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WOLLOMBI.-INQUEST ON MRS.
MATHEWS.
(.From an occasional OorrapondentJ
You were kind enough to insert in your Saturday's
issue, a brief statement relativa to the disappearance of
Mrs. Mathews I must now most respectfully request
you to spare room in your valuable columns for the evi-
dence adduced at the inquest held yesterday (Saturday),
at Wells' Hotel, before James Dalyell, Esq , P.M, and
a jury of twelve, of which Mr. Michael Byrnes was ap-
pointed foreman. I shall condense the evidenoe as
briefly as I can, consistently with the importance of the
case and the extraordinary excitement it has occasioned
in tha town and neighbourhood.
Thomas Mathews, (husband to deceased) being duly
sworn, states (in answer to various questions put by the
Coroner) That he had seen the body now lying in Tur-
ner's paddock, a short distance only from his house and
near the road side, thinks it was after dinner, might
be 2 or 3 o'clock p m , last saw her alive about 8 o'clock
on Tuesday evening last, she went out about that time ;
missed her in about 10 minutes, she bad previously
spoke to him under verandah , she said " What have I
done that you are all [plotting and planning to do me an
injury " I made no reply from fear of irritating her.
About ten minutes after missing her I sent my daughter,
Louisa, to a neighbours (Gallway's) about 60 rods off, to
enquire if she was there, could hear nothing of her No
further atepa wore tiken that night to discover her, but
after searching mysrlt a short time around the premises
I went to bed In the morning (Wednesday) 1 sent my
second daughter, Sarah, to Mr Crothers and other neigh-
bours , could hoar nothing of her Went myself about
six a m and aearohod a portion of the road where the
tracks were, looked about the road, around the house,
Ac, without su<*oosb Informed Constable Drew, who
»as out early that morning on bis way to mill Totd
my e de»t daughter ab ut nine o'olock to report to
benior Constable lltoinpsoi. Got Joseph Delandres and
Alfred brooman to go round the creek, and examine
swamp <£c., I se* arated from thom and went alone and
s arched then lges until two o'olock p m Bernai el at
home all that oveiury, being fatigued anl ill , thinks his
thne gula were also at home, son John was out, was
b itlm.¿ my head with vinegai all afternoon , remained
at humo from then, and nil night, till Thursday morn-
ing, sent my boys to mike fires on the ridges , found
myself so ill at IO u clock, obliged togo to bed agun,
did not go out till evening , searohed the ridgCB again ,
remained out about an hour and a half In my absence
banior Constable thompson sent for me , was unable to
ga being ill, Bent my daughter to bim , friday was m
bed from stokneas till 9 o clock am , constables and
neighbours were out, I was not, heard from Mrs Goll
wiy about 3pm the body of my wif« waa found in tur-
ner s piddock , went out directly to her , found her lay-
ing on her face quila dead , had had no quarrel nor any
words with my wife on tho day ( tuesday) abe left; home,
had reason to suppose Bhe wns not in her senses
during last two months, she used to say "everybody
waa talking about ber " bli** had been away on the
Sunday previous I found her, and cautioned my chil-
dren to watch her Deceased said, " the children would
put things into her mouth when she was asleep and
into ber tea," and, also, " that I had had dogs thrown
into her bed to her " Had ao bonnet or shawl on when
she left home-consequently had no thought of her being
away far trim the house-Ihe father's evidence waa
followed by that of bia son John, his daughters Louisa
and Sarah, and in substance is much the samo, but I
very much regret to add-and truth compels me to do so
-that there were bo many discrepancies in their con-
tradictory evidai oe,tuaithoCoroner wasobliged to notice
it in terms of severe reproof. I therefore forbear giving
the details further than that which attracted the most
attontioD, viz -IheeldeBt girl was q lestioned minutely
us to tha calling of senior oonstahle lbompson on lhnrs»
diy afternoon, about Jor 4 o clock, Mr lhompBon asked
for her father, she answered ho was gone out The
Coroner asked her on oatb if lur father was not in
tho bouse at ihe time, and, after deliberating at least a I
quarter of an hour before any answer oould bo ob-
tained, she believed her father was in the house -The
evidence of Chas Mitchell went to prove that ou the
evening of Tuesday, 19 th, about seven o dook, he last saw
Mrs Mut bows near the creek, opposite the clergyman a
ground , sbo had a dog with her, seemed wandering in
her mind and he directed her, and put her
on the way towards her home The evidence of constable
Drew proved the exertions he, with the neighbours
around had takau In searching every likely and unlikely
spot, and also that on the If ridky he was out all day till
3pm, wheu, in company with Geoige Woodbury and
Delaudres, tbey discovered the body , she was
laying with her face on the ground-left hand
under her us if bearing on it, the right hand ander
her chest, some blood on ber cheek, a piece of calico
tied taBfc round her neck with an half-knot, bul no marks
of violence otherwise, and no appearanoe whatever of
the least Btruggle on the ground bemor constable
thompson, who deserves great praise for the unwearied
ixertions he made m order both to discover the body as
well as to trace out any due to the cause ot her death
which was from ' strangulation, ' states that on Friday,
after boiugouthimself, heoalledon Mathews at 9 p ni and
asked if they were ready to accompany bim , he states 1
found all the ohildren at home, and no Bigns of their
L,oing out, so that 1 was obliged to Bpeak sharp to them,
they appeared so unwilling, Mathews himself pleaded
illness. 1 started again with others, and returned about
ono or t»o o dook, remained searohing until half past
th ee when 1 reoeive I a message that the body was
louii I, went ni d saw the bo ly, and left it in obarge
ot constable Drew, who watched it all night, and
remain d with it until the inquest was over.
Dr Wni Irwin, being sworn, stated I am a duly
q lalifiod me Heal practitiouer, 1 haye held »pott mortem
exami mtion on lila bo ly of deoeased, Hannah Mathews,
and um of opinion that death resulted from aaphyxia,
caused by a ligature round the neck , there were no
marka of violai ce on the body, with the exception oi a
bi tuso on the check, apparently caused by her falling on
lo n piece ol wood, which adhered to the face, there were
also so ne old soars about ber neck, but nothing else of
couaequenne i the internal organs I fmud perfeotly
heal hy, with exception of brain which waa in a soltened
condition which may account for the state of mind in
which deceased had laboured for some time previous to
her death I am oi opinion, from the appearauoo of the
body, that deoeased mjst have met with ber death on or
abu it tuesday lost
Verdict -" We the undersigned jurors having con-
sidered tleeudence adduoed relative to the death of
Hum ah Mathews, are of opinion that she came to her
death by ' strangulation " but whether by her own hand
.or by that of another party, there ia no sufficient evi-
dence to prove al e waa evidently of unsound mind at
und a short time previous to her decease "-bigned,
MfctiL lirRNKS foreman, and by twelve jurors
Our worthy 1 .M , Mr Daly el), who ucied asooroner,
waa incessantly ongiged in writing fiom, 11 o'clock a ni
until nearly 10 at night-the evidence being bo volum-
inous Ihe tact discrimination, und patience this gen-
tleman evinced in examination of wituesses, wat the
topic of general rom irk As coroner or Police Alagis
trate, he is undoubtedly tho riyAf man in the rig ht
place
Wollombi Aug 24_
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