The Miner and Workman's Advocate. — 1864-11-26 (London, England)

THE ISLE OF MAN.—His Worship Samuel Harris, High Bailiff of. Douglas, acting as coroner, and t a jury, were engaged on Friday and Saturday last in I investigating the cause of the death of Margaret Kelly, I who had died under such suspicious circumstances that I her husband, John Kelly, better known in Douglas under the sobriquet of" JohnnyMasheeney," was at once taken into custody in order to await the issue of the inquiry. It appeared front the evidence that the deveased and her husband were ofvery dissolute and intemperate habits, and occupied two rooms in a house in i ,Tynwald-court, one of the vilest of the many vile slums lin Douglas—a haunt of thieves and other bad characters. , On Thursday night week, about six o'clocli, the husband I :went into the house, found his wife lying drunk on. ; the floor, and a man named Kewley sitting at the fire I 'close to her. According to the evidence of this man, when the husband came in he used a foul expression to , his wife, and threatened to "put his foot through her." ! 'Shortly afterwards he acked her what she, had done with the money arising, from the sale of some ducks which ;they had stolen. It seems that she had promised that ,when she had sold the stolen poultry she would give :Inin half the proceeds, but she now refused to give him ;any satisfaction I).S to what she had done with the money. At this he became enraged, and he gave her a kick or a shove, as the witness described it. T ids witness ithen left them together, and from that time to close upon eleven o'clock the evidence left almost a complete !blank as to their proceedings. A sickly and aged woman, however, who lived in the room immedia ely undeineath, stated that she could hear them qu erelling about eight o'clock, and that she heard' a noise as if the man was kicking his wife; the deceased groaning, and saying, "Now, don't strike me, Johnny." There was nothing whatever heard from this time until. shortly before eleven o'clock, when the prisoner called upon Dr. Ring and asked him to go down to his wife, as she was either dying or (lead. Dr. Ring at once hurried down, and judging from the rigidity of the corpse, it was evident the woman had been dead some hours. A. doubt arising as to whether, owing to her intemperate habits, the deceased might not have died in a fit, the inquest I was adjourned from Friday night to Saturday afternoon., On Saturday morning Drs. Snell, Fleming, and Ring made' a careful _post mortent examination of the body and espe-i cially as to whether or not the wound on the forehead was" the carve of death. Ti e medical evidence was to the effect that there was considerable effusion on the brain, immediately beneath the wound. This effusion had no doubt ,been collecting for some time; and the woman being in a state of intoxication and excitement, the injuries she had received resulted, in her death. he jury retired at six o'clock on Saturday night, and after an hour's dcliberation returned the following verdict—" That the deceased died from serous apoplexy, accelerated by blows. or kicks inflicted on her by her husband, John Keily.'l' IHis Worship said that upon that verdict it would be his duty to commit the prisoner to Castle Rushen, to stand his trial for wilfulmurder. The inquiry caused immeuse excitement in Douglas, and during the proceedings the Court was densely crowded.