BOY AND PEA RIFLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13980, 16 August 1909, Page 6

BOY AND PEA RIFLE.

CORONER'S ENQUIRY. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHTJRCH, August 14. Before Mr Haselden, Coroner, this morning, an inquest was held touching the death of Mrs Kathleen Crosbery, who was fatally shot by her son yesterday afternoon.-. Detective Eade stated that he assisted Chief Detective Bishop to make enquiries. .He went to the house of Mrs Crosbery, junr., in. Manchester street, and found the lad Thomas Crosbery there. In conversation the lad said that he had done the housework in the morning, prepared his father's dinner and taken it to the Municipal Council Chambers where his parent was working. He returned home and had his dinner, washed up and 1 then cleaned the house. His mother then go up fron. her bed, the time being between 1 anc 2 o'clock in the afternoon. She sat on a chair in front of- the kitchen iire and "growled at him" for not cleaning the house as she expected his married brother and his wife on Sunday. She was also growling about his father having lost the deeds of his property. The lad said it was her usual manner to go on like that and. he did not take any notice of her. He went on cleaning the house" and when in the bedroom adjoining the kitchen he picked up the pea rifle (produced) and said " Mother, I'll shoot you." He put the rifle to his shoulder and pulled the trigger, the gun discharging and the bullet lodging in his mother's cheek. She said "Tom, you've shot me" and fell on the floor. He then went for assistance. He explained that in the morning he had loaded the rifle for the purpose of shooting some sparrows in the backyard. The sparrows flew away and he stood the riile just inside the bedroom door, quite forgetting to extricate the cartridge. He said he had pointed the gun at his mother by way of a joke, and had quite forgotten itwas loaded. ' He had said he was not at all angry. The boy was very much distressed, being nearly frantic with grief. Dr Hay, house physician at the hospital, said the deceased was brought to the hospital at 2.45 p.m. in a state of collapse. She had a wound on her right cheek which had been bandaged up. She was given stimulants, but died about an hour later. He examined the wound which extended downward and inward for about five inches. There was tio sign of the bullet s exit, «nd deceased was bleeding profusely. Death was due to hemorrhage caused by the wound. . At this stage the inquest was adjourned on the aoolication of Chief Detective Bishoo until "Wednesday. Throughout the proceedings the lad who was present, sobbed lnconsolably and appeared to be absolutely heartbroken, his pitiable plight rousing the sympathy of those present.