An open verdict was returned by Mr. L T. Morris, H.M. Coroner, in the inquest on the body of Miss Jean McLean Martin, matron of ihe Shanghai Municipal Police Hospital, who died following a fall from the roof of the hospital. The hearing was resumed in H.M. Coroners Court yesterday morning and in coming to his decision, the coroner said "I have considered the evidence given at this enquiry very carefully and I find that Jean McLean Martin, died at Shanghai on December 11, 1998, as a result of injuries caused by. a fall from the root of the Police Hospital in Ward Road.
"As I am unable to say, on the evidence before me, that the deceased committed suicide or that her death was due to an accident, I have no alternative but to return an open verdict."
Sub-Inspector' James Albert Me. Cahey earlier gave evidence. He stated that between 730 and 8 o'clock on December 12, witness and Inspector Myerscough made some investigations at the Ward Road Police Hospital with a view to fnding by what means (Miss Martin had fallen from the building. Witness examined the nurse staff quarters on the seventh floor. Inspector Myers-cough and witness took the lift on the west side of the building and when they arrived at the nurses' quarters, they found that the main door to the-flats, on the right side of the lift, was open, all the others being locked.
They proceeded to the root of the building and the door leading out unto the roof, was found ajar. A chair was seen standing against the rear north wall of the building overlooking the compound and almost facing the gaol hospital.
Looking over the wall near the chair, a pool of blood could be plainly seen on the garage roof. below although the examination of various other floors, windows and verandas of the police hospital, definitely brought out no clues which might have British A. A. Defences "Best in World"
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.