A VERY SAD CASE.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 168, 4 September 1886, Page 3

A VERY SAD CASE.

A most harrowing case was reported to the City Coroner on August 17th. The details are of a peculiarly affecting kind, and inquirers into the case yesterday realised more than others who had not seen the locale of the tragedy what a painful time of it the young mother must have experienced on the lonely beach at Elsternwick during Ihe long hours of the night before she laid her helpless infant on the bank j usbabovehigh- watermark, and then walking in until she, .reached deep water herself, sauk, and was .drowned. It has been the custom of Mr Morrison, a brushmaker, residing in New-etreet, for some time pact to take a constitutional walk along the beach early every morning, and he was pursuing , this practice between 6 and 7 o'clock yesterday morning, when, as he came to a point many hundred yards from any habitation and from the main thoroughfare, , Elwood Parade, he was startled to see a young woman lying on her back at the edge of the wator, The upper part of her body rested on clean sand, and the lower part in the water. A hasty glance satisfied the surprised discoverer that she was dead, and he at once hastened to the local police station, nearly a mile distant, and gave information. Senior-constable Ryan and Constacle Holland accompanied him back to the spot. As they approached the body the saniorconstable observed a email bundle, apparently of clothing, lying: on the sand just j above high - water mark— it was then not .quite low tide— and he was about ! to" turn it over' with one of his feet, when, a, faint wail came from the bundle. Picking f it up quickly, he found it was a tiny infant/ apparently hardly two weekß old, warmly dressed, the outer wrapper being a white opera cloud with a broad red border, Which had co enveloped the child as te give it the appearance of atimall bundle. It was attended to, and the body of the young woman brought up from the water. Her age was judged to be from 20 to 23 years. She had been good looking, but her hands and arms were much wasted, whilst she was thinly attired for this season of the year,, Her long black hair had escaped from its fastenings, and was* full of sand. Her complexion was decidedly dark, and she* wore a fringe. Her outer garment, was a check over-all, and her hat a black one, with feathers. Her feet -\ery small feetwere enclosed in a pair of quite new kid boots andr all —her personal effects eeemed to be intact, but there was no wedding ring. "She : wore a cheap silver, brooch (tree pattern), and an inferior gold watch, and still' more inferior silver ohain ;s whilst her small black, sealskin bag, which was found on thebeacb, contained a Sam of £4 7s, made up of three £1 -notes on the City; of Melbourne Bank,. - a , halfsoverign/* and the -rest insilver ;/but there s "paperB"n'or';anything'to' to lead to identification. -The .body .was removed as soon as a conveyance, could be summoned, and was placed under lock and key in an but building aton e of the local hostelries. . The little female infant had previouslyWeeh '^wrapped up'bjr Seni6r-con-stable'R^aa'in* his cdat, and taken to one of 1 the nearest' tiouse's, which provedtb be that; of ! Mr Young,* afcity jeweller; J&rs'Young" gave il 'some^iiburishmeDtJ- and it wa»-^fchen handed, over a kind matron, who- Will retain'it' f ufrtil' its iuitire is- decided. ■> The next step' s of ' the police was to find put somethrtfgf' about J tbe" young woman, (V they ' could 1 . 4 i ' They ascertained that, on the afternoon, between 4 and oV clock, 1 ahe had been seen walking' *doyn'New4fre'et by Mr Boylan, a blacksmith,', and- 1 Mr' 1 -* Cannan, la "publican. J A sfibwer'of'riiiri^was' falling, and she was walking along .quietly /"and apparently: unconcernedly, *with"*'her infant hugged'to he breast 1 / Inquiry" at' almost 1 every; house was madeibut no one else had eeeri her*,, and the police are confident she then went direct to the lonely~b*e]&ch~aiidrTemained thert until probably about half-past 3 a.m., when 'it would, be full tide, 'and then committed !the .act; , the tide went out the"Jbbdy ;waa left as it was found. How/ she spent those, long hours in <thb;cold on the dark ;beach,there isjaoi clilance 1 .of ever knowing, -Thei, bolice are j satisfied she" was alone, -for Constable Holland, who, has had j jeyperience as a buahman, traced her footprints,, from' tfie.hardr.gr'ound' iri **a' directline across the e'and to the ecene of the'tragedy; 1 .'^Le'faVas/isfkttown', the deceased, .stfangor in the locality, and, why ehe chose th» beach' of Blsteriwick she only herself knew. There #e*re nd^^ka^iViblenpa on <sho bo'dyir- 1 ••Melbourne Telegfim." "~ "••" "'* ** >