A CHILD SHOT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16503, 2 August 1919, Page 4

A CHILD SHOT.

CORONER IN DOUBT.

AS TO HOW GUN WAS FIRED

Vex Press Association. CII BIST CHUR Cli, August 1. At the inquest on the child Eleanor Coventry, ten years and eleven mouths of age, who died from a gunshot wound in the abdomen, Mr. C. A. Anderson, assistant house, surgeon at the, hospital, stated that he saw deceased at 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday, shortly after admission to the ward. She was suffering from a gunshot wound in the abdomen, and' tho charge had gone right through the body, coming out through the hack. Tho Coroner (Mr, Bailey, S.M.): Could vou say whether the wound- was selfin dieted, such as by pulling the trigger of the gun ? Witness: No. I couldn’t- judge that, hut the gun must have been right up against her body when it went off. The Coroner; In that case you can’t say whether it was self-inflicted.

Witness; In my opinion it was probably self-inflicted', but I cannot judge for certain whether such actually was the case.

The Coroner : What puzzle? mo is how she could possibly have reached her hand down to pull the trigger. Witness: I. don't think she could possibly have pulled the trigger with her hand. Possibly she may have pulled the trigger with her toes. _ * The Coroner; I cannot bring in a definite verdict of suicide, because I’m not satisfied on that point. A constable who was in the room stated at this juncture that he had been out to the spot whore deceased was found, and finite close to her was a garden pep, with winch she may have honked the tripper off.

The Coroner; Shi? must have been an ingenious child to have thought of that. The father of de-eesed said he had not used the gnu 1 ■ ■ --r ten months. He was quite post l >e did not leave it loaded.

Hie Corom-i . Is n, p.-*dh!o that anyone could have borrowed tho gun since you last used it? Perhaps your wife may have lent it to someone.

Witness replied that ho was quite certain the gun had net been lent to anyone since he last, used it.

At this stage Sergeant Stewart opened the hropch. and a yellow cartridge case was ejected. The father said it was not one of his cartridges. Ho only used rod cartridges. He had never lent the gun. hut the girl might have got tho yellow-cased cartridge somewhere. The Coroner: This makes the case more extraordinary still. He said he wa=, however, not satisfied that the girl had deliberately pulled the trigger. In Ms verdict the coroner recorded that the evidence was insufficient to show whether the wound was self-inflicted or accidental.