AN INFANT'S DEATHS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1930, 12 November 1906, Page 3

AN INFANT'S DEATHS.

PRESS ASSOCIATION Auckland, Saturday.

Wiiliam F, Ciaussn, laborer, of Otahuhu, was charged at tho Otahubu Court with tbs maaol'.uigbt-r of his child, three mouths o!d, who died on Oitober 27, by using physical violence upon st. Dr Rowley described tho child as poorly nourished and unhealthy, Tosco were evidenoss of want of proper coco, end there was a bruise on the child's back, where tha skiu had been broken aud healed, He attributed its death to convulsions, duo io an enormously dilated stomach in a weak, unhealthy child. Ths violence mdioated by external bruises wouid not directly cause death, but would hasten it. Ho believod if tho child had received ' preprr treatment it 3 life would have beeu prolonged, and perhaps it wouid have recovered. Too Magistrate expressed the . pinion the evidence would not support i, onargo of manslaughter, which ho uiamissed. Tno* police loon co-rgedCiau-on with having committal common assault aoon the child by .-lapping it on the buck aud shaking it, so wli'oa accused gioaded guihv, Toe Magistrate, oddrtSJtug ttocu;,oi, said ha was very lucky to escape on the major charge. A manlike accused was a greas bruie. A ruau who would slap a chill three months old was uuwoitby of the name of a man. Ho inflicted ths utmost penalty of the law for aggravated ussault, six months’ imprison' ment,

A FULLER REPORT.

PRESS ASSOCIATION Auckland, last night. William F. Clausen, laborer, was put upon his trial at Otahuhu Police Court charged with having caused the death of his child Ronald Frank Clausen, under tho ago of three months, by using physical violence, Constable Foreman said the child appeared to. have disturbed the father at night, and on thoso occasions tho father took the child up and shook it, and on one occasion slapped it across the back, causing a black bruise. One night he ordered his wife out of bed because the baby was

crying, and as she would not go he carried the child out of the room, laid it down in the kitchen, and forced the wife out by assaulting her and blackening her eye. Even after the child was dead he refused to attend the funeral because he had to go to work.

Dr Rowley said that on Saturday, October 27th, he saw the body of the infant after death, and found ■ it in a very dirty, uncared-for condition. The body was that of a poorly-nourished, unhealthy child. At the bottom of tho back was a bruise whore tho skin had been broken-

He made a post mortem examination of the body, and found no internal evidence of injury, lie believed the cause of death

was convulsions, due to an enormously dilated stomach in a weak, unhealthy child liu Worship: Di you think the violence indicated by i sternal biuises had any ifleet in causing death ? Witness : I* would c.uido a certain amount of shock, aad reduce tho oki'dV vitality and power of resist.eg disease and 33 hasten, death.

His Worship : Do you think it wan a dirccs causo of death V Wiinosa: No, not directly. His Worship : If instead of iU-ussge the child hsd received kind treatment, w:uU i-s life hive been saved ? Witness : I thick if is had received proper treauunnt is a life would have been prolonged, and ii possibly would have, rtj coveted.

This ooccladed iho doctor’s evidence. His Worship expressed an opinion that the doctor'd evidenc j was insufficient So aust'.in tho charg-3 of maa-ilaughts:, ana I ii would therefore bo bin duty ti dismiss 1 the charge. Is wa*, however, ipen for the t pol oi to amend iho cbargi to ono of I ;,a ou t. The information was amended aocord-

irg’y, and accused was charged with having commuted oouitnon assault upon the child about Onubo- 21st by s’app -jg it on tho back and hvliig t. Aceu-iid plcaioJ i;u 11 :y. and in reply to His Worship, adm tied thni ihe constablo’o oponing atatemont was inis. ‘ His Worship, in passing aonfence, said so tbo prisoner : 1 Yju arc a very lucky mm io c-aapa tao )r charge. I thick t ,at a man iiko you is a gross brute. A man who will shake and slap a littla iofa r. three inouibs old in unworthy of the rnmia of mao, Your conduct was bimply brutal, and I cannot condemn ii too aavertly. I eha'd giva you, for tho aggravated assault, tho fall penalty that the law allows mo to give you, I oonvioS you on your own confession, and I sentence you to six months' imprisonment with ' hard labor,.'