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DEATH AT THE ADELAIDE HOSPITAL.At the Out-patient*’ Dispensair on Saturday morning tbe City Coroner held an inquest on the body of Jane Cole (the wife of James Ormond Cole, a collector of debt*, residing in Roper-street), who was admitted into the Hospital on February 4. and died there on the following day. Mr. Cole said they bad been married eleven years, and had one child. They bad lived at Adelaide, Venus Bay, and Smithtield at intervals, and had always got on well together. 8be used to assist witness in nil business. He lived in Adelaide eight or nine years, in various parts of the city. A mouth ago they had words. Deceased scratched Cole’s face, and he retaliated by striking her m the face with hia open hand. 8he seemed upset afterwards. They had not quarrelled during tbe last few days Hia wife had left to stay with a Mrs. Aries about a fortnight ago. He could not account for the black mark which disfigured the deceased's left •ye. He had been drinking lately, but knew what be had been doing. His wiio had to his knowledge been the worse for liquor on two occasions only. Dr. J. Astles said he was called to see deceased on February 3. She was at her own house in Roper-street, sitting on a couch in a semi conscious condition. He found recent bruise* over each temple and great tenderne** at the back of the head. Deceased became conscious in half an hour, and expressed herself as feeling very ilL The husband, who was preeeot in a half-drunken condition, said be wished to put witness on the alert, and, pointing to hi* wife, said, She sava I struck her yesterday on the chest. Ho examined her chest and noticed a depression at the sternal end of the third and fourth riba on the right side, but could detect no fracture. Her breath did not smell of spirits, although some neighbour who was present said she was not of temperate habits. He oonduded that there was cerebral hemorrhage and prescribed for her accordingly, lie called again during the afternoon, but deceased was then at a neighbour's house In Wakefield-street He went to the place and discovered that she had fallen into a convulsion and bad severely bruised her left eye There was also an abrasion on the left cheek. He requested Mrs. Aries, at whose house the woman was, to take charge of her, and she did so. He visited the place again in the evcniog and the next morning. Deceased gradually got worse, and as ahe never recovered speech he ordered her removal to the Hospital. On the first visit to deceased at her home the husband behaved in a most thoughtless manner. Albert Samuel Tren cove, baker, said ho was at Cole’s house st 10.45 on Wednesday morning. The boy was •creaming at the doorway. He went into the parlour and saw Mrs. Cole on the floor. He called in soma of the neighbours. Cole was in tbe bedroom, sittting on the side of the bed. He told him his wife was ill, sod asked him wbat was to be done. He came out and sent his boy for a doctor. Cole appeared to be the worse for liquor. Jane Dodd, married woman, living in Roper-street, next door to the Coles, said that deceased and her husband had lived comfortably together until the last few days, wben quarrels had been heard in their house. On January 29 Mrs. Colo and her sister were calling Ole a drunken beast and vagabond, but deceased had always given her husband the best of characters. Ole had been drinking heavily lately. Dr. Poulton, senior House Surgeon at the Adelaide Hospital, ■aid deceased was admitted about 2 p.m. on February 4. She was in a state of seni-consciousnesa. She was partially paralyzed on the right side. She suffered from a convulsive fit shortly after admission, and a series of them during the evening and night Decessed never regained full consciousness, and died at 2 a.ro. on February 5. He mode a post-mortem examination of the body. Tbe cause of death was an effuaion of fluid in the brain membranes. Elizabeth Aries, of Wakefield-street, said she took deceased to her bouse, and while there ahe fell down in a hi and received the black eye” by this means. Jane Clark, mother of deceased, said her daughter had often complained ot her husband's ill usage. Jonah Cole,8 years of age, son of the deceased. said he had seen his father beat his mother with his fists and a ruler. On one occasion he made her note bleed. On the morning wben the doctor saw her she had been beaten. The Jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, and added that there was no evidence to show bow the marks on the body of the deceased were caused. At the request of the Jury the Coroner severely oensured Cole for his inhuman conduct towards his wife.
Newspaper Details
Adelaide Evening Journal
Adelaide, South Australia, AU
Mon, Feb 08, 1886
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Alison D.
AU 07 Jul 2023
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