DEATH OF A BABY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 85, 4 January 1919, Page 8

DEATH OF A BABY

CAUSED BY INANITION . i 1 SEVERE COMMENTS BY CORONER , ; Comments of a' severe nature were made J by the Coroner, Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., \ during the course of an inquest held ' yesterday touching the death of an illegitimate infant named .Dorothy Devina J Conrad, which was found dead at 5i [ Austin Street at 11 a.m. on New Yenr's ; Day. The child was born on November ' 14, and, according to medical testimony, { it died from inanition. Sergeant Butler conducted the proceedings for the police. , • Dr. W. Kihgton I'yfJc, who made a ; post-mortem examination of the body, said the child weighed !)lb. 4oz. There was practically no fat on the body. Tho stomach contained only some curdled milk. The brain was congested. There was nothing to show what was the cause , of death except that it was inanition. 'There should certainly have been sigiifl ; that thechild had had more food than was found in its stomach. .-..■; Ivy Eileen White, who keens hotiso for her father in II Roxburgh Street, stated that J.ean Conrad, the mother of the child, brought the latter to. her some lime in November, and asked her to look after it in the-daytime. A fortnight afterwards Jean Conrad took sick and witness looked after the child both day and night. About December 21 Sergeant Martin called on witness and stated that a complaints had been received to tho effect that the 'child was not being looked after properly. While she hnd the infant she fed it on an artificial food, and it. always seemed to be healthy. Its mother never complained that it was neglected. ■ Witness returned the child to its mother, on Monday, December 30. It'was then well, and she did not see it afterwards.. . . . . ■ . ■ Sergeant Butler explained that nftor the witness had been told how to look after the child she attended'to it very well.indeed.. :■.-.. The Mother's Evidence. .Jean Conrad said she was 22 years of age and mother of the .deceased baby. She resided'in Austin ,Street. The child was born on .November 14, and 6he ' nursed it for a few days, before handing it ove'r to Ivy White. Witness was in hospital for .two weeks,-but when handing. the child oyer.to Miss White she gave instructions as to the, feeding. After coming-out of hospital she saw the child, every. day,. and never heard any complaint that; it was not properly looked ' .after. Whqn discharged from hospital witness went to Petone, and her sister took, charge' of the child for her. The sister was. 18 years old, did not work during the.day, and stayed at witness's place. 54.Austin Street. Witness did not see her sister, feed the child on December > 31. Kite thaf night witness caught.the last 'bus lor J'etone, leaving the child in the care, of the sister. On the following day her sister told her that tho child had died during the night. .the .next witness was Ethel Conrad ' sister of the child's mother.. Her evidence wasi to the effect that about 8 p.m. on December 31 she put.the child to'bed,.after which sjie went down town, .returning : a t about 10.30 p.m. She and a girl named Viola Dale went to bed about 2.30 o'clock on New Year's morning, and tho'child slept between them. At 4 a.m. .the child was awake, but witness went off. to sleep and did not wake up until 11 a.m., when-she saw that the child was dead: On December 30 she did feed tho child, but could not remember what she (,'ave it. ■ At 8 a.m. and Iβ a.m. on the following day she gave it food, but the mother also fed-it,, ■•■ .- .. .; ; The Coroner :■ How do you account fpr the fact that tho doctor says.the stomach was. empty .'-"Well, T fed it. -It w being fed, all the time." " : ':. • The Coroner: Well,. I.doiibt it.. It ia very-strange that the doctor's postmortem examination does not show any food, in the, large intestine. ■ How many infants have you looked after? ' ■ ■ ■ Witness: My married eister has three, and I have helped to look after them. Continuing, her evidence, the, girl said ,the child remained awake, .between ■ 10.30 p.m. oh December'_3l' and' 2 30i a,ra. 'on '• tho following mornijig. "Witness gave it a bottle when she went to bed. ."Rather, a'Joke."Mr. Riddell: How do you account foi the child being awake between 10.30 p.m and 2,31) a.m.? ... .. The Witness replied, pnuling,-.that sho could ibt assign any ireasjn. Mr. Riddell: It seems, to. bo rather a joke with you, doesn't it?-. Witness: No, it is no joke. Mr. Riddell; Well, you treat it as a matter of nd importance. Don't yon think it rather peculiar for an infant ,to be a.