INQUEST.

Press, Volume XXIII, Issue 2931, 12 January 1875, Page 3

INQUEST.

The inquest waa held at the Mitre at 3.30 §XT_ac_ ; ' rhe following are the names of the jusy :—Richard Wood, Robert Cotton. John Michael Carroll, J. E. K. Sannde*s, T. A. W. Parsons Cameron, James Yule, R. Cole, J. Galbraith, C. W. H. Woledge, G. Ayers. W.. Kiddy. Mr C. W. H. Woledge was chosen, foreman of the jury. Dr Coward, the coroner, presided. He said that thej-yfcere . called together to inquire into the cause of the death of the girl, Isabella Thompson. The jury then-proceeded to the morgue to view the body, * " V Ktfulra Bailey; ten years old, sworn, said—l can read-and write. I know the nature of an oath. I Jive in St. David's street. Lyttelfcn. I remember Siturday, the 9th. I ' was after the cows in the afternoon. I went back to Ripon street to look after a cow I had lost.. I saw a handkerchief in the Rev 7'.Jfsrl.ember's orchard fast to some gorse I ■ -.'TstoHl a-boj named Rouse*l thought thwes .at3gs*j _». drunken man there. I told a boy . named Duke or Richard Rouse. .. .his brother Tom and ' Knowles to inform, the police. I did .~jflot*go into the orchard. The handkerchief was tied to the gorse. I saw the body from. ' "lying in a corner, there is a gorse E "'" w fenpe.z_Mi|Hi the paddock. The body was in '. - .'4hs-o(Bse£-of the gorse fence .when T saw it. • ~»..1&7,wjw;£11-iQ the orchard. The body was :•-> under an overhanging gorse fence. The boy ' i was with mc when I first saw it. .- -TLfUd not know who it was. .After putting up the cow I went hear the orchard, and enough to look through a hole in the hedge, and saw it was a child lying in front." It was the body of a girl, but I did . not; know who it wr.s * ."By the Foreman—When I first saw. the - T saw no one loitering near. •„. Bj a Juryman—l do not know the pri,v ~ . I never saw him before. "Alfred Geo Simmonds said—l am twelve years of age. I live ih Lyttelton. I re- — y Igkember Saturday last. I know tbe last wit- ., ,s£BB, ~John Bailey. I was with him on - '_.-. last driving some cows. I know _ Ripon 7street, I know Mr Pember's place. I "was passing along Ripon street about 6 p.m. on Saturday, I saw a girl lying dtad - Ja Mr Pember's garden. There was blood on. her jCheek. It was in the corner of tbe >**- -~ ; garden. The blood was on her left cheek. » It is a "fence of wire and gorse. I saw her ■- from the road. I was passing close by. I fought she was dead by tbe blood. I did , not tell anybody. The boy Bailey was with .. Sie r jost a little bit in front. He told mc - .fheYe.was something there. He thought it was' a drunken man, and that made mc go and look, and I saw it was a girl. She was . :lying under the gorse on her right side, with her legs up. Her head was bare. . By the Foreman—l did not tell any body. . I did not see any one about. Richard Rouse said—l am living at .the ■comer of Oxford and Ripou streets, Lyttelton. I remember Saturday last, 9th instant. I was told between 6 and 7 p.m. on that day, "by my brother, Thomas Rouse, that he was told by another hoy that aman was lying drunkand naked in the gorse, and he asked mc to go and see. I went with my brother 7and Knowles to the corner of the Bey Mr Pember's garden in Ripon street, and I saw the body of a little girl lying there witb her face covered with blood. I told my brother Thomas to run for the police as quickly as »._. _ The body was inside the fence. _~, She wag lying on" her back ; her head was a little to -the right, and her right , : 7,"/mttJsi wasfitretched out, her leffcby her side. !>],<. \ ,' Her legs were open,-and iying straight down ■ - - (jvDaiffy,' tbey were cpiite naked, with tbe «*-

