The Telegram. — 1896-03-03 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

SINGULAR DEATH OF A \YUMAN NEEDLE AND WIRE FOUAND HEE HEART.  Sir R. N. Howard, coroner, held an Inquest at Mx Dorset County Asylum on !Monday aftsrneon. touching the death of a married woman named Louisa Peck, , aged 33 years, which occurred uncle: the following ' singular cirimmetances.—Alired Thomas Peek. luartermaster.sergcant and foreman of the works 01 KM, Royal Engineers, stationed at Porttind, ho' band of deceased, teleinged to Rochester. !..hey hici seven children, the last being born in Novesiber last, after which date she became strange in hi mainier. Ou Saturday, the Bth February, she siddenly became very strange, and on Wednesday, the L'lth, he found her in the water closet with her alms tied ro 'rid her neck, and it was evident she bad trio ti strairee herself. He sent for Dr. Lawson, who ,Tiered her removal to the asylum, and she alter 'reit to sot her throat on the way.—Ellen Puddle, a nurse at the Asylum gave evidence AS to attendins deceased up to her death at 3.25 on Friday afternoon. • Or. Maclunald, medical superintendent of the asylinn, stated that Mrs. Peck was admitted on Friday, and appeared to he suffering from acute melancholia. She war. very restless and rambling in her talk, bus did not complain of being in pain. He examined her and found two small pubs', iirep is the left breast, which appeared as if don, be • pin Her mind was so clouded and absent that si,e did not know where she was, and it was impossible in get an reliable statement from her auto her rood-. on. She lalked a great deal oboist some woman balm, ereas inftsenee over her, and it was difficult to induce or to take food. On Friday afternoon she became vs 'y much %horse. Her breathing was quickened and la e ,ored, and she was scarcely conscious. She was eon, antiyrdettid imj , Dr. Ewan, big died somewhat suddenly thatafternoon. Witness, assisted by Dr. Ewan and 0- Iterations's', had mule a post-martem millionths, of She nody , and found is her heart a ~,eoe, of wire and a small darning needle, whisth risen have found its way from the outside. if anyone else bad done it, it could not have been (1,- i.e without her knowledge, as it must have caused core.iderable phi]. Nothing hut a demented mind would have caused her to do it. The piece of wire and the needle had set up inflammation, which was the cause of nee death. they must have been in the body for at leas, ten days or o fortnight. lathe left side of her cher.here waa• large quantity of fluid, where there should have bee, cane. She was under constant supervision night and day !morn her admission until her death, and it •••ould have (seen impossible for her to have punctured :-.erself orfor anyone else to have done so. It must oust been dune before she came into the asylum. Be did not think , the needle passed through the stomach.  The coroner, in summing up, pointed out that v ithin a very short space of time this poor woman at he,. own hoine had twice attempted suicide, wl Leh would clearly prose her to be insane. The husban. lad taken overy care to restrain her by placing the deceaaed in the asylum. From the evidence, there cc id be no thubt that the unfortunate woman, prior t her ado-a/hien into the County Asylum, thrust 'lie needle and wire into her body when in an irrespo s,ble condition. Retell bound to make this remark, would monks to the jury the very best satisfaction I full at the erre and attention which had been brute, -a on the pcor woman from the time she entered the i:oncty Asylum down to the period of her leeesse, by the medical itiperintendent, Dr. Macdonald, his Itio assistants. and the nursing staff. Deceased was neve lot a moment left hy herself, and the treatment sh..-1 spoke moat highly of everybody connected with t. - Dorset Counts Asylum, which was known as one of ihe best in the country. The jury found that the cause of de.itl was pericar• ditis, the vault of deceased having pi r -..cd her left side and heart whilst in a state of insanity