Reading Observer 03-1917

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DEATlI FROM SPOTTEJ;)
-FEVER.

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Whife

.sTARTLING EVIDENCE AT -THE
INQUEST.

'MortDKY. MJlIt
~JlTURP1lY~~ , lMKR~

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STATEMENTS DENIED.

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" 'o!!lry full Coroner IS lOqUlry was held on
" rid") Fobru~ry 23rd, relatlvo t.o the death of
'; 0 l!' Pw&e, Aged 29. third elMS air mochs.mo.
Scl)!)!)l of Techrucal Trammg, R F C I ~admg,
,, 11t: h oc;.cutred on Worldosuo.y. Febrtiary 21st,

.. til' ,Taro Fn.ctory, Col.y
tllii'e l o ver by tho Corp3

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n(n:l1d to J))port thoInllelv6!

83

!Suoh

Sale. and the If are Values
well worth while to pay us pefso~
..... t-.d lt- you are
you mali find
values qf(ered ~~low,
th~
POST. FREE on ReQUIEST.

just

88

!. ey would got extra dn lls Jor dOUlg flO, but

the adJute..'1t 6rtl,Pha.hca.Uy domed Thero
O8 .. 8ral pBoSfngl3s a.t arms between tho
Co rona l" and G brother of the d eceased who
gELve eVldenoo and askod a nnm ber of questions
of other witnesses
Ja.mes Stewa.rt Rae olvll serv£l.ut. and brother
of lihe deceased, said that ever smce deceased
had boer" In tho Army he had had a. very bad
cold '" hlCh had boen neglected owmg to the fact
thnt thel'8 was a dread f~ar among all the mon
,,,t (,()lcJo1' of parading siok because they knew 'that
"It.ho ... t any adequate medlcal examlJlatlOn they
\\ olLld be aentenoed to extrh dnlls snd pumbve
Jnl)dlclne as 111 the case of a man who died from
spotood to", er a week or two back after parachng
:. 1{ k and hemg pumshed With extra drills
1 he Coronet" How do ); ou know that 1
1 he "Itneas rephed. because dece~ed 8 wile
h \d &on dec.:easod overy week end anjl had of
lClllrse converoed frtlely ~ Ith 111m
He men
t\OlIl) 1 the had food and the almost worse med.l
d I rrBngemonts, of which all~ or practIcally
td! the!.men at Coley complamed
I ha Coroner 1\g9.10 1 ask you how do you
kllo \\ that t-By mtervle\\Ulg men belocgmg to
I. R FC
J he wldow S8Jd deoeased had had & bad cold
for so me time He contracted It at Farnborough
and I t Iseemed to get worse
She brought m
:lome lIlfiuenza mlXture from the Army and
~ ln S Stores, Lond6n, m which deceJUied had
grollt faIth
Sho "also t;.ook aome She dId not
know whether he "'as a.ttended medically: at
(0 10):
lIe complamed of the scarcity of food
8110 unplorod him to go s lck, but he saId he
dared not or IlCl would receIve extra. drIlls
(, IS

