INQUEST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1723, 23 December 1887, Page 2

INQUEST.

-» I . An inqueat was held at the Central Hotel this morning, before* Mr H: Friedlinder, acting.coroner, and a jury of whom Mr W. Pattman was chosen Foremat?, touobinsf the death o£ Flora Isabella Brace, a child eeventeen months old, and daughter of Mr Murdoch Bruce, farmer, of Seafield. It appeared that Mr and Mrs Bruce left home on Thursclay afternoon, leaving the child In the house, where was alao the eldest daughter, sixteen years of age, and a little boy. About two phalno from the house a cask is let into the lino of the water-race, so that when the watev m the race is low, sufficient may ba obtained for household purposes, It appears that yesterday there were about three feet of water m the cask, which has a capacity of abont 80 gallons. There was a lid (a square one) to the cask, but one of the boards had been broken off lately, leaving an open space of from 6ln to 9in m width. The eldest daughter stated m her evidence that when two of the children came home from school, she allowed the deceased to go out to play with them. This was about a quarter to five m the afternoon. About ten minutes afterwards the daughter went to look foi the child. She could not at first find her, but subsequently discovered her m th« cask, floating en the top of the water. The child was dead, and as the lid was on, it ia surmised that she must have fallen through the opening where the board had been broken away. Mies Bruce endeavored to discover if the child was still living, but there was no beating of the heart, and no respiration. The children with whom the little girl was sent out to play, were respectively nine and six years of age, and they, it appeared, soon after leaving the house, went looking for birds' eggs, and to bring the cows home, leaving the child behind them. No one saw tha accident. As a flower was floating on the top of the race, and as the deceased was very fond of flowers, it is supposed that m endeavoring to obtain it she moved the lid of the oaßk, and fell into the water. The jury returned a verdict of " Accidental Death."