DEATH OF A CHILD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2448, 12 March 1909, Page 2

DEATH OF A CHILD.

THE INQUEST. VERDICT OF HOMICIDE AVITHOUT INTENT. Air F. AY. Riach. J.P., held an inquest at the British Empire Hotel yesterday into the cause of the death of a child that was found by the police in a tin trunk in a house in Gray. Street on Wednesday evening.' The following jury was empanelled: F. AY. King, J. Brown. S. Boland, A. Ailorcon, C. Nicliolls and \Y. Hay. Dr A. F. Coker deposed that he was sent for between 2.110 and 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon by Airs. Loohs, Grey Street. AVhen he* arrived there he found the servant. Rose ivenvan. lying in bed. She leaked vary ill. and on being asked what was the matter said che had. had a liaby, which she slated was in an outhouse. He looked, but could not find it and was -than told it was in a tin trunk beside, the bed. He found the infant in the trunk, the body being wrapped in a p: hit dr errs surra un ded by ab: ack skirt. The body wax on the top of the trunk, the lid being closed. She made .no voluntary statements. AVhen asked she said the child was born about twelve o’clock. He examined the body, winch wao justgetting cold, but found no marks of external violence. He came to no definite conclusions regarding tin: death of the child. Ho examined the mother and had no doubt she had hern recently confined. Sim was very we* k and had lost a lot of blood. After due consideration lie reported the matter to tho polio?. Bv a juryman : .Ho could not pay whether the child had been born alive. There was no one in attendance, on iho mother.

Dr Lames Clive Collins deposed ho made a post-mortem examination of the body of the infant. It was that of a fully termed, healthy infant child. There were no marks, or external violence on the body -except a bruise on the left side cf the head. Five inches of cord were attached to the body. The e.ord had been torn asunder. Tire child had lived 'for seme little time after birth. All its organs were perfectly healthy. Ho was inclined to say the oar.ec;."of death lied been by the child becoming asphyxiated. There was a considerable amount oi stoppage and congestion of the-blood in - the base .of the right lung. The child died evidently before the left lupg became aEactvd to any* great extent. From iiiinuK I; Vernon-age in parts of the covering over the ’chest and lung and other signs he concluded the death of tile child had been slow. The cord had not- been tied but- ruptured. One portion of the cord showed'That- an attempt had been made to tear It asunder. The lungs had been submitted to the- usual test and were •so -full 'of air that'-they supported both the heart and the thymur.; gland with tho lung attachments. Tim air could be squeezed out of the lung.-. The stomach contained air and mucous. The child was living when it way born. On examination of the •child’s head lie found blood underneath tho scalp. Ho concluded that the child had been born while the mother was- in a standing position and had'fallen on its head to the ground. ]J? did not think any violence had beep used. lie behoved, tho child had been asphyxiated. Florence. Mary .Lochs,' residing in Grey Street, said that on AVednesday her servant, girl wao timve'l. She ceked the. girl what was the matter and the girl answered that oho had been ret clung all night. AVitness told her to go and'lie down; the''girl replied tint she. would bo cmite well directive. AVhen the girl entered witness* service Hie said olio was not strong. ' In. tho afternoon slid appeared much worse, and witness offered to send for a. doctor.. Witness noticed spots of b.oca on the bod and the girl explained tnaa »lio had b?en sick. AATtness sent tor Dr Coker. ~ Ida Looks, daughter of the previous wit no A: gave similar evidence. Annie Stokes, a married woman, residue in Disraeli Street, Saul the girl, wild is now the servant of Airs. Loops,

was confined at -her house .?.:t*).:rfean months ago. "Witness ire girl again on Wednesday night, and she admitted having insfc been confined. T! io girl said who the father of* the child was, and that the same person was the father of her other child. The girl was unmarried, and about 25 years of age. She. heard the girl make a statement to the police on Wednesday night. When witness saw; the girl last Saturday sho asked her if she was in trouble; but the girl denied the accusation. Sergeant Hutton said that on W';' ncoday evening Dr." Coker gave him certain information, and he, with Constable Dwyer, went to Mrs. LOOIT3 house, and saw a girl lying in bed. The girl commenced to cry. and asked if she had done wrong. He saw marks of blood about the room. In a t : n trunk in the room he found the body of a female child. It was wrapped up in some skirts, and was still warm. Ho took the body to the police station, and afterwards to the. morgue. Ho was present when Dr. Collins held the post mortem. Ho saw the girl a second time, and she made a statement that she was 25 years of age, and told him who was the father of the child, and that after the child was born she put it inside the bix. The girl signed the name of Hose Iverwan. This closed the evidence, and the following verdict was returned: “That we find the child came to -its death by asphyxiation, and return a verdict of hom;c : de without intent, through inability and weakness caused by confinement without medical supervision.”