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1:::0 ('f'PS

(."Ps

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COLD OF LONG STANDING
Thomaa Cyril Loveridge , 3rd Cl1l88 &11"
mechani C R F C of Cole} said he had known
doceased smce January 10th Durmg the \\ hole
of thllt Perlod he had. suffered from a. '\iery bad
cold and "throat The day before hts death at
12 30 fi'lIdt--day on February 21st witness sa.w de
ceased IYIOg on hLS Ped fully dressed 'Vltnes8
uked 111m how ho ~IJle to be lymg there, and
he SRld he bad the officerfs perm1SSlon and that
he \\ as 'not well Asked if he knew wnat he was
!>ufformg from he said
Yes I ha.ve had
ptomame pOlSonlD~ before ~nd know the
S) mtoms and 1- beheve It 18 the.t (rom whloh r
flln suffermg I beheve It was some fish p aste
\\ IllCh I had for tea on Monday Olght \VhICh was
ISSued nod not sent from home tI In tho ev~o
mg he appeo.red to be slightly wot:'a8 and l \ l t
ness Mked hlm J{ he could do anythmg ior-him
He rephed, • I "ave seen the Med,cal Ord.rly
dUI mg the afternoon and have alreadv had a
pUlga.tl\:o from 111m" At hlS reque8t~ witness
got hIm a bottle I of lemonade, WhICh he drank
\"th grea.t eagerness At 11 45 pm deceased
rmoka witness and 88ld he ",ouid like to go to
the Jatrmes \\rltness 888l8ted 1um below but
lto \\ BS 80 wea~ In IllS legs that wltne85 had to
obtlun help to get hlm up &ga.m From tha.t
luue onwards WItness fetched htm mugs of
waler, for which .b:e mcessanUy craved~ Wlt
ness had no hght, but from deceased 's brea.th·
mg he appeared to be m some pam In the
mamma.. ,he asked agBm to go to the latrmes
WItness tried to partlally dress I}lIll, but that
bemg beyond h18, power he obtaUted "'11It8l100
By tIle aid of a candle WItness saw deceaaed's
lace and lin:tbs were becorrung discoloured WIth
blUISh or purple blotches, He compl8llled of
pa.IIlS 10 JU8 limbs a.nd they could not get
Jus trouSers Subsequently deceased was 1'8.
ed to the m.!llcal room ,

ow.... for

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YS I OF ,. /yEW: SPRllfG

DeceMQd had been

I for 24 houri bofore a Q.:octo r was awnm.oDed
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& 1<..1 t illS fe. o:t wu comJllented on, the JU~ nod
0,"0 doctor< ngroowit thai medlc!,l a1<\ ought to
I :1.\ ~ been obtained 8000el tllOpgll Dr Donald
'Co , tho famous p~thologlst, pOUlted out that
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any cuso dea.th would ha,'vo ensuod It woe
l.bo :l U0god that men of the R Fe, bolOg sIck,

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whlch has be.n

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gentleman says

hfwe been afraId
of tlie drill they
tha.t true 1
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Ttie Adjutant That IS not true
<)annot ~topl ,.,en speakm 8ffio ng theffi.Jlve. ThorJ
are • c6I1Slderable flU be::: of men I theftl, over
1.000 of aU da.saes Thare are mil~gerers
fUllong them who al not want po lOin the
colours, and they re rt eitck on the sJ.il;l:htest
possIble prete][t-a.nyijlung to get out of rdihta.ry
s.rv,ce, and dlSClPhlimuBt be m~nt8ujed
Tbe ForemaT). But you wo~ld not condemn
them all for that ' - rtaUtly not, WI!' have
ml\ll.y excellont men t~"'"
The li"oruman Is t el'e any ehortli'8e of food .,
There lS nli) shortage 0 food
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The Jury expressed I.. WISh to he'f~ Dr H,att.
the second doctor whb
called.r.:' doceased.
that gentleman gavo eVIdence He .Ba.ld he was
caUed to the decef""'~ about 9 30 p n Wedoes

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He fo~d hun unh(')nsClC)U8 and
Dr tfohnston In a.tt8ni:lance WItnq8 suggested
an mJ ectlon of stryQhnme; and ]jr Johnston
agredlllg. WIth his pefmtselon wItn~88 ' e.d.minlB
tere<\ It But the mILD. waa far through, n
pulse1ess and almolt Idead, u.nd It was of no

day mornmg

avalll
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THe Foreman Do ~ou tbink thq.t. jlJ1edICal aId
should ha,e been calle!! m before 1-1n ordlOary

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them
lV80S there a medIcal officer on the prem1868
-!\o, only a medical orderly

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cU'ctqnstances I should fta.y a. doctor
been ,sent for earher

