Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1871-08-19 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER.  On Monday afternoon, Mr J. T. Hoyle, coroner, held an inquest at the Old Queen's Head Inn, Pilgrim-street, on the body of the deceased woman, Elizabeth Kirk.—lsabella Smith, wife of William Smith, engineer, deposed that the deceased was her sister. Deceased was 33 years of age, and lived in the Queen's Head Yard with a mau whose name she (witness) understood was Thomas Ratchford. She supposed her sister lived with him as his wife without being married.—Maria Peacock, wife of Ralph Peacock, said she did not know Elizabeth Kirk till .Friday afternoon last, when she went to the Ridley Arms Inn, to seek her husband, and saw the deceased talkiug to him. There were some other persons present. She did not hear anything take place that afternoon to lead to anything that afterwards occurred. On the following morning, about ten minutes to nine o'clock, she saw her husband and the deceased go again into the Ridley Arms, and she followed them in. Her husband called for three glasses of ale, and then went out to get some tobacco, having first drank off his beer. She and the deceased drank some of their glasses. They were standing opposite the counter, beside the window, when Thomas Ratchford, now present, came in, and said to the deceased, "Where's that silver ring you have belonging to me ?" She replied, " Its in a small cream jug on the mantle piece, where you keep your matches." He took her by the arm, called her by her name, and said, "You —." He wanted her to go and seek him the ring, and she said she would not go for fear of being murdered, or something to that effect. He then tool: up his hand and gave her a bat on the face. As he lifted his hand she did not think it was a heavy blow. After deceased was hit she made a sort of reel twice or thrice roundi the bar, then she fell towards her (witness) and a young man, and before they could get her steadied, she fell with the back of her head on the floor of the bar. She thought it was a fit, and got some water and bathed deceased's temples with it. Deceased was carried into the yard to get the air, and she (witness) then left her with some -other parties until she went to a chemist's shop. As she was coming back she met Thomas Ratchford, and told him she thought the woman was dying, awl he had better go and seek a doctor. He returned with her to the yard, and after looking at the deceased lie went to seek a doctor, as she thought. After deceased was struck she called Ratchford "a murdering thief.* She made a sort of murmur after they took her out int& the yard, but they could not make out what she said.—Dr Hume deposed that he made an external and internal examination of the body of the de- ' ceased on Saturday evening. There were no external marks of violence. The vessels of the brain were very much congested—that was to say full of blood. At the lower part of the brain and upper part of the spinal marrow there was a large clot of blood. This was the cause of death. Ile had no doubt the rupture of the vessel was from the blow with,the hand. The symptoms produced came on before she fell. Deceased's liver was enlarged in a way generally produced by a life of intemperanee in drink. This would make the blood vessel more likely to rupture than it would be in a healthy subject. It would not require a blow of great violence at this particular place to produce the rupture of the vessel.—The jury returned a verdict of " Manslaughter " against Thomas Ratchford.