This appears to be the natural death of Ellen Mary Elliott at her residence. she was 61 years old and lived with her husband, Robert. On Saturday 2 January 1943 she died at her residence. Her husband believes she poisoned herself and said she did not drink much alcohol. Neighbours painted a different story of her alcohol consumption and subsequent behaviour. A post-mortem showed her death was due to cardiac failure
The following statements were contained with the Coronial file at State Records in relation to the death of Ellen Elliott.
Robert Elliott states the following:
Ellen Elliott is my wife. During the last two or three days she has not been well. She complained to me about a tightness in the chest and pains in the chest, stomach and abdomen. She has been drinking wine a bit over Christmas and New Year.
On Friday 1 January 1943, she complained of bad pains and went to the chemist to get some medicine. She returned with a bottle of medicine and took some of this and seemed better. She also had some wine.
On Friday evening she again went to the chemist and came back with a bottle of eucalyptus, iodine and some liniment. We went to bed early in the evening and at about 11.30 p.m., she woke and said she still had the pain in the chest and abdomen. She has some more medicine and went and laid down on the floor in the front room with the door open. She was groaning on and off all night and complained of pains in the chest.
At about 6.30 a.m. with the assistance of neighbours I got her back into bed, and she seemed very ill. I sent for a doctor and Doctor PREST came and examined her and said she was dead. She has not been attended by a doctor for a while and before her death had fairly good health.
She did not say anything to me about being poisoned and I never saw her take any poison. Neither has she ever said that she wanted to take her own life. If all came as a great shock to me. She has been taking a lot of Epson salts for her bowels this last week and took some medicine and eucalyptus on Friday. She also had some wine.
Elsie May WHITCOMBE states:
The deceased, Ellen Elliott is well known to me. She lives in the same street as me. For about the last week, she has been on the wine and has not been very sober during that time. On Friday night she was very drunk and was out in the street in a very drunken condition.
She was crawling around on the footpath in front of her home. I didn’t take much notice of her as she has been in this condition for the greater part of the week.
Winifred Maude HEARDLEY, states:
I know the deceased, Ellen Elliott as we live in the same street. Ellen has been on the wine for about a week. On Friday night she came over to my front window and said, “I have been poisoned and I am going to die.” She was complaining of pains in her chest and abdomen.
She did not say she had taken poison or that anyone had given her poison. I just took it that she was drunk, and she imagined she was poisoned. I saw her crawling around on the footpath at the front of her house just before it got dark. I have never heard her say she intended to take her life.
Frederick Michael JOHNSON, states:
On Friday night I slept near my front window of my house which was on the same street as the deceased, Ellen Elliott. I know Ellen and saw her out in the street several times during the early part of the evening. She seemed drunk and was saying she had been poisoned and was going to die.
During the night I heard her groaning. I did not take much notice of her behaviour as I thought she was only drunk and suffering from the effects of over drinking. The last I heard of her was at about 6.30 a.m. on Saturday morning. I have not heard her say anything about taking her own life.