~ould

ha.vo

Dr, Donaldson was recaU(ld and a.s~ if he
thought It wo!lld hav made any difference if a
medljoal man Il~d OOeu l""U.d U1 on tho Tuesday
He I'\lplied that he ha~ i)ad oon"der~ble e"pen
ence I 10 those ca.ses,~na. nothmg could hlwe
sa.ved deceased even If .. doctor 'had 1been ca.lled
w tqe moment dece
d fujt compl.wed of a
headacl,,,
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THe Eoremaa. Shoulfl not a medlcal,rn.an have
been!lcslled du-eotly dopo ....d w¥ ill a!ld not 24
hO'i..a.fterWardB '-1 '1'l1to agree .. aoo~ ought
to h ve been sent for e~1t8r B1Jt In {th18 par·
hcw
case no doctot could h4ve I&v~d de
ce~d's life
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A WITNESS qO!(PLIM.EI'lTED.
The lury. havIDg rerued, ret=oi:l • verdlct
to tne effeot that dece~ .died, lD. laccorda.noo
-"1- from Ip<?ttba
, ~ fever
WItliT' t~e medIcal eVl donce,
Ther
ded th~t they thought lt' /lhouicl: be un

proper courSB
tho.. c;a.s:es m
100111"" had
thro\mh the 'te""pt~tion
her way. She
children under "'he

DlI

'L~!r;s ~1if\C; !

Embtoldu~d Harw.ker
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I ch)ef! style as ~ktt<:b
I Post U~~.... 6!~.

peratlve that :whon a JUan comp~IWl~1 qf helDg

the Orderly .~ou ld oenp for a ~,O&l man
at once They complunen~d"Lovet.idge on hIS
eV11&nce and h oped , the mi,litary 16uthontl6a
wo~ld not gIve hun Any ex;,ra drlll-"w~g to his
ha'lIDg glVen that eVlllon!'l' ..T1>~y '~'path""'d
WIth the Widow and the .broiih.,r of t4e..tl,eeaaed
Th. Foreman (to tho Co...""r) : ~Itllo brot\jer
of ~he deceased wlthll1 his "ti)te ll1 solifg qu.s·
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Th. Coroner. Yet!. )PCIrfectly
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rhe Foreman But )ilou ~topped hlfn from ... k·
IDg those qUestIOns
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ordored out of tho wltno..
bo"
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Jlt~d~on.

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AFRAID OF EXTRj\ DUTY.
In repl, to the Jury I am Buff.rIDg from ..
cold My ObjectIon to seemg a doctor 15 the
sarne as dece&Sed's ObjectIon
II onld you h&ye extra drills if you did '-I
1\ ~1l t Bay I should, but I should probably have

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CO.OPERAT~~E'

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Day "- E1Ccepflng W.ednesdl1lJ.~
MusiC will be plilyed .in
Restaurant, during Lrll2clleoQ lIDd

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SOCIETY

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SENT
PdST \,POE
11'1 Ul'tlltrlED, KII!tGIIJOJi'li-I

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ENTERTAIN : ...~~UNDED ' SOPDIERS.
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At the lDutatlon of tho R<jaqip, 1nduotnal
Co operatIve SocIQ1y
bundred wound.d .oldl.n
w.re entertamed lD th, Large Town H~U , taste
fully decorated for the OCCatilOn, on Satu.rda.y 1ast
On amvsJ the guest. Iwere bnelly .ddreased by
the Mayor of Readmg IMr. F A S.rJOInt), Mr
D,vld l}ose, genelal m~'lI"r of tbo RIC S • and
Mr FrancIs, {,reSident I or the
who all
extended a. hearty \ welcoJl\e
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mUSIcal progIa.mme followed,
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guests, iWho found cl,garette"
tables awal~mg thenl. applauded
In decea.sed
nod telephoned for the rnoolcal uncerl&ln fashlon Tbs mOlt ' n,,;;.. ",
officer. Dr Johnston, who cam8.1
Bv the JUry It dId not occur to the Wltpess the
o'~I.~th~;O~i~~~i~}:rrr~~
to fummon a doctor earlier The doctor arrived
abqu~ twenty mU1uteB or ha.lf an hour after he
Ws8 oiilled
"'D R Johnston, medical officer to the
Co a said he found dece~ m a. coUap;ed
4 on ,tlon
He was greatly discoloured over the
f.c~. and w,tness tned to gIve hIm brandy, but
hG ~ as unable~ to swallow It and dH~d alrhost
Immedlat.ly afterwards He could not form
anv conclUSIOn B8 to hmv deceased dIed
By the Jury He could not have savod de
coB ~od's hfe had~ he been called earlIer. from
\~ h1t they n ow knew
Unner the ClrCllmstanC6'3
the Ordorl), dld tl,e be,t he could
Dr. Donaldson, pathologBt at the Royal
BCI ks Hospital, who mado the po~t mortem ex
anuno.tlOn m the presence of Dr Johnston, saId
t he body WII8 that of a w.ll made man Hq was
covered wlth smalLh;:emorrhages, especIalJyover
tho fnr0 and neck ' InternaUy the organs were
, ery much. congested the valvular openmgs of
t.lle h e art somo", h at dila.ted, small hremorrhagos
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Da\\80n, 2nd sir mechamo and medtcal
or(lerh. said be acted under the mBtructlOlUI of
the doct or
On tho day prevIous to h18 dea.th
1ie~ased came to the medical room and Bald he
haU a slIght headache and was constIpated
II itne.. ~ave hIm PlUs· The followmg mommg,
.bl,nd 040, deceased s bedfellow saId d.oe.... d
"Of rs~ rlOu51y Ill, aod \Htne88 asked lum to brmg
degeaaed down to the m edical room on Q.
stretcher He was afterwards ~ot to bed. when
he rcomPlamed of mternal pams and he was
Flv n & httlo bl.Bmuth and some hot milk
~t about .s 45 am Wltnesa notICed .. change

