REVOLVER ACCIDENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 92, 11 January 1908, Page 6

REVOLVER ACCIDENT.

: . ,GIRL'S SAD DEATH. INjjtICST ; (BY .TELEGKAPn—SPECIAL, COnitESrONDKNT.)'' .1,: Vftiftsdln, January'lo. ' ,As r!the -"result of. : 'tlie;'oyidcnco laid boforo the Coroner this morning, the jury camo: to tho conclusjon-.that-Katljleen 'Maureen Meade met 'her ■ doath < through • a deplorable' accident ,Witli her father's revolver. Mrs." Meade gave: , thh thus:— " . . "My: daughter was 15 years.of, age! She enjoyed g6od :; lie'alth, : and was' always m tlip best 'eif spirits.'- Yesterday she-was-in un.usually - good" spirits, " singing when she roso at G a.m. I. had asked'her to change her clothes, and slio went into her father's room to -do "iio." 't went into'-tRc kitchen; telling lier to hurry j as. I .'wanted her. I-heard a .sound, like'tho striking of a match, and, ..thought;"sh,',w,as playing with her fathor's revolver, which was-lying'in the room. I went t) the door, and called, to her to hurry. I got no'reply, and- went into the room, smelling' powder 'slightly. I saw- her slip off the bed to the floor, md I said: 'Kathleen, whatever has happened'to you?'. I got 110 .answer, so.I lifted.her,,»rm up, and it fell. I, tried' to, lift. her.,on:.to the bed,,but could not.' I sent Vne of tno boys for assistance, and told my neighbours to get a doctor and the police: Dr:. Liiidon came'. I could hot detect any ibreath thon, but when 1 said 'Kathleen,' her eyes rolled round. Slio was a perfectly happy girl, and we had had no quarrel. '. dream that, she did &uch a thing'wilfnlly.' : 1, never noticed the rovolrnr when-I wont-into the room—not till •afterwards." ■ J- I .'.' Dr. Lindon saidj'in tho course of his evidence, that death was'-duo to bleeding from tho pulmonary' arteries. 1 The course of the bullet was and to the"right. ;. The Coroner: If it had been held in the right hand tho passage of tho bullet ought to havo been to the. left, should it not? : ( Witness: If it had been fired with the .right-hand!,and intentionally, 'ono would ex- : pect'itho'.-:bullpt/to" have gone towards tho left. My,idea is that the pistol -was held backwards, the thumb on the trigger,'as inexperienced ■ people sometimes do to look down tho barrel. "From tho general circumstances "o'rie would deerii : it to be an accident;,

The"Coroner:' I will ask you a. delicato' question., You',know wjiat 'scandal.is apt' to ;bo'spread abroad in such 'cases.? You ex-■amined'-tho-body-?'- How did you find the organs? Witness: I found tho orgaii3 in proper condition. There wero no signs of pregnancy. .- The Coroner (to tho father): You will understand my reason for asking, this question. ■ . i ■ Sergeaut-Major Meadp: Yes. lam thank-ful-to you for doiugso.- , Tho Coroner :" I did it' for. tho purpose of putting an end to, any disiigreeablo talk that might arise.' ,

Sergeant. Conn: In your, opinion, doctor, from the trend of the 1 , bullet, the discharge was accidental rather than wilful ? ,

•vrWithess: I should;think so..'''Moreover, a, person committing suicido would naturally press-tho rcvolvor against the breast. In this-case-it: was. held „a; little -distance away; or the powder could not havo got oil the: face asjt did.

Sergeant-Major Meade, of the Permanent Artillery, confirmed his .wife's evidence.

i -.Tho^Coroner remarked: There was no.motive for' suicide; ' Sho'was in good health and spirits, ;,and . bn.;'ihe.,.best' of'terms- with her family.. I think, you ..will be: perfectly. justi-. fied in'returning a -verdict of accidental death, without .retiring.,

The jury found ;that; the.cause', of death was hemorrhage, ocoasioncd<-by a revolver bullet wound , accidentally inflicted by tho girl- her-' self. ••••■., • , ...