THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 434, 4 April 1865, Page 4

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT.

IKOUEST ON Til's BODY. Av inquesl on the boclv of the late Mary Patterson was held yesterday, before T. M. Plnlson, Esq.. Coroner, at the Criterion Hotel, iiobsonstreet. A jury of twelve having been sworn, Mr. J M. French was chosen foreman, and after viewing the body, the following evidence was taken:— f John Patterson, sworn, stated -. 1 am son ol Johu Patterson, residing in Cook-street West, and am ten years of age. On Saturday last, about -1 p.m., I was in my father's house, playin"- with a aim (auu produced) ; a single barrel fowlins-piece. 'l got it from the comer ot my brother William's bedroom. I took th- . uu, but did not know whether it was loaded or not. There was uo cap on it. but the hninnu: v.-i'-s down en the nipple. I got some caps out oi one of my brother's pouches, which was open, and hanging against the wall in the same room. I "then put a cap on the nipple, and snaoped it in the room; the <"m did not explode; I was then alone in tne room, and concluded the gun was not loaded. After I had snapped-two-caps, I wont out ot the bedroom into the passage, there then being another cap on the gun ; the muzzle was pointing down the passage in the direction my sister wa"s coming. My sister saw me at the bedroom door, and called to me to put the gun down ; i then pulled the trigger again, and the gun exploded. J 1 saw'mV sister instantly fall," with-

out tittering any sound, upon the floo? ot the kitchen. ■My sister came to-the bedroom door and checked me, when I exploded the first cap. Immediately my sister fell I rushed towards her, and I saw blood flowing from a wound in the left side of the neck. My mother was washing in the kitcheii fit the time, and was close-to' where my sister fell dead. I had once before' been plaving with the gun, but had neither snapped caps or fired it off. The gun belongs to my brother Frank, and was always kept standing in the place where I found,it. I had several times been told by my parents not to touch the gun. There were two other guns in the house, belonging to the militia, one kept in the- same place as the fowling-piece, and the other hanging up against the wall; they are not loaded. I never loaded a gun in my life, i did not tell my sister I would shoot her, or point the gun at her. By a Juryman : My mother was in the house the whole time, and heard my sister check ie-b for handling the gun. Mrs. Mary Patterson stated: lam themothur of deceased, and wife of John Patterson. De-< ceased is twelve years of age. On Saturday afternoon last she, was employed in cleaning end scrubbing out the house. When about four o'clock in the afternoon, I was washing in the kitchen, and deceased was in the act of going out for another bucket of water to fill the kettle' for tea, when she saw her brother with the gun' in his hand, and immediately cried out to.him to put the gun down, or she would tell his brother, Francis. I did not see the gun go off, but heard the report, and saw my daughter instantly fall to the ground. I picked her up in my arms, and put my hand to her neck to stop the blood, but it was of no avail, and she expired almost instantaneously. Some person then came and sent for a doctor. I had not seen the boy previously with the gun in his hand, Dor were the younger children allowed to touch them. I heard'some cracking, but had no idea it was my son snapping caps on tho gun. The gun is the property of my son Frank, and he kept it in the corner of his bedroom—a room which the younger children were forbidden to enter. Some lew mornings ago I heard my son Frank take the gun out and threaten to shoot some fowls that "were in the garden, but he did hot fire id lire it off. I was not aware it was loaded. Francis Patterson, sworn,: I am brother to the deceased. I was not at home at the time of this occurrence, but was so about five o'clock. At that time I saw my sister lying dead. The gun now produced is my property, and usually kept it in a corner at the foot of the bed. with two militia rifles. They were not usually loaded, but last Saturday morning I saw a lot of fowls in our garden, eating some oats which had just been sown, and I went and loaded the gun with powder and shot, for the purpose,of shooting them. Upon my going opt again the fowls were gone, and I did not discharge the gun, but took the cap off the liippley put the hammer, and placed the gui; in the corner again. My brother Samuel knew the gun was loaded, for he was lying awake in bed at the time. My brother John nor any one else in the house did not know that the gun was loaded. I had aerer done this before, and I thought about it the whole day. All the ammunition is kept in our box, under loeksndkey,and my brother must have by seme means ob'» tained some loose caps. Sergeant Scott, Armed Police, deposed : On Saturday last at iour o'clock p.m. I received information that a little girl had been shot in Cook-street, so I at once proceeded to the spot. Fpou reaching the house I found deceased lying ou a sofa dead, caused by; a large wound in her neck, at least two inches hi' width and one inch in depth. There was also an immense quantity of blood on the floor. The wound bore a blanched appearance, as though caused by the discharge ot a gun. I took the gun now" produced from the corner of a back room, and it bore every evidence of having been recently discharged. There was no discharged cap 6n the nipple, nor could I find any capsVhaiever on the floor of the house. The family gave me everv information, and concealed nothing from me. The other rifles in the house were not loaded. The jury here decided that it wa; not necessary to take the evidence of Dr. Hooper, the child being dead at the time he arrived. The iury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of "Homicide by misadventure," through the discharge of a loaded fowling piece, fired by one John Paterson, an infant,-whilst at i^ a y- - ■'