twp

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WORK:

<CAGE BIR~
' MEMBERS' SHOW.

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and the
bram
congested,
but
n J do6mte orga.ns
IJJ,omngltlB
There
was
no IrrltatlVe

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gtven on Februa.I') 8th b, the

TJibuno.! at CIlJI;ton Holl
chalt Works, RIchmond a
mont ~.re fined £45 10 "
dlSmlSsmg th,,, of thell
Jo lnmg lor dCSll'log to Jom
bon of rtV omen " r Or kCl !:i
Abou~ the bcgmn mg of J
m&.de to est.abllsh ;1" br mch
,'e,Oer',tlon of Women " orl CI S In I "U'O I ."""",~'
all,eT',Yaro' these
lhe

1~~~~L~~.Ri;;;::n~(:~~e~~drlE;~~:;~~~~l~:::~'~!;

Ho made mlcroaooptc exammatlOns of
\ anous parts of hll~ organs and found hlm to ha.ve
p.(' n suffenng from acute fllJmmatmg cerebro
,)m nl fever generally kno~n as spotted fever
')lIl.: h W8.EI tbe C80use of death
There was no
ludlcatwn of ptomslO6 pOlSon
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PERTINENT QUES'J'IONS

"llr Rae, d.ce .....d brother, made the request
n fL-lk Alr Mechamc Lovertdge the followmg
fJ l('.')tlons
Did he heft.r vomlhng durmg the Tuesday

th'" 'fa'\:or (Mr F A Sat
\1, J J Cooper, Mr W

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\\ R,dley •

cha.rge ,i.gam~t him was of fl"lvmg
Ion contra ry to t he A bem; Restnc

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Before Mr E P Coll Ier rm' tho

SIr Pcr:<.: ) SaJlde~o n , K C :M G

SLSOO L C'.SES
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p('r"on~ W€l'e Eummoned fot" not
Ildte !! H I attend Fchool regula.r~

:l!!ert 11 vea.n" George

"s.n13 ,sare.

both

'lid the time you responded l'
Dld Dr J ohnstOn a:dmL018ter strychnme

been

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Oeorge Starul{all hned 10, or 7 daY' far hlJl
C1{.'Orgc a.ged 13 yean, ~e

Rupert court, Rupert-Jtree'J ftndd "61~
ber daughler Ro.. , .god 9
Superlntenrumt. AtteDdaD
" QllCaI:lOn Comm/tk. pro~ed~

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• 3. 0: Hatch
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' AMATEUR CLASSES
No~wich y.llow cocli:, , Uff hen -1,
lr c ,G Larkcom, 3 and v h c , -"" ~W '~ ,

