INQUEST.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 266, 19 April 1875, Page 3

INQUEST.

VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER

An inquest on the body of a female infant named McKinlay was held on Saturday afternoon at the Hospital before Dr Coward, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr I. B. Sheath was chosen foreman. The following is a summary of the evidence :—Serjeant Kennedy deposed that on Friday afternoon he went to the house occupied by deceased's mother Janet McKinlay, David street, near the East belt, and found Janet McKinlay lying on her bed stupidly drunk ; the deceased was lying at her mother's back, dead. Deceased was dressed, and was partly wrapped in an old shawl. In the bedroom witness found a bottle containing whiskey, together with several empty bottles. The clothes in which the child was dressed were dirty, and the whole house was also very dirty. Mrs Jane Johnstone deposed that she resided at Phillipstown, near the Ferry road. On Friday afternoon she was told by Mrs McKinlay's second son that his baby sister died on Thursday, and was not buried, but that his mother was in bed. Witness then in company with Mrs Carter went and saw Mrs McKinlay, who said that the baby died on Thursday. Mrs Carter then sent for the police. Three years ago Mrs McKinlay was a good mother, and a good wife, and a sober woman, but witness knew but little of her lately. Witness attended Mrs McKinlay in her confinement about a fortnight ago. The child was not very strong looking. On Friday last Mrs McKinlay was not sober. She told witness on Sunday that she had no soap to clean herself with. Mrs Carter corroborated the evidence of the previous witness, and said that when she knocked at the door on Friday afternoon she heard Mrs McKinlay tumble off the bed and come to the door, which she opened, and said that the baby waE dead since Thursday. Mrs McKinlay was very drunk, and witness exclaimed—•'You wicked unnatural mother, I'll send for the police and have you locked up." Mrs McKinlay was almost helplessly drunk. On Wednesday she was the worse for drink, and witness had seen her several times the worse for drink since the child was born. On Tuesday last Mrs McKinlay told witness that she had received £3 10s, her husband's money. [Mrs McKinlay : I got £4 Is 6d"|. Ihe deceased was anything but clean, and did not appear to have been properly cared for. Duncan McKinlay, thirteen years of age, son of Janet McKinlay, said that early on Thursday morning, about six o'clock, baby was in bed with her mother. Baby was then alive. Mother could not get up that morning because she had been drinking a lot. Saw his mother drinking whiskey from a cup. About dinner time witness went in again. Baby was then lying behind mother, who got up and looked at it, and said it was dead, and told witness not to tell any person. On Wednesday his mother made witness go for a bottle of whiskey, which witness got and left with his mother. She was not sober at all on Wednesday. When they were at the Magistrate's Court oi Monday with father, he told mother to lift some money. Mother got that money on Tuesday, and she brought home a bottle of whiskey. On Friday morning witness fetched another bottle of whiskey from McGuinness's. No person attended to the baby on Wednesday and Thursday. When mother said the baby was dead she was nearly sober, but not quite. Witness was the eldest of four children. On Thursday, when witness came with the whiskey his mother was sitting at the fireside with the baby in her arms ; that was about seven o'clock in the morning. It was about noon when she told witness that baby was dead. McGuinness made no remark when he was serving witness with the whiskey. Witness got the whiskey at seven o'clock in the morning. When mother was going home on Tuesday she sent witness into McGuinness' for half a pint of whiskey, which he got. Dr Powell deposed that he had made a post mortem examination of deceased's body, which was dressed in dirty clothes. The napkins did not appear to have been recently changed. The body was rather decomposed. The body was puny and ill - nourished, weighing a trifle over 5£ lbs. There was an ulcerous patch on the right groin ; there were no external signs of injury. On reflecting the scalp witness found a small bruise on the top of the head; the brain was healthy; the lungs were spotted with points of congestion, the right side of the heart was gorged with blood; there was a little milky matter in the stomach; the intestines were quite empty from beginning to end. The child was evidently puny from its birth, and had not been properly cared for. Was of opinion that the child died from want of food and neglect; the child certainly had not been properly fed. Mrs McKinlay, the child's mother, who was present in custody, after being duly cautioned by the Coroner, declined to make any statement. The jury, after retiring, returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against the mother, who was committed for trial on the Coroner's warrant.