A CHILD SUFFOCATED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 13

A CHILD SUFFOCATED.

AUCKLAND, April 4. The adjourned inquiry into the death of Brenda Bow, aged about eight yeans, who was discovered in an exhausted condition on Friday afternoon in a room rilled with smoke at the residence of her parents, was resinned this morning. Dr Hope deposed that when Ls was called in the child appeared to be beyond restoration. Artificial respiration was continued for about an hour without result. Mary Rebecca Bow, the mother of tho child, said the latter had been an incurable invalid from birth. On the afternoon of the 29th ult. witness had been away for about 20 minutes on a message to a neighbour when her eldest boy, aged 12 years, ran across and told her that there was smoke in the house. They found a smouldering kapok mattress in the back bedroom, where the deceased usually slept. Witness took her out. and sat on the back steps with her. Witness could not account for the mattress having caught fire unless the children had been playing with matches. The deceased child was the pet of the house. Berti Bow stated that when he arrived home from school he discovered smoke in the house. He felt sure that his little sister was in the room, because he had hurriedly looked for her in other parts of the house. He tried to go in for her, but was driven back by the smoke. He then ran for his mother after closing the door of the room to pre t the draught from fanning the f! nes. Detective Quartermain deposed that he had ben unable to ascertain the origin of the fire, the children who were playing about the house at the time being too young to satisfactorily answer questions. Everything ]>ossiblo was done to restore the prostrate child immediately following her discovery. The jury returned a verdict of death from asphyxiation, resulting from suffocation caused by smoke. The foreman emphasised the belief of the jury that the circumstances were entirely free from suspicion..