II~:~~:~~ buff
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cock, yellow hen-1
Hatch. vbc andbc.

in connectIOn WIth the entertam
carned out by the Education Com.
the RICS, l hon .ec 1[r J R B
Rr(ls?,,~e, while the dut... 01 P",18 a.nd l'~ogr.mm.
I w.re m the capable han~ of' l\1r E R
MO"'i
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WORRY IS A DISEASE.
whloh cau... II.( vtotiDul tel worry,

Thb<lliorder

ho .strychnme was sdmml8tered by another wh.t~er tbey have .nytblDg tD worrr about or not.
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person was he quahfied a.ccordwg to the Anny 18 neura.8tbem&
N e~th.m. .. entirely illatinot &olll< "y.tena.
rt ~lI l /l.hons to do so l'
.lthough'tli. patient may lian botlo diaeaeeO at the
",th regard to the case of spotted fever a eame time
,
w{'ek or two back, had that man paraded Sick
N eumstbOU1& often,
and been drIlled Ul consequence .,
&liodr, such as the 1091
I h~ Coroner I shall not allow tha.t
~Ir Rac
I InSist
I he Coroner Retire from the WItness bor, I
hll\o hoard qUite enough
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J ho ,vl tncss Loveridge was then reca.ll6d, and,
rrpivlIlg to the questIOns, 8al~ that on the Tues
du\ nlgh~ ho could not say whothor tho 8ounds l .~~~!~~~tli::.:~..t -"",,~.1
I I" henrd \vere of ureguln.r breathmg or vomit.
I }t but w t ho roorrung he found traces of 81Ck,I< <, HaJ they both been clvlhnns h. would
hll 0 c8nod m • dQctjlr at II 45 P m on Tuesno f&o.r whatever
regard to
or the medi""l
replied to

~:i~i~~~;~l~~~i~~

NeW'~

a.-n:

the

rte(;eo.'3Cd personally, if so, Stt what tlme a.nd
wh n.t v. as then the state of the pa.tleMo lOr, If

!It!ed 1.) }CalS, Arth-ur Tom,bs,
n nE'd lOs 0 .. 7 days lor bUI
rOT

LoverIdge

lio ns to Dr J ohnaton I
Wha.t v. BS exactly the tlme you were :tIled

h follows - Edith G.le,
,
'm-m,m, tin ed 20~ or 14 da.y. for hor
t( ~n.. H enn: ~loore''''J iS4.
La" ,'r' ''"m , fined 20, or 1~ day"
\ Po l bitl lJ ag( d 9 years, and
, e U"1i \\ Kite r Edward Hooper,
tined 10, of 7 dava 10' l>lJ
Lnllh.. 'ired 11 y6a.:ra, Ethel
lI"".r-" r,,,,' , fined lOs or 7 days for

fined 1011

deceBSed a.nd

n a docwr ?
fh e Coroner told h18 clerk to strlke out the
lu»t question
\tr Rae I InSIBt upon tt gomg down
'I ho Coroner It 18 not _a case of mS18tmg I I
eBn strike It out lO 0. moment if I wlSh to do 90
DId Loverid ge J~ ave any fear of calling for
Y1l!dlco,l aid from the medIcal orderly tlr from
t h~ doctor ]umself Ul the flight l'
?\h Ra..e asked lea\e to put the followtng quos

of D J WalLers Jallles
abode a titLel was rem:.nded (or

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H?"p,i~.q,

" 1\ llialls, when would Lovendg~ have called

Rn[A~D

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11 9~~:;?k~'" bu1I ~ock. yellow hen.-1 and 2. M",s

DI,I!ht ')

The Herald" of li'ebruarv

declslo~ (If extleme lmpOIt<tllce

blood

of no fixed a bode W&I. charged
Vi It b beUlg a. deserter from
Re~1 \ e - Ho WM re manded m
edne"da\

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c IJ lldLt.ton of the stomach a.nd mtestrnes
T~o
AOlrtll organs next hLS kumeys were fuU of

Parfitt (m the
G R Ja.ck.on

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HOSPITAL.
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