SCHOOLBOY'S DEATH

Evening Star, Issue 15913, 20 September 1915, Page 1

SCHOOLBOY'S DEATH

PLAYING AT SOLDIERS. INQUEST ON'RAYMOND MOORE. Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M. (coroner), conducted an inquiry at the Hospital on Saturday afternoon into the causes surrounding the death of Raymond Hocking Moore, a schoolboy, nine years old, who received an injury to his right eye on Thursday, as a result of •which be died in the Hospital the next afternoon. Just how the injury was caused was not fully disclosed, but the evidence was sufficient to indicate clearly enough that while he was playing by_ himself at " soldiers," near his home in Leith street, a sharppointed stick he was using must havo entered the eye, causing perforation of the base of the skull and laceration of the brain. Edward Moo«e, father of deceased, ©aid his son was nine and a-half years old; and attended the Albany Street School, being in the First Standard. Some months ago he had bronchitis and pneumonia, but he had quite recovered. Witness was at home on Thursday evening, about 7 o'clock, when the acoident occurred, but he 6aw nothing of it. It appeared that deceased was in the street waving a sharp-pointed stick about, lie was fond of playing at soldiers. On this occasion he was playing by himself. Witness was reading in his house, when he heard a peculiar caying noise, which drew his attention to the fa*;t that something was wrong. The boy had evidently managed to stumble in from the kerbstone to the front passage. His face was all covered w'fh blood, cot.ing from the eye. Almost as soon as witness began to ask questions as to what had happened the Doy fell away unconscious in t his arms. Witness rang up Dr De Laufour at onoe, and was advised to take the boy to the Hospital immediately. . This was done, the boy being admitted :to the Hospital at 7.20. Witness understood from has wife (who remained with the boy) that he was seen at once by a doctor.Richard John Kelly, 12 years old, said he knew deceased, who went to the same school. He saw him on Thursday evening. Witness was playing with deceased's brother in Leith wfreet, near their house, but some distance away from deceased, who was on the footpatn in front of the house alone He had a stick in his hand. Witness did not notice what he was doing but beard a yell, and on looking behind saw him on the doorstep. Witness, was too far away to see whal had happened. The sharp stick (produced) was picked up by a boy living opposite. Dr L. H. M'Bride said he saw deceased at the Hospital about 8.30 or 8.45 on Thursday evening, witness having been rung up by the Hospital to come and see him. He found on examination a lacerated wound on the inner side of his right eye. There was a great deal of swelling of the upper lid, and the eyeball was protruding somewhat down and outwards. At the time it was impossible to make a complete examination without giving an anaesthetic. Shortly afterwards he was given an anaesthetic, and the wound was cleaned up and the blood clot removed. The actual eyeball itself was not injured. Ho thought at the time that the stick might have perforated the base of the skull, judging by the condition and depth of the, wound. He saw the bov again the following morning about 9.50. There were than definite signs of some cerebral irritation, and he informed the sister in the ward that the boy was dangerously ill, and told her to send, for his people. In the afternoon he was rung up about 3 o'clock by one of the house surgeons to say the boy had suddenly died. Witness was not surprised. Nothing more could have been done for him. A post mortem examination had been held, showing that there was a perforation of the base of the skull and a laceration of the i brain through the orbit, and definite injury to the brain. The cause of death was fracture of the base of the skull and , laceration of the brain. The injury might have been caused by a stick such as the one produced. It was possible that if the stick were pulled out quickly no blood would be upon it, but it was improbable, and witness was surprised that there was no blood upon it. Deceased told witness that a stick had gone in his eye, but the boy was in an irritable condition, and could give no other '\->'-tipn!ars. Nothing could have saved the boy. Evidence was also given by Dr Douglas D. W. Martin, house surgeon at the Hospital. The Coroner returned a verdict to the effect that death was due to perforation of the base of the skull and laceration of the brain through the orbit as the result of an accident while playing. The funeral took place yesterday, the remains beine interred at Anderson Bay cemetery. The flag and play sword and uniform used by* deceased in many a play i battle covered the coffin. There wno % full muoter of the Albany Street School Band (of which he wu? a member), under the control of the head master (Jlr Ren/rue), 1 band headed the pro-■-.essioii, while No. 2 band (his comrades) marched on each side of the hearse. A 1.-vrtre number of scholars end playmates ollowcd the remains to the oemeterv, Vhere the TVw. C. Eaton officiated, fo show the soldierly inclination of the little boy it itw.v b" mentioned that the l?/>t words epoken by him were: "Now, then, boys, all tnrether, \v<> must reach the top ani capture the hill. No matter if •ou get wounded twice, or three h'mes, -f von are "H» to run. walk, or rrawl, follow me and 'charge.'"