Sarah Anne Tohill, (1861-10/1/1905). "painfully sudden"

A painfully sudden death occurred on the 10th inst in the train reaching Dunedin from Port Chalmers at 2.52 p.m. Mrs Sarah Tohill, wife of John Tohill, a railway platelayer, of Ravensbourne, joined the train at Ravensbourne at 2.41 p.m., and shortly afterwards was noticed to faint. Assistance was given to her, but she did not recover consciousness, and on arrival in Dunedin Dr Martin, who was summoned, pronounced life to be extinct. Mrs Tohill had been troubled with shortness of breath lately, and had sought medical advice. It is supposed that she must have hurried to catch the train. She was about 45 years of age, and leaves, it is said, 18 children, the youngest of whom is three months old. The body was taken back to Ravensbourne on the next tram. At the inquest, Annie Isabel Tohill, residing with her parents at Ravensbourne, daughter of the deceased, stated that her mother was in good health, and the only complaint she made, so far as witness knew, was that she suffered from occasional shortness of breath. Deceased was nursing her last baby, three months old. and was in her usual health when she proceeded to town on the previous day. She had complained for years, and talked of seeing a medical man; but never did so. On the day of her death she had to hurry to catch the train to town. Whenever she ran she suffered from shortness of breath, and suffered in the same manner after any exertion. Dr R. Martin stated that he was called to attend the train on its arrival in town, and on proceeding there he found deceased in a railway carriage, and after examination pronounced her to be quite dead. He had since examined the body, and concluded that she had not been in good health for some time, there were evidences of trouble since her last confinement, and she was suffering from white leg. One of her legs was much swollen, and was very much larger than the other, and she had oedema in both legs. These symptoms, together with the history of her shortness of breath, would indicate that heart disease was the cause of death. The body was well nourished, and there were no marks of violence. The cause of death was heart disease, which was probably of long standing. The Coroner said there could be no doubt death resulted from heart disease, and a verdict in accord with the medical testimony was returned.  -Otago Witness, 18/1/1905.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin. DCC photo.