A CHILD'S DEATH

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 74, 30 April 1930, Page 2

A CHILD'S DEATH

Per Press Association.

TOOE LIGHTED CAKDLB TO BED.

AUCKLAND, Last night. A finding of accidenfal death was returned_ by the coroner, Mr. Hunt, S.M., this morning at the inquest iilto the death of Norma Constance AVilson, the Httle girl who died at the Auckland • Hospital yesterday afternoon as a result. of her clothing catching fire. Ecidence was given by the father of the child, Wilfred Herbert Wilson, fish curer, of Grey Lynn, that when he left home early yesterday morning his daughter, aged four and a half years, was in an upstairs room at the home of his parents occupied by himself and the child. He tdew out the candle which he had carried doWn to breakfast at 4.45 a.m., and took the matches off the dressing table. So far as he was aware there were no other matches in the room. Later in the morning he saw his daughter at the hospital, and he asked her what had happened. She was eonscious, and said, "I lit th# candle." Witness said his. stepbrother occupied a room 'adioining his, and it was likely that the child went there and secured some matches. Mary Ann Houseman. grandmother of the child, sai'd that when she was dressing abont 7.15 o'clock yesterday .morning she heard. screams. She rushed upstairs to investigate, and saw Norma at the tor> of the stairs with her nigbtgown all aflame. With the aid of her husband she wrapped the child in a blanket to extinguish the flames, and had her removed to tlie hospital. It wonld appear thut when Norma woke up she lit the candle and took it into bed with her, as witness found the' bed afire and the candle sitting in the centre of it alight. A doctoj said the child was admitted to the hospital at 7.15 o'clock yesterday morning and died at 1 p.m. from shock following hurns to the faee, cliest, abdomen. hack, arms and lees.