Inquest.

Manawatu Herald, 3 May 1900, Page 2

Inquest.

An inquest on the death of Louisa Myrtle Easton was opened on Tuesday evening at the Courthouse, and after taking the evidence of Dr Wilson, was adjourned to Wednesdays morning. The following were the jury;; — Messrs E. Qsborne (foreman), S. Ennis, T. Mitchell, R. Eiliotte, and G. Gray. The following evidence was taken : — George Wilson deposed — I am a j legally qualified medical man residing at Palmerston North ; I have this day made a post mortem of the body of a child now lying dead at the dwelling house of Theophilus Easton at Foxton ; I found on opening the abdomen that the large bowel was obstructed by being herniated through the diaphram ; at the point of ob-

struction the bowel was black, gangrenous, and must have been ruptured although I could not find the rupture ; it must have been ruptured because some of the contents were outside the bowel ; the abdomen contained a large quantity of fluid, and there were other evidences of peritonitis in the neighbourhood of the rupture ; I have no doubt whatever that the strangulation, rupture, and peritonitis were the cause of death ; I. believe that the herniation existed for some .considerable time at least and might be impossible to recognise ; its appearance would be denoted by the child not. thriving and suffering from aches and pains, with very likely vomiting; to my mind the cause of death is unusually clear, and it is not often one gets such a clear picture as the cause of death.

By the Constable — If the symptoms had been -characteristic of the condition medical aid called in last night might have been of some use, but it is extremely problematical that it would.

Theophilus Easton deposed — I am the father of the deceased ; her name is Louisa Myrtle • she was; ; §i|[bfc" years old last Friday; on Monqky evening about half -past seven after I had arrived home from Palmerston, the deceased complained to me that she had got a pain in her side ; she was in a bedroom attended by Mrs Bout ; she had been vomiting I was told since five o'clock ; she told me that she felt better «nd I left hep with • my eldest daughter ; I saw her at midnight and though shift bad been vomiting she gaid sne felt*; better ; t saw her again at fotif o'cldck when as she was dozing I left her and saw her again at six ; about eight o'clook I went down for Dr Bookstrow and he went up ; my little son told me that Myrtle's (deceased's) eyes , were black and lips were black,, so I went home, and found the deceased alive and as she said, a little better ; my daughter was nursing her on a chair by the fire ; she informed me that Dr'Rockstrow had promised Jto w ,send up some medicine ; I got home^j||u%; ten minutes past ten, and after^E p^> been in about five minutes the chiw died ; four years ago " she~lufFered fi'om scarlet fever and . J)r Lamb attended her, since that "she has had hooping cough ; she has not been a delicate child, and has walked to school mostly during the past twelve months.

At the conclusion the jury returned a verdict that death was from natural causes in accordance, witb the doctor's N evidence.