\vake between 10 30 p.m. and 2.30 a.m., and yet be quite well?" The witness said she gave tho child a bottle at 2.30 a.m. and it' wont to sleep. ■ ■ -.' . : ''.' . ■:... Viola Dale, 21 years cf age, who' said she lived at 20 Alpha Street, with a Miss Potter, was then vailed.-. Slie stated that she stayed with Ethel Conrad at 54 Austin Street on December 30 and 31. Miss Conrad's uncle was in the house' as well,' but.no other people were there. Witness did not,go ,mt on December 30, except for aboat a quarter of an hour in the evening.; . The Coroner: You .knew the holidays were coming on and you did not go out! That does seem . strange. You are a most exceptional young woman—tint ie all I can say—to stay in a house during holidays, both day and night. , ■ ■ Witness: You can have a holiday at home as well as have it out, can't youl Mr. lliddell: Oh, you can. Were you out at any time during the day?, Witness: No. ■ . Mr. Riddell: Did you give thechild any food? - ..■' -.■ Witness: Yes, I gave it food every time it cried. ' ■ ; • Mα- Riddell:'How often? Witness: Too often for my liking. Mr. Eiddell: Did it take (he contents of the bottle? . ' '-...■ Witness: Yes. . .-, Mr. RiUdell: What was the bottJe-ar ordinary feeding bottle? Witness: No. ■' ■ , • ■ -.- . Mr. Riddell: How often "did yon really feed.it? ■ ■ . • -'. . Witness: Well, it,was about every two hours. • ■ ■ . Mr. Riddell: You say the chiid ciied too. long for your liking. What secriied to bo the matter?. It didn't.get a falls ■did'it?- - : .;.-.- ■ . :-. Witness': No. . - ; Mr. Riddell: It wae never hurt?. ■■" Witness: No. ■ • ■ . . ' ' Mr. Riddell: Don't you' know that children cry when they are hungry, or when they are hurt? - r ' Witness: It never got. hurt' while I was there. ..■..'' Mr. Riddell: Well, eliminating that'ns a cause of the crying,- it. was crying too often for your fancy. You were food-, ing it nnd yet it was crying.•■ The-doc-tor says there was no food in its stomach. The only conclusion one can draw from it is that you were not.feeding it carefully. It is yerystrnnsfi where the, contents of all these' bottles you-mention ..went to. ' You weren't, outside. VWhnt, were you doing in the house besides lookin "after tlip child? .Witness: Doing work. Spring .Cleaning in December. ; Mr. Riddell: How largo is the house? . Witness: Pour rooms. Mr. Riddell: You don't work in four rooms all day. ■ Witness: ■ We-were doing spring cleaning. . ■ ' ■ Mr. Riddell: It's pretty late in the. year for that, is it not? It is unusual to,'start spring cleaning .on December .11, you know. Were you doing anything else? •■.... .■■.■■■■•■■ . Witness: No. . \ Mr. Riddell: Well, yon must have hnd r> proorl bit of sparo time on your hands. Did the ehil'l sleep well? , Witness: Yes. Tn answer, to further interrogntinn*. the witness stated that she went to b«i alxmt 2.30 a.m. on January 1. The child «■■»<! alive at 4 a.m. ' Mr. Riddell: What were you doinj' be.tween 1O.:'O p.m. and 2.30 a.m.? Had you nny frie'uls there? I 5 Witn»«: No. . : . Af'\ Riddell: How did you come to be awkp at 4 o'clock? Witling: We wpre talkin;,'. V'-. Riddell: Talking from half-past The villus a,ldn,l Hint tl>« child was given a bottle at i a.m. on January 1.

Statements Not Believed.' After reviewing the evidence, the Coroner said that, according to the postmortem examination, he doubted very much whether Viola Dale or Kthel Conrad gave the child tho attention which they swore they did. Their statementswere rather incredible. "At least," observed Mr. Hiddell, "I am not prepared to believe them. They may have given it soino. food, but they certainly did not give it the kind of food that they say they did. If they, had there would have been evidence of it' in the child's stomach and intestines." Where could the food stated,to have been given to tho child have got to? If feeding had been regular during the two days eonie signs of food would ha to been disclosed at the post-mortem examination. The curdled milk could be accounted for by the bottle stated to have been given to thn child on the morning of January 1. "The verdict must be," fa id Mr. Rjddell, "that the decca&od died at. Wellington on January 1 from inanition, but whether it was through carelessness or not one cannot nay. It looks very much iiR if tlmy could not be bothered with this infant, or elso, through ignorance, that they did not feed it as they should .have, and did not give it the attention they should have. .One would have thought that the infant would have been placed in the enre of someone more, experienced, or someone who would have eivdi it greater attention than any of tho three girls who have given , evidence."