Between 10 and 11 p.m. on Wednesday week a woman was found lying behind Messrs Menlove and Co.'s premises, George street, in an apparently dying state. She could not speak at the time. The place was searched, a phial containing laudanum was found, and she was recognised by the Police as a woman of the name of Isabella Tassy On enquiries being made, it was found that she had got an ounce of laudanum from the shop of Mr Bagley, chemist, that evening. She was taken to the Hospital, where emetics were given to her, and she was kept up all night. She had so far recovered herself as to admit of her being brought up at the Mayor's Court next morning on a charge of attempting to commit suicide. -Otago Witness, 13/1/1872.
INQUEST.
An inquest was held at Bristol House, Cumberland street, on the 26th instant, by Dr Hocken and a Jury, on the body of Isabella Tassy — one of the females living in that notorious establishment, and who was found dead on her bed during the previous morning.
William Hall, the proprietor of Bristol House, being sworn, said he had known the deceased for the last five years. She had been living at Bristol House for the past eighteen months. She was living under the protection of one Andrew Montgomery. She was 31 years of age, and a native of England. From what his daughter told him, he went to deceased's room on Monday morning, and found she was quite dead. She was quite cold, so he saw it was no use to send for a doctor, and he went straight for a policeman. Deceased was lying across the bed on her face, her right arm extended, and the other doubled under her chest. Her mouth and nose were in the blankets. Her feet were touching the floor. She was dressed as when she left the tea table on Sunday evening. The bedclothes had not been disturbed; one corner of the blanket was slightly turned over, as if she had attempted to get into bed but had not had the power. Deceased was in the habit of being out late at night. During the past few days she had been very steady; about a fortnight before she had been taken up for being intoxicated. She took a good deal of drink, and was generally stupefied in her manner. She was in the habit of taking largely of laudanum, and would take an ounce at a time, two or three times a week, and also took opium. She would take a glass of brandy and an ounce of laudanum at a time. She was careful never to let any one see her take it. She had to take laudanum medicinally. She had got it at the Hospital when she was there. She had a pain and could not do without it. After she went to bed, nothing was seen or heard of her till she was found dead next morning. There were strangers sleeping upstairs on Sunday night, but there was no one in her room, or in the room next to hers. Montgomery went away on Sunday. He told her that he was going to sea for six months. They seemed to separate on friendly terms. She seemed rather put about over his departure. She said it would be a long time before she would see him again, and that she could not call on him for her support. She had no other means of support than Montgomery, and was a fortnight in arrears for board, and could not pay it up. It was once said before than she had intended to commit suicide — it was the time she was found stupefied behind Menlove's — by taking laudanum, but she then denied she had an intention to commit suicide. On search being made during the inquiry on that occasion, fifteen laudanum bottles were found under her bed: it appeared she took it regularly; and she was discharged. Mr Bagley, who supplied her with laudanum, said at that time that he had sold her quarts of it. Witness thought from deceased's appearance that she had taken laudanum before her death. Deceased was generally in a sort of stupefied state, and had been suffering from distress of mind for years.
Mary Ann Hall, daughter of the last witness, deposed that she sometimes lived at Bristol House, and sometimes at her father's farm on the Peninsula. Witness last saw deceased at about twenty minutes to eight on Sunday evening. She was then sitting in the kitchen. She said she felt tired and sleepy, and that she would go to bed, and complained of having a pain in her back. Witness gave her a candle, and she left the room to go to bed. Next morning she was found dead on her bed. From her appearance witness believed she must have taken laudanum on Sunday: there was always a change in her appearance whenever she took it.
Dr Alexander deposed that he had made a post-mortem examination of the body of the deceased. There were no marks of violence. The head and the upper part of the chest were intensely livid. From the appearance of the blood he was of opinion death had been caused by suffocation, or by taking opium. Coupling the statement that she was in the habit of taking laudanum, and also as to the position in which she was found, with what he observed on making the post mortem, he inferred that she took laudanum, became stupefied, and lying on her face was suffocated. Her nose was flattened down a little from pressure. He scarcely thought death was caused by taking opium, because a person in the habit of taking it could take it in large quantities.
The Coroner stated that Mr Bagley had written him a letter stating he had known her for many years as a purchaser of laudanum. She was a regular laudanum drinker, and had no doubt taken many gallons during that time.
Dr Hocken read from Mr Bagley's "Sale of Poison Register." The book showed deceased had purchased in the sixteen days preceding her death, five ounces of laudanum and six drachms of opium.
Sergeant Dean then gave evidence. There was nothing in the appearance of the room in which he saw deceased lying dead to rouse suspicion. Everything was quite undisturbed as if death had ensued without a struggle. The top of deceased's nose was a little bent from lying on it. Witness was of opinion she bad been sitting on the side of the bed, and becoming stupefied, fell into the position in which she was when found. Witness then produced a number of empty laudanum bottles, which he found in deceased's room.
Dr Hocken said that was all the evidence. The evidence seemed abundantly to show that there was nothing suspicious in the circumstances attending the deceased's death, and he thought the jury might fairly take Dr Alexander's opinion as to the cause of death, as being sufficient. It was very probable that she took a dose of laudanum through her lover leaving her for six months — she was rather low-spirited, it appeared — and that she became stupefied, fell on her face, and was suffocated. The Jury were of opinion that the deceased died from suffocation, whilst under the influence of laudanum.
Dr Hocken: There is no evidence of suicide in the case.
The Jury would not give it as their verdict that death was accidental, leaving that an open question.
Dr Hocken thanked the Jury for their attendance, and the proceedings then terminated. -Otago Witness, 30/5/1874.
Isabella Tassy was buried in an unmarked grave in Dunedin's Northern Cemetery, in an area of paupers' graves.
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