THE OAMARU TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7773, 20 October 1886, Page 5

THE OAMARU TRAGEDY.

The following evidence was taken at the inquest, held at Oamara, on the mutilated remains of a ohild found buried in a garden at the North Town Belt. A woman, named Sorgeaon, is at present in custody on a charge of having murdered the deceased. Mrs. Abbott, wife of Henry Abbott, labourer, Trent-street, said that she knew a charwoman named Agnes Sorgeson, and had known her three or four months. Sorgeson had one baby boy when witness first knew her, and about the 18th of August last she gave birth to a female child. Witness attended her, and was present at the birth. About a month after the confinement Sorgeson left Nenstroet, where she had resided, and went to live in a cottage near Mr. Toms. The baby was at witness's house all day on a Tuesday about a week after Sorgeson removed. It had been delicate, but at that time recovered. Sorgeson had been working for witness, cleaning a house next door, and she took the child home with her about half-past five that night. Witness saw her again when she oame to work without the baby. Witness asked where the child was, and Sorgeson replied that it had gone. Witness asked where it had gqne, and Sorgeson replied "Ob, the woman's fetched it." Witness then asked if the woman was going to take the baby away, and Sorgeson replied that the woman was going to South Oamaru to see aome friends, and was then going by the midday train. Sorgeson had asked witness to lend her some baby's clothes, which she said would not be required long, because she was going to get Mrs. Soott, at East Taieri, to take the child when it was old enough. A letter was written at witness's house to this Mrs. Scott asking her to come to take the child, and telling her to inquire of the neighbours where to find her. Sorgeson callod upon witness a fortnight last Saturday to bid her good bye. Witness told her that the neighbours were not satisfied about the disappearance of the baby, and asked if she had done her duty by it. Sorgeson replied that she had done her duty by it, and that Mrs. Brown had told her that the thing had been talked about. Sorgeeon said she was going to Dunedin to some person, and if she did not get employment there she had two brothers to go to. The child, had it lived, would have been eight weeks old. Dr. Garland stated that he had made a post mortem examination of part of a body of an infant yesterday. The remains were thoao of a fairly nourished infant in an advanced state of decomposition. On the right side of the head there was a large incised wound, separating the ear and the soalp and extending to the mouth, another fucieed wound on the left frontal bone, about three inches long, another about two inches long, extending from the left eyebrow and passing through the palpable aperture of the eye to half an inoh above the mouth, another on tho chin about an inch long, another on the cheet, about an inch long. The left leg had been removed at the hip joint, and the right leg just above the knee. The lower part of the anterior wall of the abdomen, with the esxual organ and polvio vise, had been removed. Tha lungs appeared healthy, but pale; and the heart healthy, but empty. The stomach contained undigested food. The brain had softened, apparently by decomposition. The intestinee were in a state of decomposition. From all this it was impossible to say what hud caused death, because no one oould positively say if the body had been mutilated before or after death, nor could he, from the remains, determine the sex of the ohild. All the sexual organs were removed. He oould not say what weapon was used ; it might have been a sharp spade or a tomahawk. A spade and a tomahawk were shown to Dr. Garland, and he said the wounds might have been inflicted with either, but he thought with the spade. The Foreman asked if the missing portions could have been burnt. Inspector Thompson said the police were not yet able to say ; the time had been too short. Dr. Garland said there were eome very suspicious-looking ashes there. The witness went on to say that the lunge and heart were empty, and, had the child been suffocated, one side of the heart would have been full and the other empty. His opinion was that death was caused by hemorrhage. He thought the mutilation of the several organs was done to prevent identification. Death would have resulted from any or all of the injuries. Arthur Toms stated that on the 16th September he met two women whom he did not know, in North-street, and one stopped him and asked him if he had a cottage to let, and he replied that he had and that the rent was 3« per week. The woman asked if she could have it, and witness replied that he did not know, and asked where her husband was. The woman replied that he wae dead, and that she got her living by washing, &c, and that if witness was afraid of not getting the rent, she would pay in advance. Uβ said he only wanted the rent when due, and he let her the house, and the woman got the key next day, but he did not know if she went into the house on that day or the next day, the 18th. On the Tuesday following the woman, whose name was Sorgeson, borrowed a tomahawk to ehop some wood, and afterwards borrowed a spade. In answer to witness she said she wanted the spade to bury some nightaoil. Either on the morning she borrowed the tomahawk, or the morning before, when witness went out between five and six o'clock, he saw Sorgeson coming from some outhouses, and when she saw him she appeared startled, and when he returned he mentioned the circumstance to Mrs. Casey. On Saturday, 25th September, Sorgeson spoke to witness about eight o'clock in the morning. She handed him 3s for a week's rent, and told him she was going to Dunedin in the steamer, as she could not get a living at Oamaru. Shu said she was going to live with a brother, whose wife wae sick. Yesterday Detective O'Brien called upon witness about eight o'clook in the morning, and witness showed him where the two holes had been made in the garden recently occupied by Sorgeson. He had previously spoken to Detective O'Brien about the matter, and Detective O'Brien had come to search. Detective O'Brien went on with the search, and witness went to finish hie breakfast. A few minutes afterwards Detective O'Brien called witness, and upon witness going he saw the remains of a ohild lying on the soil whioh had been dug out. Some eight days previous to this witness told Detective O'Brien that there were some very peculiar looking ashes in the fireplace in the cottage, and Detective O'Brien told him to see that tjhey were not disturbedi and the ashes remained undisturbed, until O'Brien saw them yesterday. He only saw one ohild, and that was orying from morning till night. The Foreman asked how the police had allowed the delay, and Inspector Thompson explained that there was a doubt as to how many children Sorgeson took away with her, and the police found the woman in Dunedin and questioned her, and she said one was at the Taieri. The police had made inquiry at the Taieri, and found that the child was not there, and then they commenced to search. The Coroner then adjourned the inquiry until Wednesday, the 27th inst.