ILL-FATED FAMILY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22211, 11 September 1935, Page 14

ILL-FATED FAMILY

DEATH OF TWO SONS ACUTE BACTERIAL TROUBLE MAORI MOTHER'S ORDEAL [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT! x ROTORUA. Tuesday Tha unusual circumstances surrounding the deaths of two Miiori children at Tarukenga, near Rotorua, were cleared up this afternoon when the inquest was concluded before the coroner, Mr. W. L. Richards. A report from the pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, Dr Gilmour, produced by the police showed that the cause of tho death of Parengarenga Aorangi and Honry Aornngi, who died on August 7, was acute bacterial infection, with, in tho case of one child, definite indications of dysentery. Tho two children were members of a Maori family who wore living with another native family named Ryfle at Tarukenga. While the mother, Mrs. Grace Aorangi, was looking after six of tho children in the absence of Mr. and Mrs. Ryfle, four of tho Aorangi children became ill Tho two boys both died. Tho two other children, both girls, although showing similar symptoms to those of the boys, both recovered. The Ryfle children, who apparently ate tho same food as their cousins, the Aorangis, wero not affected, whilo, until the examination by the pathologist, no causo of death could be determined. Tour Children Become 111 Tho evidence given by Mrs. Aorangi showed that eight children and three adults had been living in a two-roomed wharo at Tarukenga. On the morning of August 6, two of the children and Mr. and Mrs. Ryfle, tho owners of the house, went leaving witness in charge of the remainder of the children. In tho morning thoy all had a meal of bread and butter and jam, but soon after this, four members of witness* family became ill and wero put to bed. Witness said she sat up all night nursing the children, but the two boys became worse They complained of toothache and asked repeatedly for drinks. There was no telephone available with which to call a doctor or a nurse. In spite of witness' efforts the younger boy became steadily worse and died at 11 a.m. Witness then brought the other three children to Rotorua by the afternoon train and took them to the hospital, but the elder boy died ten minutes aftor admission. Evidence by Doctor Doctor H. Bertram, who conducted the post-mortem examinations, said that no cause of death could be ascertained as a result of his investigations, although the pathologist's report was consistent with tho condition of the organs of the two deceased as he found them Detective A. J. White, of Hamilton, said that nothing was found in the whare to lead to any conclusion other than that arrived at by the pathologist. The coroner, in returning a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, paid a tribute to the painstaking manner in which the police had conducted their investigations. Hp said that careful inquiries had been made by officers of the Health Department, which should produce beneficial results.