Denton Examiner, Audenshaw, Hooley Hill and Dukinfield Advertiser. — 1878-01-12 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

TIIE INQUEST.  On Friday afternoon Mr F. W. Johnoon held an inquest on the body in the boardroom of the Union Workhouse, Stockport, when the following evidence Ira. given : Maria Shepley paid she was the wife of the deceased, and resided in Mary's Court, of Union street, Hyde. Her husband had been a self actor minder, and was Si years of age. Be bad been suffering from consumption for two years, and had worked only fur a few weeks during the last twelve months They had been in re-ipt of pariah relief since August last, He hal been coullued to bed for 1501110 time. About 9 o'clock on the morning of the 10th of December last she was downstairs,when she heard the child crying upstairs. It was lying upstairs in the same room, but not in the same bed, as her husband. She hastened upstairs and saw her hue. ! MIMI attempting to get into bed. She went and ' took up the child and saw some blood ou the bedclothes. She said to her husband, " What have you been doing aud ee replied, "Have 2" Her husband then went downstairs, and she followed with the child. Immediately after her husband's brother came into the house, and she told him what took place. Her husband was removed to the Stockport Workhouse Hospital the name day, and the child died the followiug Wednesday, the 12th. She dii not see her hue band again alive, but she saw the body Weill:m.l4y evening last. Sergeant Lowe said he was stationed in the !I Hyde Constabulary Division, and wag present ! at the inquest over the deceased child. The jury returned at that inquest a verdict of wilful murder against the father, who was from that time up to his death in custody en that charge. George John Boothroyd said he was hospital nurse at the Stockport Workhouse. The de- ! ceased was brought into the hospital at six o'clock in the evening of the 10th of December last. He appeared to be suffering from con- ! gumption, and appeared to be in the last stages of the disease. He got weaker gradually, and died in his presence at ten o'clock oa Wednes day morning last. Deceased was in charge of the county police from coming into the hospital up to his death. Dr. Darlington said 'is was medical superintendent at ti.• Stockp,,rt Workhouse Hospital. He saw the deceased on the morning after his admission to the hospital. Deceased was attended the previous evening by the deputy. superintendent. When he (witness) saw the deceased he app t -,red quite ratioeal and of perfectly sound min. ,but warislmost in the laststage ofcougumption. He bad a jagged wound on the left sidelof the throat,which had been:attended to and which was of a superficial nature. There was also a superficial wound on the abdomen. Both wounds had since nearly healed, and they had little or no influence io c.,using death. He was of opinion that consumption was the cause of death, and that deceased would have died if the wounds had not been inflicted.—ln reply to I a juror, witness said he wai positive death was caused by consumption and not by the wounds. Constable Dawson, of the Stockport Division I of the Cheshire Constabulary, said he had been in charge of the deceased, who was handed over to him in custody on the 10th of December for wilful murder. The prisoner died on Wednesday lest. ! The Coroner briefly summed up, and said that the medical evidence proved that the wounds It,. deceased had inflicted up in himself were only superficial, and not the cause of death, but that death resulted from consumption. Had it been otherwise it would have been the duty of the jury to inquire into the state of the deceased's mind at the time he had inflicted those wounds. He thought that their verdict should be that the deceased while in custody in the Stockport Workhouse on a charge of murder died there.  Tbe jury concurred sad returned a verdict accordingly.