Sad Death.

Opunake Times, Volume V, Issue 240, 22 December 1896, Page 2

Sad Death.

MR G. DUNTON'S SON POIB- - BY EATING BUSH BERRIES. Much sympathy was expressed for Mr and Mrs Dunton, of Oaonui, when it became known that their child Henry, aged 8 years had died on Saturday from the effects of eating berries in the bush. Mrs Dunton started with him for Opunake but he died on the way in. INQUEST. An enquiry into the cause of the death of Henry Dunton was held yesterday at Opunake before Mr G. W. Gane, J. 8., deputy coroner, at the Foresters' Hall. Mrs Dunton, mother of deceased, deposed: Deceased was three years and two months old; he was a healthy child but not very strong; op Saturday last he left home at ll ; a.m. with his brothers and sisters to go across the creek to get some light firewood. They were away about two hours and returned together. Dinner was then ready and the children with the exception of deceased took their places. Deceased then commenced to vomit and vomited five times; then gave him some salt and water; examined vomit and found remains of green chewed berries which looked like karaka berries, tawa berries, and some red berries ; becoming alarmed she sent tor Mrs Miller and they decided to take the child to Opunake to get mediotl treatment; before they- reached Opunake the child died in her arms between 4 and 5 p.m. On reaching Opunake, Mr Feaver, chemist, pronounced him dead. Robert Pairman, M.D., deposed: Have made a poßt-mortem examination of the deceased; found the body in quite a healthy and well nourished state; the ouly thing unnatural he could see was little spots of blood on the inner surface of the stomach as though the stomach had been put to some unusual exertion, such as vomiting. The stomach was perfectly empty. His opinion after hearing th* mother's evidence, was that evidently the child died from oned through eating berries. OommL not find any trace of poison in the stomach, but vegetable poison v <wa§> very hard to trace; _ George Dunton, father of deceased, deposed he examined the place where the children were playing and found a quantity of berries, suoh as those produced—karaka, tawa and others. He. also saw in the bush chewed green karaka berries which no doubt had been chewed by the children as they ■ were close to where they had been playing. - , George Dunton, brother of deceased, deposed he was nine years of age,' he was in the bush with deceased but did not see him eat any berries; he found his brother asleep; he spoke to him and asked him what was the matter with him; deceased said he did not know; he was crying all the way home; deceased vomited some stuff like green "tutu " mixed with the berries ; had never known deceased to eat any berries before. ; - Verdict: The jury are of opinion that the deceased met his death acci-, dentally by being poisoned by eating green karaka and other hush hemes.