ABANDONMENT OF A CHILD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11581, 20 February 1901, Page 5

ABANDONMENT OF A CHILD.

VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER.A particularly heartless case of abandonment of a child took place yesterday morning, in Upper Union-street. At half-past seven a.m., John Waskett, a millhand, was coming along the thoroughfare when he discovered the body of a female child in the water-table. It was covered by a portion of a skirt. There was an old sugar bag lying near it, which had been washed, and a piece of brown paper adjacent. The skirt was of a faded greenish hue. Waske&t at once gave information to the police. Sergeant Walker took the body to the morgue. An inquest was held yesterday afternoon by Mr. Gresham*, coroner, at the Criterion Hotel, Albert - street. At the desire of the coroner Dr. Hood made a post-mortem examination. The doctor, on givin fe liis evidence, said that it was a newly-born female child. On (X----amining the body he found the face of a dark purplish hue, and the lips were of the same colour and swollen. The tongue seemed slightly enlarged. There were no other marks of violence. Front the tests he made he was of opinion that the child was born alive. The child died from violence, and there was uVesnmptive evidence of suffocation, which suffocation was in his opinion the result of violence. The child was healthy, but had not been washed. The hair of the child was of a dark red. and very abundant. The jury returned a. verdict or manslaughter against some person or persons unknown.