A GIRL'S DEATH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 62, 6 December 1907, Page 8

A GIRL'S DEATH.

CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER : (BT TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL , COKBESrONDENT.) Palmerston North, December 5. An inquest was held before Capt, Mowloir yesterday touching the death of Lucy Goldfinch, i Mr. Cooper appeared for tho rela.. tions of. the deceased, , and Mr. Moatyardfoi E. White,, who owned the horse from whicli tho:girl fell.. ■ ; , Dr. Putnam stated that ho'. had been called into Princess Street on Monday last, He found . deceased, who was unconscious suffering from shock.. Ho examined her! and found a large' bruise on the. right sidt of the head, towards the back. .Witness ordered her removal to her home, and she regained .consciousness during the. next day and rallied slightly, but relapsed, again or Tuesday night, fend died on Wednesday morn ing. . Tho cause, of. death was coiicussior of the brain, and possibly laceration, which could bo caused by a. fall fronv a horso.Alice Stubbs deposed that,', whoiv'coming homo from school on Monday, White offeree deceased and witness a ride, and they, boinf agreeable, wore lifted on to the horso.. Wit. ness had the reins, and was told not to gc too. fast. ~ The horse went slow at, first but commenced to. go faster, and witness dropped the reins and caught the saddle Deceased had her arms around witness, ant pulled her off, witness falling on top oi deceased. So far as sho,know, White wai sobers ' ' ' . .... D. B. Harris, chemist, stated that hchac not soon the children got on the horse, bul had seen them .fall.. The .horso was hall bucking, and the children appeared to fall t< one side, the girl behind holding on to th( other's waist. Some timo after he saw White go up , and catch the horse and rid< away, but ho could not say whothor.hfc hac come, near the children to seo if they wen hurt, as he (witness), had gono to ring up s doctor. .'■'.■ . . .Charles. Deniian, a platelayer, stated thai he saw the children riding on a horso, whicl appeared quiet. White was neither sobei nor drunk,, but, so, far as ho could judge, was approaching the stato of drunkenness. Emmanuel White stated that between foui and five o'clock on Monday afternoon Ik met some children in Princess Street, and offered to give them a ride. ,A boy.got on first, and rode a short distance down the street and back. Ho then gave several other children, a ride, and finally the tnc who fell off. . The horso was quiet, and was used by his own boy. Ho saw tho girls fall off, and .went to the spot, when _ two ladies, who wore passing, picked the injured girl up and carried her into a house opposite. Ho asked one of them if she thought the girl was much hurt, and sho replied tha< sho thought sho was. He denied that he was under the influence of liquor, but admitted that he took a drink when he could get it. Tho girls refused to havo. a ride when first asked, but about a quarter of an hour later, when asked, again,'agreed to mount tho horse. , The jury returned a verdict that death was caused by injuries received in falling off the horse, aiso that. White contributed to the accident by placing the deceased on the horso and neglecting to take ..proper precaution for hor safety., • ■ . White was charged bofore Capt. Mowlom, ■T.P., with manslaughter, and remanded until Monday. Bail was granted on accused's own recognisances. ;