CHILD DROWNED AT URENUI.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3853, 1 October 1881, Page 2

CHILD DROWNED AT URENUI.

1 INQUE3T..

An inquest wa^^lield" l at t Uren'ui; yesterday before Dr. Gibbe^i r Coroner; 1 info the oircums tauces attending the death of Maria Bason, a child five years ,old, who. was drowned, ift a water-hole on Thursday last. Mr. Builen examined the witnesses.

. Mary Jane Richards statel that the deceased was her sister, and she resided at Wanganui with her father and mother;' Deceased had come to Urenui on a visit, and had resided ' with witness and her 'husband for five months. Deceased was healthy, and very active for her age. She uscd;occasiclnally/fo retich a can of Water from a spring a siiort_distance from the house. .Ihe spring was small.and shallow. On piursiay witness sent her to g"et a 1 can of water, meaning^ .fpr -'her t so ?get, it out of the spring. "She was away about ten minutes, when , witness went out across the fields to look for ' her. As witness was going across the fields, she' passed an old hole where they took clay for making biiqks.. On looking down 'she saw deceased floating in the water. Witness laid her infiuit, which she was carrying oa the ground, ajii'l went down the tramway leading to the water-hole. She pulled the ichild out, and turned her overhand rubbed hcr'breast. Wit'riess was so confused .that' she did not know \yhat she was doing.- She afterwards took deceased to. the house and. undressed her, and rubbsi' her. all over,' endeavouring, by this means,, to,briug the child back to life. The bbJy t wWs warm; but, after rubbing for some time, she could see no signs' of animation, and witness then ran towards the township for assistance, where she met her husband. Withad no idea how deceased could have got into 1 -the- water-hole, ' The water-hole was 1 situate! between the spring and the house. Witness had. often warned deceased not, to go near it. 1 William Richards, a -butcher at Urenui, and husband of last witness, stated that when- his wife met him, and told him what had occurred, fee went at once ip . the" house, where he saw deceased lying ' on the sofa in hier wet clothes. The child appeared to be dlead, but, her body y?as-not quite .egld., Constable Hickman also came td" the "House," and tljvey rubbed deceased .for iover ihalfiau-hour, but failed to restore animation. Constable Hickman gave corroborative evidence.

The jury returned the , following verdict, "That the deceased Emma- jMaria Bason met her death at Urenui by accidentally falling irtto a water-hole and being drpwned therein/