INQUEST.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 576, 20 January 1882, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday morning at -11 o'clock at the Court House, Akaroa, on the body of a child named Charlotte Elizabeth Orchard, before Justin Aylmer, Esq., Coroner.

Win. Meech was chosen foreman of the ury.

The following evidence was taken :— Elizabeth Orchard, wife of Frederick Orchaid, and mother of deceased, sworn, said. Deceased, Charlotte Elizabeth Orchard, was my daughter. I missed tiie child about 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon the 13th inst. I went to look for her ami found her in a well at the back of the house we live in. Deceased was lying on her face at the bottom of the well. I brought the body of deceased to the top of the water with a stick and took her out. Deceased showed no signs; of life. 1 gavo the nody to my mother and we undressed it. My husband went for Dr iSingleton. It was only about two minutes from the time I found deceased to the .time the doctor arrived. I do not know the exact depth of the water in the well at the time but think it must have been about 4ft. There was a cover to tho well but it was not on. In fact there is not one now.

By the foreman : The child was in the habit of going down to the well for a drink.

By Sergeant Willis: There was a cup lying at the bottom of the well when I took deceased out.

E'izabeth Malrnanohe, sworn, said. The last witness and deceased lived in the same bouse with me. About 2 p.m. yesterday deceased was brought t<> me by my daughter, the last witness. There were no signs of life in the child's body when I took it from the mother. The child's clothes were wet when I began to undress her, holding the head down. Tho doctor arrived and took the child from me about two minutes after she was found. There were between three and lour feat of water in the well, there was no cover to _ the well, which I consider unsafe for children. There has been a cover but it is gone.

By the foreman : The well sometimes has a good deal of water in it, and sometimes only a few inches. The deceased and other children were forbidden to go near the well as I considered it dangerous. I consider there shoald be a cover to the well.

Francis Elliot Corbett Singleton, sworn, said. lam a duly qualified medical practitioner. On Wednesday the 18th inst. about 2 p.m., I was called to go to *cc the deceased. I went at once and found the child in the arms of the last witness, who was just at the backdoor of the house, outside. The deceased was undressed with the exception of the shoes and socks. I took the child and carried it into the house, laying it on a blanket and rug on the floor. The child showed no signs of life then, so I went on to use the usual means for resuscitating the drowned. I kept it up for about 20 minutes, but at the end of that time there was no result. I believe the child was quite dead when I first arrived.

By Sergeant Willis : I do not think that any injury was done to the child by Mrs Mahnanche holding its head down. It would let the water out of the mouth. I cannot say if the water is fit for drinking purposes, but should think so as it is running water.

By the foreman—l believe the cause of death was drowning. By coroner—There were no marks on the body of deceased.

Elizabeth Orchard recalled by the coroner said,—lt was about ten minutes from the time I missed deceased to the time I found her body in the well. The jury returned a verdict of " Found drowned." They remarked that the jury thought the premises were in a bad slate as far as the water supply was concerned, but did not think it the province of the jury to remark on it on that occasion.