ADJOURNED INQUEST.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 204, 27 August 1909, Page 5

ADJOURNED INQUEST.

■ * p ALLEGED NEGLECT OF AN | INFANT. JA A VERDICT OP MANSLAUQRTCER PARENTS ARRESTED. g«l The inquest on the body of the Infant -Louis Henry Neil, aged' two months, adjourned from yesterday, was resumed this morning before, Mr. T. Greshant (coroner) and a jury. 'Constable Dunn* represented, the police. tw Margaret Cameron, a registered hunt and midwife, residing in Church-street, Ponsonby, stated that the child was".'* well-developed child at birth. Dr. Florence Keller attended the mother and child for the usual period, and the child continued to thrive until the .time' hist was taken away from her house, There was a difficulty in feeding the child. "he saw the child again when he was a month 013, and he looked a bit thinner, out nothing alarming. The mother brought the child to her again about * week later, as he. was not. so well. Knowing the history of the mothet'f • family, she advised that the child be given barley water and well rubbed with oil. She also advised the mother to consult a doctor if the child did not improve. She was aware her instruction* as to rubbing the .child with pit, werecarried out. She had not seen the child alive since August 5". About 2 ajn. on the 25th the, father and uncle of the child called, at' heir place and said the child had had a-fit .and was dead. .She thought they might have been excited, and the child may still he. alive, and she sent.them to' Dr. Florence' Keller. They' returned about 3.15 a.m., and reported that Dr. Brookway had visited the child, andthe. child, was dead. .She. did hot kjiOW that Dr. Brpckway'.had TSfused to" give a certificate of death. It wOuld be, quite possible for the child, to. be Wasting away, daily between the time she last .saw the" child apd the time-,of hifc dea|;h, This must have been, apparent to these in charge of the child. -'"Under;;' the "Circumstances she- thought" th£y, should have had advice. ' To Constable Dunne;. !She .' had; neyjsr personally seen .the' _, child, 'rubbed 'wira the oil, but the" mother had told her she had .done, so. She.'could not.. say] ivhich bi the iwb^—the' father or shouted put that the child was'dead • when they visited her; place,: • PUye-.Josephine.Jtejll, .thejnjoth'er of : tb& child,, : before . giving I evidence,; was cautioned by' Mr. Gresham. She stated that the' night the'child'"died she gave E{jn. : a;/hot bath and rubbed him' Well with oil. He w»a put to bed at half past 4, and when ,»he r , retired at 8 o'clock the chjld was. still sound asleep and confirmed asleep Until 2- ; a.m. on the 25th Aug uß t; when he.woke up screpining. She took the-child into her mother, (Hid she said the. child hid convulsions, and her husband: ran for the doctor. The child" was still .living when they brought him downstairs, hut died shortly, before, -thedoctor arrived. The-child - died mother's arms - between Jtalt and a quarter of. an. hour,, before 'the doctor arrived.. . •To Constable Dunne: She heard her husband give evidence that, he saw no difference :in : the child up to the time of;death. Her husband had. not, seen; tjia baby stripped during the last three week's. She bathed the child every day, but did hot notice t any change in- tb* child's appearance since she took it to Nurse.Cameron on August 5.. ThXchijd had slept 8J hours at A; stretch;, on * previous occasion. ,"/. , Mary Anne Donnelly, grandmother of tha child, stated that the child was very, thin when hei was prought home froni J Nurse Cameron's. There was nothing unusual in the appearance. of the'child /.or Ip the state of its health, tin, it awojto screaming on the morning of its death. The child died in her arms between two and half-past two, The child died about half-ah-hour or perhaps less Jrefore 'ttye doctor arrived., ...',\.'" ~.."'. Dr. Brockway, further examined, stated that the increasing emaciation of. the child .during, the last, twenty, days must have been apparent to those >in charge, and that being so he considered it waa thedu'ty of the parents' to ihave called in; medical aid. When' .the/ father, aadiilnelet of the child came to him,., 'he got the: hdt pressi on the \ child wo*" dead, andiquestioned them, hut could not get a decisive answer. Hei told them to- return noma while he was, getting ready, and if the child was dead to meet him on the way. They met him a. short distance front the house and told hhn the; child; was dead. As he was so close, he /went in and sawi the child. Someone, he thought it W*e the gra.ndmother, suggested the child had died from inward, convulsions, and. asked for a certificate, which he: refused "to give. When discussing: tha :death.with the. father and unclej they told.him that Nurse Cameron had:. sent ' thenv. tot. :'a doctor,; and had masked- them to! let', he*, ' : know what the doctor said* v This-'was the first time- he; Sad heard of .Nurse Cameron, and wondered why site bad sent for him instead of Dr. who, was her; regular doctor. One iof them replica that Nurse Cameron told them, to 'get any doctor. They said they had not viaited Dr. Keller. -He was still of the opinion that the child had been dead an hour when he.saw it... \.'.','if*' 1 ;To Constable Dunn:, He had. never, known "rigor mortis" to take place iv half-an-hour. • After the Coroner had reviewed tbe evidence, jury returned a verdict that in accordance with medical evidence/ death was due to marasmus, accelerated iby <the neglect of the parents in not obtaining medical aidj such neglect being due to inexperience and youth of the parents. -. - - .On the jury's, verdict being niade known the parents, Robert John Neil and Jose-: Neil were arrested- by Constable Dunne on a charge of manslaughter.- .. . / .■ .