Held
on view of the body of Sarah MAGUIRE 17 August 1876 in the townland
of Bohill & Village of Killeevan in the Parish of Killeevan & Barony
of Dartry.
Richard QUIGLY identified body
of deceased Sarah MAGUIRE
Ann FAULS. Deposed lives with
in ½ mile of deceased. Knew her. Saw her on first instance
in our house. She was sobbing and lamenting on her hands a slight
mark of blood. She said was caught with the scythe and since
then I have not seen her, though previously often passing our
house going to the Meadows. She made no complaint of being hurt
or unwell. Have often seen her sobbing and crying. Twas commonly
said that deceased and her brother John quarrelled. Never asked
her why she sobbed and cried. Heard her and her brother voices
on the first inst. when passing our house and from his voice
being loud thought twas friendly. From not inquiring why she
sobbed and cried was hearing she and John did not live agreeably.
After leading our house, later in the evening I saw her passing
our house with her brother’s dinner but did not see her
returning.
Mary PRATT. Deposed. I knew deceased
and saw her on the 10th instance in her own house and in bed
and one of her nieces was present. Heard deceased “call
for death”. I never inquired as to her health or what ailed
her. Heard her say that she was murdered. But never asked her
who murdered her. I am second cousin to deceased.
[?] MCQUADE. Knew deceased well
and her brother. Their farms joined and their houses within 50
yards in each other. Recollects first instance saw deceased on
that day in their meadow and also John. Very little of their
grass of it then cut. I passed within 10 perches of them, heard
no conversation between. Having to catch my course on my return
heard deceased crying. Though her voice was like whining. On
last Friday I asked John MAGUIRE how was his sister. When he
replied very bad, I did not ask and what ails her. He said that
on the first instance he and she were in the meadow when deceased
said she was ill and going to faint. He told her to say no such
thing. On this she laid herself down and slept. And when she
awoke she complained of the same. This was about 12 o'clock.
I was not in deceased house till the 15th instance, her brother
John never said to me that I must keep him safe. This took place
on the 11th instance and in allusion to the report of the county
that I should have struck deceased. I heard that deceased had
been my house evening of first instance having called in on her
home going when her finger being tied up she told my wife that
it was by a scythe her hand was cut it did not say how twas cut.
The time that elapsed from my going down for the horse till my
return was three to four minutes and to the best of my knowledge
not more. On the 11th instance I heard conversation with John
MAGUIRE respecting deceased's illness. I never ssaw John lift
his hand to any one of his family.
Jane GRAHAM. Deposed was niece
to deceased and lived three months in the same house. I this
day saw her remains and identifies them as those of the deceased
Sarah MAGUIRE. Recollects the first August when she said she
was cold and shivering with a great weight of sleep I thought
she would you not be able to go to the meadow as John wanted
her opinion about some meadow to be cut but not to work. From
the house to the meadow may be 1 mile. I often saw her in these
Meadows before. Deceased had another niece in the house (Jane
MAGUIRE) who is delicate. John when going to the meadow had a
scythe and deceased had a rake with them, but did not bring it
back. They left between 10 old clock to 11 o'clock. My aunt returned
first, a little after two o'clock and on her return went to bed
as was her usual custom. I observed blood on her hand which he
said was cut by the scythe. After ½ one half hour she
arose. And took her brother's dinner to him. When she arose next
morn to complain of a pain in her breast. Heard her complained
of being ill treated by her brother John on the first instance
in the meadow. Never knew him to striker. Never knew of any arguments
between my uncle and aunt. About last November saw him strike
her with a little rod or switch. Heard deceased on her deathbed
to say that Uncle John had murdered her and that it occurred
on the first August in the meadow and a statement she made on
the eight instance. I heard my sister Mary Jane tell my uncle
John that the voice of the country said he had caused my aunt's
death and this in the kitchen and which he did not bring me or
my sister up to my aunt's bedside to give her an opportunity
of contradicting it. This occurred on the 10th instance. On the
ninth instance deceased went into Clones taken in a cart by uncle.
A jury to Wednesday 23 instance
to be resumed in Kileevan.
Dr. Richard HENRY. Deposed. Made
a post-mortem examination of body of deceased found decomposition
had set in the face and neck greatly swollen and putrified. The
tongue protruding. Externally, a slight incise wound on the middle
finger of the right hand and a slight wound on the forefinger
of the left hand. On opening the chest and abdomen found the
back of the right lung in advance state of pneumonia and the
pleura adherent. Also pneumonia in a portion of the left lung.
The other viscera was healthy. The disease in the lungs was the
cause of death.
Dr. Alexander HENRY. Deposed.
Having made a postmortem of body of deceased (as follows see
Dr. R HENRY’s above) the pneumonia might have commenced
on or about the first August, and which a severe or hurt or wound
would cause. But in this case there was no evidence of such having
occurred in knock down and lying in a meadow for some time.[?]
hour or two would probably lead to it. The swelling of the head
and neck would arise from putrification. Deceased having died
on the 13th and a postmortem having been made on the 17th exhibited
a greater amount of putrification than I would have expected.
The state of decomposition was such that I could not discover
any evidence of bruises having occurred previous to death. Though
such might have occurred without my being able to discover it;
a person lying down say for an hour or two in damp grass would
account for pneumonia.
Adjourned. Pending Mr. Hare FOSTERs
recovery from severe illness at the instance of the Crown prosecutor
Mr. DUDGEON, on the second September learned from Sergeant of Newbliss Police that on Monday 4th
instance W.H. FOSTER would attend the inquest on this I wrote
him, word I would attend on that day which I did. But on reaching
there I found no one there to aid in the further prosecuting
the inquiry. Neither on the part of the Jury, the Crown, the
prisoner or a single witness. On this I saw Mr. FOSTER and
arranged for Wednesday the 6th instance to meet and we hope to
conclude the inquest and when returned called on the police and
gave them words to that effect; Adjourned to 6 September 1876
6 September 1876. Attended at
the usual place of holding this inquest on this day, but from
the absence of Mr.DUDGEON who has the charge of it on behalf
of the crown the case could not be proceded with and consequently
was further adjourned till Wednesday the 20th instance
20 September 1876. On this day
attended agreeable to adjournment. Mr. DUDGEON, Mr. Inspector
Smith and the jury were in attendance, but Mr. FOSTER not having
returned from the Shore and there being no further evidence to
offer and the Jury being quite satisfied with the amount of evidence
received consulted amongst themselves and expressed the opinion
that deceased death arose from natural causes.
Verdict. Death on 13 August 1876
from natural causes. |
