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Bessie Rushworth

Age: 50

Sex: female

Date: 10 Apr 1937

Place: Truro River, Malpas Road, Truro

Bessie Rushworth was found dead on the bank or the Truro River by Malpas Road in Truro on the morning of Saturday 10 April 1937.

Her body was found by a man about two or three feet from the receding tide.

Her sister said that Bessie Rushworth had formerly lived on Freemantle Street in Truro until about six months earlier when she had left and had since been of no fixed abode.

A woman that had lived on Baynards Terrace in Truro said that she last saw Bessie Rushworth in the Red Lion Vaults on the Friday when she had served her some gin.

The pathologist that examined her body said that there were no signs of injury on her body and that he thought that she had died between 12 and 18 hours before he carried out the examination.

He said that in his opinion her death had been due to asphyxia caused by means other than drowning. He said that he thought that her body had entered the water shortly after she had died, or, if it had entered the water before she had died, that it had entered in such a way that water was prevented from entering her respiratory passages.

He added that he did not think that she had died from shock after somehow accidently falling into the water. He also said that he thought that if she had gone into the water with intent then she must have had something across her face.

The Coroner said that in the absence of any evidence regarding how she had got into the water that he could only return an open verdict, stating that Bessie Rushworth had asphyxiated by some cause or causes unknown.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Western Morning News - Tuesday 13 April 1937

see Cornishman - Thursday 15 April 1937