SOMEBODY’S BABY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 24, 27 January 1913, Page 2

SOMEBODY’S BABY.

FOUND AT SANITARY DEPOT. EVIDENCE AT IN QUEST. At tho Coroner’s Court in Auckland on Friday afternoon the City Coroner (Mr. T. Gresham) and a jury six opened an inquest on the body of an infant male child, which was found on Saturday morning at the city sanitary depot, Harkins’ Point, discharged from a cart used in the city on Friday night. Dr. de Clive Lowe, who had made a postrmortem examination, stated that tho body was that of a newly-born male infant, fully developed, and bearing no marks of violence. It was in an advanced state of decomposition, but the lungs showed that the child had been born alive, and had breathed. The umbellical cord showed no sign of having been tied, but gave the appearance rather of having been torn or roughly cut. The post-mortem further discovered no trace of food in the stomach, The evidence of the heart, longs and brain was that there had been no suffocation. It was impossible to state with any degree of accuracy how long tho child had been born before the date of the discovery. Extraordinary Evidence.

Dr. Lowe concluded his evidence by stating that in his opinion death was due to want ,of proper attention at birth.

James Anthony Stillwell stated that he was working at the sanitary depot at Riverhead on Saturday morning at 9 o’clock. The matter he was working on was taken to Riverhead and turned into a barge, which took it to a shed at the depot, whence it was turned into carts called “floats.” It was when a lever was pulled to release the contents of one of these floats that the body of the child fell out. He buried the body, and an hour later reported the matter to the caretaker at the farm. The caretaker made no comment.

The Coroner: Is it an ordinary thing to discover bodies under such circumstances ? j

Witness: No; not very ordinary

The Coroner: But have you ever made such discoveries before? Witness; Yes, but only small ones.

The Coroner asked was the caretaker present, and on being answered in the negative, said he would have to be present at the adjourned inquest. The witness continued that he thought it was the business of the caretaker, named Mackie, to report such things. Witness also told Mr. Berry, of the City Council, of the discovery he had made. The witness Stillwell added that he had told the foreman at the farm. In answer to Chief Detective MacMahon, witness said he had been engaged in the distribution of nightsoil for about six years. All the bodies he had seen wmuld number about three or four. They were scarcely formed bodies, but he did not know that they were reported upon. The last he saw was about two months ago. The Coroner here remarked that witness had apparently complied with the law in the matter. Mr. Gresham added that it was the duty of anyone who found any part of the remains of a human body to at once report the matter to the police.—‘Star.’