Minnie Hope - Girl's Night Out Turns Tragic

While travelling in a cab on Saturday 13th of October 1894 with a companion Alice Stewart, Minnie Hope the 29 year old wife of George Hope, somehow fell out of the cab in Khyber Pass Rd while under the influence of liquor after a night out. She was picked up unconscious and taken to the house of Julia Wilson in Rokeby St where she was seen by a Dr Lindsay at 2am Sunday morning and found to have sustained a fracture of the skull. She was taken to hospital on Dr Lindsay’s orders at 4am and died there Sunday night.

At the inquest a witness Charles Rowe said that he was walking along through Newton at about 7pm Saturday night when he saw a woman whom he identified as the deceased lying on the road, face down, arms outstretched, but still alive. Nobody was with her and he believed she was the worse for liquor. Witnesses saw a hansom cab coming from the direction of town and Mr Rowe called to the driver to stop, he identified the cab driver as Samuel Pierce. Piece said the woman was drunk and asked for help to get her into the cab. According to the witness the cabman appeared to be sober and did not say whether Minnie had fallen out of the cab.

Hansom cabs, similar to the one Minnie Hope fell out of,
'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-211' 

As a post-script to this tragedy, the cabman Samuel Pierce was charged with manslaughter and found guilty on the 3rd December 1894. The judge, addressing Pierce, said there being nothing whatsoever against his previous character he should deal very lightly with the case. The sentence of the court was that he be imprisoned and kept to hard labour in the Auckland prison for the term of one week, subject to the proviso that he found 2 sureties of 25 pounds each and his own surety of 50 pounds for good behaviour for 12 months.

Roman Catholic Divison B, Row 2,

Plot 67: Minnie Hope (29) 1894 – Mrs

In Loving Memory of

MINNIE HOPE

who met her death by accident on

13^th Oct. 1894 aged 30 years

Deeply regretted by all who knew her

May her soul rest in peace

Erected by a loving friend

Sources: PapersPast https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
New Zealand Herald, 16/10/1894
Auckland Star, 16/10/1894

Auckland Star, 27/12/1894
Image: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-211

Compiled by Geri Eccles - Discover Waikumete