Inquest.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4894, 31 December 1888, Page 2

Inquest.

An inquest was held in the Bush Hotel, Geraldine, on Saturday last, before O. A. Wray, Esq., coroner, touching the death of Bridget Brophy, the two year old daughter of Mr Kyran Brophy, of Pleasant Valley,

Mr W. Coltman was chosen foreman of the jury. Kjran Brophy deposed that at about 7 30 on Thursday evening the child got out of its bod and went outside in its night dress. Ho had his attention attracted to the child by

seeing it running about .and screaming. He - did not at the time take particular notice of the child’s screaming, as it did not appear as if it was in agony, but very shortly afterwards he noticed that the night-dress was in flames. He ran over and caught hold of the child. The only means he had of extinguishing the flames was by rolling the child in the grass. He put flour over her and rolled her in a sheet when he took her in the house. He went for Dr Fish as the child appeared to be in pain, but the doctor could not come over till the afternoon as ho was engaged in Geraldine, but he proscribed for her. A fire had been lit that morning under a boiler used for washing, and he thought that the child’s night-dress had caught fire there, but she afterwards told him*that she bad picked up a box of matches near the boiler, and had struck one on the fence. He found the box of matches at the spot indicated, and came to the conclusion _ that it was o match she had struck that had set fire to her night-dress. Deceased was generally careful with matches when she found them, She died the following morning at 40 minutes ‘ past one. ’ John Brophy, brother of deceased, corroborated his father’s evidence. Dr Fish deposed to Mr Brophy coming to him on Thursday morning, but as he could not leave Geraldine till the afternoon he proscribed for the child and gave the father instructions as to what to do. When he went to Mr Brophy’s he found that his instructions had been most carefully a'tended to. The child was very seriously burnt about the body and limbs and its case was hopeless froni the first ' The burning of the nightdress was quite sufficient “to cause the injuries. ■ The jury returned a verdict that the deceased had met her death through accidentally setting fire to her clothes, no blame being attachable to anyone.