THE THORNDON MYSTERY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 22 September 1925, Page 9

THE THORNDON MYSTERY.

BODY IN LUGGAGE ROOM.

INQUEST IN WELLINGTON

Q. y Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Monday. An inquest was he'd to-day on tlie body of tho infant which was found wrapped up a. a parcel in the left]<rrragc u office of tlie Thorndon Railway Station on Thursday evening last. Senior Detective Cameron represented the police. Dr. Philip Patrick Lynch, pathologist it the Wellington Hospital, who made a post-mortem examination of the infant, said the body was that of a male child weighing Tib loz. He described the condition of the body. •■prom, this examination," said the "1 am of opinion that this was the body of a fully developed male child which hnd breathed, and that death had occurred within 7- hours of birth, and thai ihe child had been dead several weeks. It i- not possihlo to say whether the Iv-ad injury was the actual cause of death." Tlie Coroner (Mr. \V. <l. Riddell, S.M. :l an you give any definite opinion a- to the cause of death.-' Witness: No. T'm afraid 1 can't give any'hin_ more definite than that. "I take if. it must, have died from lack .-•' attention V"—"Yes. if the head injury wh> not the wtual cause of death." "The (our: ha- to nnd the cause of death if pu..-ibl.. 1 .-ath was due to inattention after birth."- "The injury should not have been the cause of death with proper attention." Senior I)otpclive Cameron: Could you fcTm any opinion as to whether the injury might have been done by accident, or by de. ign ': —It would be impossible to .-ay which was the most likely. "If t'ue injury was on the outside, would that have been sufficient To caus-e death':" —"Yes, but children are known to recover from ju.t as severe injuries

as ihat." At this 'stage the inquest was adjourned for a week to enable tlio police to make further inquiries.