INQUEST

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXX, Issue 12262, 5 January 1904, Page 3

INQUEST

| ' An inquest was held at the Police Station yesterday morning on the body of an infant child, which had been found in a. decomposing condition, in a water-hole at Scarborough. Mr D. rStuart acted as Coroner, and the jury were Messrs R. Cuthbert (foreman), R. Griffiths, T. WagM. Higgins, J. Dow, -and' X. Kingston. - The evidence taken showed that the. child was that of an unmarried woman named ;Emi]y;Pnttick;'!.who was not called as a." witness, but a statement she" had made to Mounted-Constab'e Lewin on Saturday was put in. Prom this and a confession related by her mother it appeared ; that the young woman gave birth to the child a fortnight ago, in an outhouse, : that it was born dead, and she put it in a sugar bag, with a brick; and put the bag in the water-hole, where her brother accidentally found it on Saturday morning. The young woman was living at home, 'and her mother: did not know of her condition. Drs Gabites and -Reid had made a post- mortem examination; ;theforiner was of opinion that the child was born dead, and Dr Reid agreed "that it had not breathed, but he could not say that it was .actually born dead. ; The jury found the following verdict—" That the child was found dead in a waterhole at Scarborough, but, in our opinion, there is not-sufficient evidence to show cause of death." .

The mother of the child (who had been arrested on Saturday) r was then charged before Mr Stuart, J.P., with concealment of birth, and was remanded- till Monday next, bail "being allowed.