Bargoed Journal. — 1909-08-12 (Gelligaer, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

CAERPHILLY HOUSEKEEPER'S END.  Mr. David District Co:•oner, held an inquiry at the Caerphilly Police Court on Tuesday afternoon into the circumstances attending the death of Annie Sanders, housekeeper to Mr. T. Davies, Castle Street, Caerphilly. . • _ _ _  Mr. Wm. I)evie4 wx% foreoun of the jury. _  George Sanders, 42, Castle Street, gardener, said deceased was his wife, and was 52 years of age. She died at 11.30 p.m. on Sunday, August Bth. She had been ill with influenza a few weeks ago, and on Saturday at mid-day she complained of pains in the head. She had been complaining of her head and heart for several days. For some time past she had occasionally been low-spirited. On Sunday night she became unconscious. The doctor came down between 5 and 6on Sunday night. He did not know until then that she had taken poison. He did not ask her if she had. On Saturday he was told that she bad taken cat bolic acid, and she told him she had taken a little on Sandal,. Asked why she did it she said she was so bad she did not know what she was doing. She had not threatened to commit suicide, but. had complained that she was tired of her life since she had been ill. There were no children. She had never been lowspirited before having the influenza. She had not the least gnarrel, as fat as he was aware, with. anyone. There was nothing he knew of to trouble her.  Mr. T. Davies, Castle Street, said deceased was his housekeeper. About 2 o'clock on Saturday afternoon Mr. Sanders asked him to step up and he found in the In droom some crude carbolic acid, usually used in the house for disinfecting purposes. He could detect its presence in a glass in the room. About a fortnight previously she had been unwell and had since been depressed. She had never said anything to lead him to believe she would do anything of the kind. She had been with him about four years. 2 Dr. Herbert Alfred Tillman, physician and surgeon, assistant to Dr. Thomas, said he attended deceased about 2 o'clock on Saturday afteraoon. Deceased was then unconscious. He saw the glass containing a few drops of crude carbolic acid. There were also symptoms of poisoning— the unconsciousness, contracted pupils, loss of reflexes, burning and staining of the mouth and throat, and the peculiar whitish stain usnally given by acid. After 2 or 3 hours she recovered consciousness. Death was due to carbolic acid poisoning and to heart failure and the collapse, due to the poisoning. She had had a sharp attack of influenza, and got up rather too soon, in her anxiety about the work.  The Coroner, in summing up, said they had to inquire into the cause of death and also into the state of the mind. The most merciful view to take was that there was a state ot temporary insanity. In this case, which differed from many, there was evidence to show that the d°• ceased had for some time at least been in a strange state of *mind, probably occasioned by her illness.  The jury returned a verdict that deceased died from carbolic acid poisoning which she took whilst in au un3ound state of mind ; that they thought that her state of mind A'3% oteAlioned by her recent illne3a.