Age: unknown
Sex: female
Date: 15 Oct 1902
Place: Grange Road, Soothill, Batley
Florence Blakeley died suddenly.
She had come home complaining of feeling tired and weary and died the following night.
A bottle maker who lived in Saville Town and was married said that since the peace declaration he had been courting Florence Blakeley. He said that he saw her on the night of her death and said that he complained of a bad cold.
Her death was considered suspicious and the contents of her stomach were analysed by a doctor from Sheffield but no traces of poison could be found.
Her post-mortem showed that she had two well-marked and deep ulcers, one the size of a half-a-crown and the other a shilling. However, he said that the ulcers were not sufficient to have been the cause of death.
He added that some poisons which were absorbed in the body could not be traced on analysis after a certain length of time.
After three sittings the Coroner's jury returned an open verdict.
Florence Blakeley had been a millhand.
She was also known as Florence Walker, Florence Blakeley being her married name.
see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
see Yorkshire Evening Post - Wednesday 15 October 1902
see Yorkshire Evening Post - Thursday 09 October 1902
see Leeds Mercury - Thursday 16 October 1902
see Unsolved 1902