ception of te*7 stockings. The body was niked up to the ; iniddle, with this exception. Just ftae minutes before the police arrived, I noticed a cut in her n«ck_* "The bod} was inside the wire and gorsefence, and lying in the centre of some grsrse. Her hand was covered with gorse.. I saw the police come. Dry gorse was '"n her hair. I did not notice any gorse on any other part. By the foreman—The body was lying with the legs down hill. James Wallace, constable, sworn, said— On Saturday, about 620 p.m., a report was made to mc by a boy named Thomas Rouse, who came to the station. From what he told mc I proceeded up to the Rev Mr Pember's garden, in Ripon street, and I saw the body of deceased lying under a gorse fence. Looking through the fence I saw her face covered with blood. I went through the fence. I saw a large cut wound, commencing at the left ear and running round the throat. She was then dead, but quite warm. I put my hand on her stomach, which was uncovered. I She was naked up to the middle of the body. She was lying on her back, her two legs being spread out from each other and straight down. Her arms were by her .side: Her right cheek was .lying on the grouq»3. I found a pair of drawers ttnder henrrigbt thigh. There was blpQd OU them. The .~j»ttoa which fastens thjte behind was pu_£Sd_Qjfi, and hanging on tifem. ajwwn and identified.] I 4W fouud handkerchief under her-right-shoulder. .Her hat was lying about four feet from' her. and two tickets for the school treat were lying 1 at her right .hand. [The hat and handkerchief, and tickets, were produced and identified.] There was a large pool of blood under her neck. There was a quantity of blood at her side. She was lying right under a gorse fence in the corner of Mr Pember's garden. Her head was down hill. Tne gorse was four or five feet high in the garden fence, and partial'y covered the body. There was a, lot of dry gorse about the place. There was a lot of dry gorse in her hair, aud her legs were scraped with it. There were apple trees in the garden. I sent immediately for Dr Rous-, and he came, and after he had examined it I took it to the station. Her dress was torn off half way round the body, and her petticoats also. The skirl was torn off £he body of the dress.

John Blair Thompson having taken an affirmation, am the father of the deceased Isabella Thompson. She would have been twelve years of age on the 23id of this pr sent month. I remember Saturday last. I saw deceased about 5 p.m on that day opposite Mr Hamilton's garden in Dampier's Bay. I asked where she was going, and she said she was going to get two tickets for the school treat for her mother and myself. 1 told her it was not necessary as I should not go. She went dancing down the hill ■ "in good health and strength. I next saw her at the police station', '-xfcead.-'wL. do not know at time. There was no one with her when I last saw her. She has been in the, habit of going on messages into Lytteftoi| for mc. She was a very quiet inoffensive gin. I never saw any man walking with her.

By the Foreman : I was at home from the time I last saw her alive till the message came telling mc of the matter. Dr Rouse, sworn, said on Saturday evening last about 6 30 p.m. at the request of the police I accompanied two of the constables to Mr Pember's garden. In the S.E. corner of the garden-under a thick gorsa fence the lower portion of the gorse is destroyed and the upper hangs down. There is a hole large enough to admit several boys. I was shewn by -Constable Wallace the body of deceased. She was lying across the corner of the fence, her feet diagonally up hill, head downwards nearest to the street. I saw a gash which occupied nearly the whole of the left side of the throat, gaping wide open. The extremities, were nearly cold,,the body retaiuing considerable warmth. The legs and lower part of the thighs were uncovered when I Baw it. The knees showed signs of a struggle in that they wefe covered with fresh earth scratched and pricked over with gorse. Her hair was long and thick, and filled with.broken dry gorse. Her clothes were much torn; she had no hat or drawers on. I examined the body casually -then; and detected no signs of violation. 1 saw the drawers and handkerchief produced picked up. I noticed that the drawers had been apparently violently torn off, as the |- button was torn off and attached to a piece of cloth, and I noticed a stain on the handkerchief as if a knife had been wiped on it. At first I was surprised at seeing co little blood, but found a quantity had been hidden under the dry gorse near where the head lay before the constable moved it. Not more than an hour had elapsed since death had occurred when I saw it. I do not think there could have been any attempt at violation. I examined accused at Sergeant O'Grady's request this morning. I discovered a number of small spots about his legs, which he said were pimples. He denied they were thorns or anything of the kind. There were extracted from these about twenty gorse prickles; some out of his legs, about the knees, and some from his hands, principally at the back of the left hand. Sergeant-Major O'Grady extracted them, and I took them from him and handed them to Detective Beast. I noticed a scratch on his face, and on the back of one hand. They were recent. He had also a scratch on one shin. I have since examined the prickles through the microscope, and am convinced they are gorse prickles that were taken from the knees arid hands of accused. Dr Hugh M'Donald, duly sworn, said—l "made a post mortem examination of the body this morning, i --should think the body was that of a girl of twelve, well nourished, and apparently in good health. Her hair was matted with gorse. There were slight bruises, one on her forehead and one on each arm. There was a large incised wound on the left side of her neck, and two smaller wouiids. The left common carotid artery was cut through, and the other large vessels of the neck. The first wound was only skin deep, just below the chin, two inches long. Then there was a wide gash on the left side of the throat right to the back ot the neck five and a quarter inches long, and gaping two and a half inches. At the end of the large wound near the centre there is a triangular piece of skin not divided. On opening the body, I found the heart and all the organs healthy, the leftventricle of the heart was quite empty and contracted. I examined the stomach, and found a partially digested meal. The sexual organs were uninjured. There were marks on the knees of struggling, and they appeared to be scratched by prickles. The wound in the throat was the cause of death. By the Police—l observed what appeared to be prickles in the body. On the right thigh, left hip, and the fingers of the right hand, there was large scratches, that did not appear to have been caused by prickles. They might have been caused by catching hold with a hand with sharp nails on it. The instrument was evidently a cutting instrument of some sort. A pocket-knife would have done it. There was no sign of disease in the body. By foreman—Considerable force must have i been used. There were prickles in her hand. By the police—The child's clothes and hair were covered with prickles, and there were some on her body. James Allan, duly sworn, said—l am mate of the Canterbury schooner in Lyttelton. I know accused. He was cook and steward on board the Canterbury. His name is John Mercer. I saw him on Saturday last the 9th. He came ashore from the schooner a little before 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. We went to get paid off at Captain Russell's house. That was about 12 15 p.m. I left about half an hour afterwards. Mercer left Captain Russell's before mc. I next saw him at the corner near Mr Bailey's public house, at a little after one. I gave him a £1 note at the time. I went aboard and came ashore again afterwards. I saw accused at the wharf about four p.m. There were two men with mc, and he asked mc to lend him the boat. I refused, as we wanted the boat for water. I saw him next when the captain and I weTe standing outside.the Albion, about five o'clock. Captain Russel and I were talking together when he pagje up with a tittle girl. He came up Can-

