WAIMATA DROWNING FATALITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3150, 21 February 1911, Page 7

WAIMATA DROWNING FATALITY.

. INQUEST ON THE VICTIM. The inquest on the body of the child Alexander Christie, who was drowned in till© AVaimata River on Sunday was held at the. residence of Mr J. Terry, Waimiro, yesterday. Mr Charles Gray, J.P., was acting-coroner, and the jury was ’as follows: —Messrs AV. 0. Sheet (foreman), Alfred Wallace, AVilham Riddell! Edward Perry, J. AVarringtou and Alisher McDonald. f Constable Dandy represented the police. Agnes Bristow Christie stated: that she was the mother of deceased. On Sunday morning her son John, four years of age, came running to 1 the house/ and told her that Alexander had fallen into the river. Mir A. Perry, the little boy andl 'herself went to the river and saw the spot where the hoy had' fallen in. They then searched along the banks, and found the body lodged in some willow Branches. Air Perry went into the water and brought the body .out. Every effort to> restore animation was made, but without success. She identified the body as that of her child, who was at the time of the fatality three years and four months old. She had ‘been! living in the locality for four or five months, and this was the first time the children had been playing near the river. AAUtness last saw her child alive about an hour before he was found in the river. He was then playing about the yard with fiis brother. The children' had'often played in the paddocks, but never before near the river. Alfred Lewis Perry, sheep farmer, residing at AVaimiro, AVaimata AUdloy, stated that about 11.30 a.m. on Sunday he went to 1 the river with Airs Christie on being told that deceased' had fallen into the river. Airs Christie found the body as already stated. 'He believed the child had been in the water about halif-an-hour before it was found). Constable George Dandy stated that lie had examined the body, and had found -no marks of violence on it, and he was convinced that the child had met its death by drowning. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased! had met his death through drowning, there being no evidence to show how he got into the river.