The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1901-01-26 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

DOMESTIC SERVANT'S SUICIDE.  A ROCK FERRY SENBATION.  On Tuesday morning Mr. Cecil Holden, borough coroner, conducted an inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of Edith Mary Cowderoy, aged 14 years, daughter of Henry Cowderoy, a storekeeper residing at 10, Livingstone-road, Tranmere. Up to the time of her death deceased was a domestio servant employed by Mr. Pratt, of 13, Rockvilie-street, Rock Ferry.  Mr. Cowderoy, father of 'deceased, stated that his daughter was fairly healthy, and did not complain of any pardcular disease at any time. He had never heard her threaten to take her life. On Sunday, 18th January, she visited him, and told him she had won a watch in a competition. Her father, who wished to ascertain the truth of the statement, sent a letter to the place from which deceased said she had received the watch, and subsequently the letter was returned. On Sunday last, between five and six o'clock, she came home, and in the course of a conversation with her, he checked her for being untruthful. Without making any reply she went upstairs, and later on was missed from the house. So soon vs this was disoovered. he and his wife, thinking from the manner in which deceaseo went out, there was something wrong with her, went out to search for her. He went down towards the shore, while hie wife went t, Mr. Pratt's house. He oould not see her, and after looking about for some time, he returned home. He had never seen the bottle (produced) which had been found at the bedside, and did not keep such a thing in the house as carbolic acid. His wife had on one occasion been in an asylum, but be knew nothing of his daughter's having been insane. The coroner, addressing the jury, said the mother should be called to give evidence. but as she had been in an asylum it might be bad for her to be called. _  Mr. Edward Pratt, deceased's master, was then called. He Saited that on Saturday lost ' at about a quarter to six in the evening, the deceased girl came back to his house, after paying a visit to her parents, and went upstairs to her bedroom. Shortly afterwards her mother came in, and hie wife (Mrs. Pratt) then called upstairs to see if she was all right. Deceased answered to the call and Mrs. Cowderoy waited, however, for same time, and as deoeseed did not then make her appearance, they again called, and this time received no answer from the ' girl. Witness than went upstairs, accompanied by Mrs. Cowderoy, and on trying the door of the girl's bedroom found it looked. On breaking in the door, they saw deceased lying on the bed in an uncomic-ions condition, and with the blue bottle, which had contained carbolic acid, lying on the dressing-table at the side of the bed. He dispatched Mrs. Cowderov for a doctor, and in the interval, before she returned, administered an emetics of mustard and, water. Dr. Barry arrived immediately afterwards, and in spite of all be could do, the girl died shortly afterwards. Witness did not keep such a thing in Me how* as carbolic acid, and had never seen the bottle before. In answer to the foreman, witness said he had noticed, at times, a wild appearance in the eyes of deceased. She wile rather excited at time., P.C. Donegan stated that he had made inquiries at all the chemists' shops in the district of Rock Ferry, but had been unable to find where the bottle had beau bought. At one shop he found a stock of bottles like the one produced, but found that whereas the bottles kept there had red labels, the one in questioa had no label at all, and had only had upon it a piece of stamp paper. Dr. Derry stated that on Saturday last, at about half-past five, he was called to 'Fee deceased, end fonnd her lying on the bed in the bedroom, He noticed that her lips were white, end that, in fact, all the symptoms of carbolic acid poisoning were present. He administered emetics, and attended the girl until her death half-an-hour later. He had since made a post-mortem examination, and found the body wellnourished. The cause of death was shozls to the system consequent upon the local effect of the acid. The Coroner then addressed the jury, and said that was all the evidence_ in the case. It was very plain that the elute of death was in accordance with the testimony of the doctor, but what they had to decide was the state of the girl's mind at the time of her suicide. It was a pity they could not discover where the poison had been purchased, because carbolic acid was not a registered poison, but it was of course possible for it to be purohased at paint shops, etc., so that it would be difficult to find where the girl obtained it. The jury, after a few minutes' deliberation, returned a verdict of "Suicide whilet temporarily insane."