terbury stteet to the front ot the Albion, where we J infe i London street. He spoke »Hout Ch., >. in <»'{lrian. R<* then went further, up Cat-bury street, in the direction of Knott's public house. The little cirl was with di n then. I observed the little girl at the tira»% 1 ha~e swm her since, to-day. in th- d.'ad hous*?. I went there with Mr Feast. I believe it is the child, because she had a pe~.nli.ir expression on her features which she retains after d< ath, and which I noticed wneu she passed us at five o'clock on Saturday. The child had something in her hand when she came towards us. I saw Mercer after that a few minutes before the 6 p.m. train left Lyttelton for Christchurch. He was standing on the platform first, and afterwards in a second class carriage. I did not see him come to the station. He was standing up at the door, when I saw him, nearest the platform, with both his hands in his trousers pockets. I noticed him particularly, as he seemed excited. He had a light waistcoat and coat on. I think he had a black cheese- [ cutter cap on, but cannot swear it. I have not since till now. I have known him some weeks. There were no marks on him like that I see on his face now at 4 p.m. jon Saturday. There were no marks on his hands at that time. I believe accused smokes, and carries a. knife. By tbe Foreman—Captain . Russell was wi'h mc when I saw accused with the little girl. Captain John Russell, duly sworn, said— lam master of the scbooner Canterbury. I knov John Mercer; I discharged him on ! Saturday from my employment, about eleven o'clock, at my own house. I saw him about 5 p.m. the same day, between Mrs Webb's shop and the Albion Hotel, close to the Albion. He came up the- etreet towards mc from the Mitre. He spoke to rne. There was a little girl standing near the corner on the side path, and she turned round and looked at him when he spoke to mc about wages. I ssked the mate Allan whether he knew the Hi tie girl. The little girl went up the street towards Scott's,'and the accus«d followed her. He was five or six yards off. The girl ran up the street, and Mercer followed her running., I could not say if he was in company with the girl coming up Canterbury street before I met him. I have not seen the body. I think I could recognise the body of the girl I saw with Merrer. By a juror—Her hair was fair. Captain Russell then proceeded to the morgue to view the body. On returning he said—l believe it to be the body of the same child that I saw with Mercer on Saturday. Mercer was not dressed then as he is now. He had a grey suit and a French peak cap on. [A cap was then placed ou prisoner.] It was a cap similar to that I now see on aocused. Sergeant Major O'Grady applied for an adjournment till Tuesday, the 19th, at noon, and the request was granted.