THE KAITI FATALITY
An inquest was held yesterday touching tho doath of Orel Stewart Joel I’altridge, at Kaiti, on Sunday afternoon, by the Acting-Coroner, Mr W. Akroyd. The following were the jurors:—Messrs H. J. Bushnell (foreman), R. Mitchell, S. Muir, W. Maddison, A. W. J. Mann, and G. F. Henderson. Detective Maddern was present for the prnlice.
Dr. Morrison said that he came to Mrs Stewart’s house about 4 o’clock on Sunday afternoon for deceased who was picked out of a well, apparently dead. He did all possible to resuscitate him by artificial respiration for some time but without avail. There was a slight cut on the boy’s forehead, but he had no hesitation in saying that deceased met his death by drowning. Margaret Stewart, wife of John Stewart, grandmother of deceased, said that he came to her house at the time stated and asked for a banana. While she was peeling it he went out and she looked for him a minute or two later to give him the fruit. He was not to be found, and she inquired of passing children if they had seen him, but they had not. Mrs Paltridge called out to her asking if the boy was lost, and Mrs Stewart replied that she could not find him, and just then she noticed the fact that the lid of the cistern was tilted and splashed with water. A rake was quickly procured, and after a short search they hooked the body of the child by the belt of his tunic, feet foremost. Restoratives measures were at once applied, and the doctor was sent for. She was certain that no more than three minutes had elapsed since he was missed till he was dragged from the cistern. She noticed a slight bruise on the child’s forehead after the doctor pronounced life to be extinct. This could have been caused by striking his head against the sharp) wood on the edge of the cistern. The jury returned the verdict to the effect that after hearing the evidence they were unanimously of opinion that deceased met his death by accidently falling into the cistern.
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2027, 12 March 1907, Page 2
Word Count
357THE KAITI FATALITY Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2027, 12 March 1907, Page 2
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