THE SHELLY BEACH MYSTERY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7272, 10 March 1885, Page 5

THE SHELLY BEACH MYSTERY.

CORONER'S INQUEST. A coroner's inquest was held yesterday afternoon at Gleeson's Hotel, before Dr. Philson and a jury (of whom Mr. Thomas Edwards was chosen, foreman), on the body of a female infant, name unknown, found sewn up in a sugar bag in Shelly Beach, on Friday evening last. Detective Twohey watched the proceedings on behalf of the police. The jury having viewed the body at the morgue, the following evtdenoe was adduced :—Dr. T. Hope Lewis identified the body which the jury had seen as that of a female iufant on which he had made a poet mortem examination on Saturday last. It was of full time, and weighed about 8lb«. Dr. Lewie then minutely described the appearance of |the body> There vverenoabrasions of the skin, visible contusions, or wounds on the body, but the whole of the scalp was more or lees raised from the bone. There was a swelling of about the size of a bantam's egg over the right forehead of the frontal bons. The body was well nourished. There was no clothing on the body further than a piece of calico, which was wrapped round it. It was stained with blood and meconium. The lungs were of a natural pink colour, and indicated a perfect establishment of respiration. On removing the scalp he found a moderate quantity of extravasated blood, and the whole of the back part of the scalp was fall of extravasated blood or bloody aerum. There was also a fracture of the left parietal bone. [The scalp bone was produced. It was about threeinchesl broad by four long, and indicated the fracture. ] The fracture extended about three inches to the temple eminence. There was no injury of the dura-mater in the same situation. The fracture might have been caused by a fall from, the mother to the floor. He could not in any way account for by what means the fracture was caused. There was a lacerated part of the brain close to the fracture. The whole of the brain substance was in a thin jelly. He was quite certain, from the whole of his examination, that the child was born alive, and that it breathed naturally. He believed the cause of death was fracture of the skull and injury to the brain, but in what manner he was unable to aay. There was no evidence of asphyxia. Death, he thought, must have taken place soon after birth.—lTo a> juror: He could not say that death had taken place after the child was put into the gunny bag ] Death appeared to have taken place after it was put into the water. —Thomas Patterson (an intelligent lad of 13 years of age) Ruauellstreet, Ponsonby, identified the body as the one be had found when bathing on Shelly Beach on Friday, at half ■ past four p.m. He did not touch it, but went immediately to the police station, Ponsonby, and reported the matter. — Constable Collis, stationed at Ponsonby, deposed that the bundle was about nine feet below high-water mark, wrapped np in calico. The calico was wound round the body and limbs and sewn up, but the head was left uncovered. There was an outer covering of coarse flax or tow (produced), and the whole enclosed in a canvas bag (an ordinary sugar bag), which was not tied up. There was a piece of calico pushed against the navel. It had been in the water. He had since made every enquiry possible as to the parentage of the child, but had been unsuccessful. He observed that the hair on the scalp was fair.—The jury, after a brief deliberation, returned the following verdict, which is an open one : —" That death was caused by fracture to the skull, but there was no evidence to show how the fracture was caused, or by whom."