Bexley Heath and Erith Observer, Saturday 5 July, 1879.

Abbey Wood. The Alleged Murder.

An inquest was held at the "Harrow Inn," Abbey Wood, on Friday afternoon upon the body of the wife of Charles Hardy, who was found dead on the previous Wednesday, and the circumstances related in our last, the husband of deceased being then in custody on the charge of Murder.

The following was sworn in as the jury. Messrs. R. Lambert (foreman), F. Webb, C. Ginger, Warren Smith, A. Bowie, F. Idenden, G. Stapley, A. Skinner, H. Cook, W. Whitmore, W. Keeler, W. J. Cross, J. Millington, L. Vickery.

The jury procedure to view the body, and on their return the witnesses Emily Smith and her mother, and Edwin Haynes repeated in substance the evidence they gave before the magistrate.

In reply to the coroner, Emily Smith said she went three times a day sometimes to assist deceased, and fetch beer and gin for her. Had seen deceased tipsy, but she did not know that she had ever seen Mr. hardy in such a state. Heard no quarrel between deceased and her husband on Wednesday morning before 11 or 12; they were both sober.

By a juror:- Fetched a quartern of gin and two pints of beer on Wednesday morning. They seemed good friends then.

By Coroner:- Left the table whole and entire when I took the things off.

Inspector Mearing said the police found the table smashed up.

Emily Smith, mother of the girl Smith, said, in reply to the coroner, she only noticed one mark upon deceased's face, which had been done outside by falling against a wall. Mr. Hardy told her so; she only knew from what he told her. When she went in Mr. Hardy was walking about the room like a crazy man. Deceased was not sober at 9 o'clock in the morning, when witness went in. Had seen deceased intoxicated several times. Was sorry to say she was very far from being a sober woman. Could not say how Mr. Hardy was in this way, as she had been very little in his company. Mr. Hardy told her he had cautioned her several times, and that she had brought it all on herself. On Tuesday evening deceased was drunk, and would have fallen had she not caught her.

Edwin Haynes and reply to questions, said the deceased and her husband were quarrelling all night, and the the whole of Wednesday morning, with intervals. Had never seen Mr. Hardy drunk. He and his wife lived very unhappily together. Deceased generally commenced quarrying first, and her husband remained quiet for a time, but when aroused he was like an enraged lion. Heard him threatened to throw his wife down stairs, and sounds as if he had done so. Had never seen Mr. Hardy strike or kick deceased. He heard them quarrelling night and day, for 3-weeks in succession; deceased had often cried out "murder!" Often when Mr. Hardy came home he would find the fire out and no dinner awaiting him. Had seen deceased break the windows. The first night Mr. Hardy and his wife came into the house they quarrelled, and witness remarked that they had fine neighbours now.

Mrs. Ann Ayling, a neighbour, spoke to hearing deceased and a husband quarrelling frequently, and on Wednesday, but had never seen the latter strike or kick his wife.

P.C. Wilson, 250 R, said he was called at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday to deceased and thought she was dead. He said for Dr. Elliot, Belvedere; but Dr. Spurrell arrived, having been fetched by the husband. He pronounce life to be extinct. Found the table had been removed to the wash house; it was broken into pieces.

Mrs. Ayling, recalled, said the table had been very "shaky," and she thought it had fallen to pieces.

Inspector Collis spoke to arresting Hardy and conducting him to Erith. On a remark being made that blood had been found upon the throat of deceased prisoner said was stuff; he had had 20 years of it.

Dr. Spurrell said, on examining the body he observed several bruises about the chest, face, arms, a black eye, and there was an old bruise up on the left cheek. There was also a cut on the left shoulder and inch in length, and the collar bone was broken. There were, in addition, bruises about the hips. The mouth of deceased was shut, and the teeth were so firmly fixed that he was unable to separate the jaws. No blood was to be seen on the body, clothes or about the house, and there was nothing to bear out the theory of strangulation. On removing the scalp he counted eight or nine bruises; for the brain was gorged with blood. There were extensive clots of blood at the base of the brain. The lungs were gorged with blood; but the organs generally were healthy. There was some slight signs of the liver being that of a drunkard. He attributed death and apoplexy, from the effusion of blood found at the base of the brain, contributed to by the excessive drinking, and perhaps by violence. In reply to the Coroner, at the request of Inspector Mearing, witness said death would be accelerated by the bruisers described, but he could not say that they were the cause of death. Many of the bruises were of long-standing. The brain was unhealthy, and a violent fall would cause death when in such a states. The bruise at the top of the chest was slight. The collar bone, he thought, might have been broken by a fall, as deceased was a heavy woman.

Inspector Mearing put in a letter from Mr. Frank Soaper, late surgeon to the convict prison, Gibraltar, stating that the deceased had been under his care many times from the effects of intemperance, and was a fearfully violent woman - a perfect maniac in abuse. Hardy he described as a steady, upright fellow.

The Coroner summed up, the jury were left to deliberate, and in about half an hour a verdict was returned of "Death from apoplexy, accelerated by habits of intemperance."