The Empire, Saturday 22 July 1871
(Sydney, New South Wales)

CORONER’S INQUEST
The city coroner held an inquest yesterday at the Australian Inn, Parramatta-street, touching the death of Elizabeth Trevithick, who was found dead in bed the previous morning. Elizabeth Trevithick said: I am in the service of Mrs. Abigail, of Goulburn-street, Sydney. Deceased was my mother, and resided at 27, Linden-lane, off Parramatta-street. She was thirty-nine years of age, a native of Cornwall England. She has been in the colony about nineteen years. She has been seventeen years married. He husband is alive, and is at present at Tambaroora employed at a crushing machine. She has left seven children. I am the eldest. The last time I saw her alive was on last Monday morning, at her residence. She then complained of a pain in her chest. She has been complaining for the last three weeks. I did not observe that she was suffering from cold. My father has not been in Sydney for the last eight months. Deceased was near her confinement. For the last three weeks she has taken a little pale brandy for the pain in her chest. Her children were the only persons living with her. I and my eldest brother live away from home. Previous to the last three weeks she enjoyed good health. She has not been under medical treatment.—Emma Trevithick said: I am twelve years of age. I live with my mother. For the last three weeks she has complained of pain in her stomach and heartburn. She put a mustard plaster on her chest last week. She took three-pennyworth of laudanum on Monday. That was the only time I got laudanum for her. A woman in our lane gave her a bottle of medicine on Monday. She has been confined to her bed since Monday. She took a shilling’s worth of brandy daily. I went twice daily for her. My other sister also went for her. She has had nothing to eat since Monday. I and my four sisters were the only ones in the house. I prepared the meals. I got some corn-flour on Monday for my mother, but she would not take it. I have been at home since Monday. I and my sisters slept in the same room with deceased. On last Wednesday night she would not speak. I spoke to her, but she did not answer me. She was groaning. She was in bed by herself. When I got up yesterday morning I called her, but got no answer. She was not making any noise, and was quite still. My younger sister said she was not breathing, and I called a neighbour. I then found she was dead. I went to bed about 9 o’clock last Wednesday night; about 12 o’clock I heard my mother singing. Sometimes she would have a glass of ale as well as the pale brandy.—Adele Fifer said: I reside in Linden-lane. I have known deceased for the last eighteen months. Sometimes she drank very hard. For the last eight months I have not seen her drinking anything, or drunk. On Tuesday last I saw her at the top of the lane. She asked me for some money. Thinking she wanted to purchase drink I would not give her any. I do not think she was sober at the time. On Sunday morning last she sent for me. On my arrival I found her lying by the fire with a mustard poultice on her chest. She said she was very ill and unable to swallow anything, as she had been retching for two or three days before. She complained of pain in her chest. I went over to Dr. Mallon’s chemist, Parramatta-street, and told him what she said was the matter with her. He gave me a draught, with instructions as to the manner she should take it. I gave her the bottle of medicine. I called on her on Monday morning, and found her very ill. She was then complaining of pain in her chest. She said she got no relief from what she had taken.—Dr. Schuette said: I examined the body of deceased. There were no external marks of injury. I am of the opinion that the cause of death was pulmonary apoplexy.—Verdict—Death from apoplexy of the lungs, accelerated by intemperance.

Contributed by Bob Bolitho