The New Hampshire Gazette

COMMUNICATIONS

Messrs. Beck & Foster,

The circumstances connected with the death of Mrs. MARY MILLER, who was found dead on Thursday Morning last, at the south end, having led to the suspicion that she came to her death by violence; and as no notice of the result of the investigation by the Jury of Inquest which was summoned to view the body, has been communicated to the public, perhaps a concise statement of facts may be acceptable.

The deceased lived with her daughter Hannah Jackson, (a mulatto) and from the testimony of twelve witnesses, it appeared that she had been beat and bruised by said daughter in a most cruel manner, by striking her with her fist—a large cane—a stick of wood 3 inches in diameter, and with a chair; and otherwise abusing her in a manner shocking to humanity; evincing a disposition which for turpitude, perhaps was never met with among savages!—

These abuses however, were not very recent, nor were they considered by the Jury, as the direct or immediate cause of the death of the deceased, if they were in any measure a remote cause. It also appeared in evidence that the deceased had been frequently threatened with death by the said daughter and particularly on the day prior to her decease. It also appeared that the deceased had observed to her said daughter that when she did die, she (the daughter) would be the cause of her death.

And one witness (a respectable black man) testified that he heard said daughter about a fortnight since "swear by J— C— that she would be the death of her."

The most recent beatings which the deceased had received from her daughter, were about a fortnight since, when she was beat with a chair; also last Tuesday—and there was some evidence of abuse on Wednesday evening last, by shoving her out of the chamber into the entry-way where she was kept about an hour, at which time the deceased was heard to remonstrate against the cruelty of said daughter and observed "that she would not have her much longer to shove." The deceased however, was as well as usual the evening previous to her death, and had during the evening been twice up in town on errands for her daughter.

The general appearance of the deceased when viewed by the Jury; the situation in which she was found, laying partly on the bed and partly on the floor with her clothes on, in connexion with the foregoing evidence, strongly impressed the minds of many of the Jurors that the deceased came to her death by violence, and that suspicion rested on her daughter Hannah Jackson. But there was no mark of any blow which could be the immediate cause of her death. At one stage of the investigation, however, sixteen of the Jurors were of opinion that the deceased came to her death by violence, and two of them that she came to her death by accident. There being no prospect of agreeing, further evidence was sought. A respectable surgeon was called in when an external examination was had, but it did not result in any thing satisfactory. No fracture could be observed: and the information derived from the surgeon involved the subject in greater difficulty, when the last evidence which could be had was resorted to, and a surgical examination of the internal parts resulted in the most satisfactory evidence that the deceased came to her death by apoplexy.

Thus after the most careful and deliberate investigation of the subject in which the Jury were anxious to perform the important duty which had devolved upon them, having thoroughly investigated every circumstance connected with the subject which had come to their knowledge, and examined eighteen witnesses, they agreed that the deceased came to her death by apoplexy.

Perhaps a more difficult case never came under the cognizance of a jury of inquest, for although the immediate cause was unequivocal, yet the remote cause might have been indigestion, fulness of habit, or blows. And the jurors having exhausted all the means within their reach in forming their verdict, rest perfectly satisfied that they have performed all which the State required of them.

In closing this notice, the opportunity is embraced of stating that the Coroner, John Melcher, Esq. conducted the investigation in a manner creditable to himself and in justice to the State.

One of The Jurors.