

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