Page:New Yorker Obituary.pdf/4

At an inquest held at Cape Coast Castle, the 15th day of October, 1838, before me, James Swanzey, Esq. one of her Majesty's justices of the peace, and others, the jurors of our lady, Queen Victoria, upon view of the body of Letitia Elizabeth Maclean, Emily Baily, being duly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists, and examined, deposeth and saith: That between the hours of eight and nine in the morning of the 15th inst. the deponent having received a note addressed to Mrs. Maclean, from Mr. Swanzey, went to her room for the purpose of delivering the same to her, and found some difficulty in opening the door, in consequence of Mrs. Maclean having fallen against it; that deponent, on entering the room, discovered Mrs. Maclean lying on the floor with an empty bottle in her hand—(which bottle being produced, was labeled ‘Acid Hydrocianicum Delatum, Pharm. Lond. 1836; medium dose, five minims, being about one-third the strength of that in former use prepared by Scheele's proof,')—and quite senseless; that, on seeing this, deponent went for her husband to call Mr. Maclean. She believed that Mrs. Maclean must have been attempting to open the door to call for assistance, when she fell; that her mistress was subject to be attacked by spasms, and was in the habit of taking occasionally a drop or two of the medicine in the bottle in water; but had not herself seen her do so more than two or three times. She (Mrs. Maclean) had the spasms rather badly the previous evening, and wished to take a little of the medicine contained in the bottle, to give her relief; she did not complain much this morning. Deponent was not present when her mistress was taken ill, but had seen her about half an hour before, when she appeared well, and made her a present, as the deponent was about leaving the coast for England. That Mrs. Maclean then told deponent to retire, and she would send for her when she wished to dress. Deponent had not seen her writing this morning, but she was so employed the previous evening, when she delivered to deponent two letters for friends in England, and was affected at the thought of deponent leaving her. That when deponent saw her last, she was in her usual spirits. The bottle found in Mrs. Maclean's hand was uncorked, and she (deponent) afterwards corked it and put it aside. She could state nothing more which could throw any light on the subject.