Inhuman Conduct.

Manawatu Herald, 1 July 1902, Page 2

Inhuman Conduct.

An inquest touching the. death of Dorothy Gwendoline Drake, daughter of Mr A. Drake, of Otaki, was held at the latter’s residence on Friday afternoon, before the District Coroner (Mr W. H. Simcox), and a jury consisting of the following;—Messrs J. Skinner (foreman),, W. J. Franklyn, junr., F: A. Bills, J. Kibblewhite, G. Gripdrod and Chas. Bell. Chief-Detective McGrath, of Wellington, conducted the inquest on behalf of the police, and Mr G. H. Harper watched the proceedings on behalf of Me Pwke.

Arthur Drake, farmer, residing a* Otaki, sworn, said —■ Deceased, Dorothy Gwendoline Drake, was his daughter, and was aged about eight years; he returned homo from tho Ofcald Club about 9 p m. on Thuriday, on reaching home found the little girl in bed, apparently in her last breath; the body was warm, but was not sura whether she was breathing; on seeing the child’s conditionwent at once for Dr Power; had seen the body, and noticed that it was bruised; the marls had been caused by whipping; Mrs 1 Drake and witness used the whip produced when chastising the children; had struck deceased with the whip himself, but not for some weeks; had not seen the child whipped • during the past week; the child had never complained of being ill; did hot the bruises till after the doctorV arrival. Matilda O’Oonaell, sworn, said she was a domestic servant in the employ of Mrs Drake, of Otaki; had seen the child slapped about 8 p.m. on Thursday, and had heard her being . whipped previously tho same day; thought the eldest girl Loeta was also in the room with Mrs. Drake when she heard Dorothy being thrashed ; some little time after she heard the child being whipped, she saw Mrs Drake slap her with whip produced; thought the punishment not very severe; had seen the child punished about two days befpre by her sister, who struck’ her a few blows across the legs .with a supplejack] Mrs Drake was a bit angry with the child when she whipped her in the hall; the child was dm seed at the time.; witness had never struck the child; the blows iho saw the child receive Were across the legs; other blows were given by her mo|her which she did not sefii. ! - ! Dr Patrick Joseph Power, deposed he was called by Hr 3)rake, about 9.10 p.m. the day previous; Mr Drake said he thought hi* daughter was dying; he also said- he thought Mrs Drake bad given his, daughter a severe beating; witness at once went to Mr Drake’s; saw Mrs Drake in the bedroom; asked where the child was, and Mrs Drake showed the girl in the bed; saw at once that she was dead ; Mrs Drake asked if the girl would get better, and witness told her she was dead; witness examined the body; Mrs Drake then said; “ How dreadful! I had given her a severe beating!” Mrs Drake also . mentioned the child had been .telling stories, and would not learn her lepsons. She repeated these remarks several times, but witness told her he did not wish to listen. Mrs Drake was depressed, but hot excited; she stated she had beaten the child with a lash; Mrs Drake’s eldest daughter, afterwards told witness she had helped her mother to beat the deceased with s ■ a stick; deceased had been dead \ about an hour when lie saw her; discovered severe bruises all over, the,,',; child’s body, except the neck, and some abrasions; the loft eye was marked with little ecasions and, the iris was somewhat black; there was what appeared to be a deep depress sion on the right side of tho head near the top; Dr Olay and witness had made a post mortem examination on the child that day; they examined ; all the organs of the body,'comments- ; , log at the brain; there was no ex-., ternal wound over the mark on the head, but slight discolouration, ,but on dissection of the part found .the ?:-, depression was on the muscles, and* not on the bone; tho inside, of scalp immediately under the wound was bruised; a good deal of ooagulatep,,, blood was collected under the .wound,; , between the scalp and the bone; all the organs, brain included,-he : .found , , healthy, and the body well nourished { in his opinion death was caused bysevere shock to the system, which may have affected the heart; there . may have been concussion of the brain, which might have been caused by the fall of a blow on the head; this was only, a supposition; in hie opinion the wounds seen on the body were sufficient to have produoed^su9tt| ■ a shook; the bruises and abraskma^ . could not have been onuaad by tha r light end of tha whip produced, but* might have been caused by the heavy 1 end; should say the wounds:> had, f { ; been inflicted within 24 hours when ; . be saw them. David Lloyd Clay, stated he as-. , sisted Dr Power in a post mortm ; : examination of the deceased; extern* ally the body presented signs of being „ ■ , very cruelly treated, vary extensive bruises, evasions, and scabs extending . from the neck downwards .all over the body; thought tbe cause of death - ■ was shock, caused by the wounds on the head and body; thought the. , wound on the head had been bus- . -tained not less than 24 hours before I death; in his opinion the wounds received were sufficient in her case to^ ; \ cause death; would say that theblows had been struck whan the child

was undressed; the blow on the head might,have been caused by a fall; it could have been caused by the whip produced; could not say which would have been most probable, Loeta Constance Drake, eldest daughter o£ Mr a.nd Mrs Drake, said she last saw her sister Dorothy alive about 8-BO the previous night; she was then in bed in her bedroom, and her sisters Marjory and May were hlso in the room at the time; did not know why she went to bed ia that room, which was not where ehe usually slept. , . ;/ .

the previous afternoon in the dining-room ; witness gave her three or four slaps on the legs and arms with a supplejack; May hit her three or four times with the same Stick, and her mother struck her on the legs, arms and body with the riding whip produced : the whole of the punishment lasted about half-an-bonr; all three struck the deceased hard; her mother and May took Dorothy to bod, while witness remained in the dining-room ; Dorothy was not beaten after she left the dining-room. Deceased bad only been in bed a few minutes when her mother called witness, and asked her to go and fetch her father home, as Dorothy was ill; deceased said she did not feel well at tea time and had nothing to eat but only had a drink. Witness went for her father and met him on the road; her brothers had previously been sent for her father before deceased was put to bed; deceased had been punished about two or three days previously. May Drake, second daughter of Mr tad Mr# Drake, 13 years of age, sworn, said she saw her sister Dorothy iu the dioiag room yesterday afternoon at about 3 p.nr, when Losta aad witness whipped her on the legs and arms with asupplejaek, and her mother also whipped her with the riding whip produoed; her mother struck her about twenty times; at tea Dorothy complained ofa pain, and woyld not eat anything ; after that her mother took Dotothy to bed, witness assisting to •any her from the dining room; her mother undressed and put Dorothy to bad, after which witness went out, leaving her mother with Dorothy. Constable G’Rouirke, sworn, said— Shortly before 10 p.m. on Thursday Dr Power informed him of the death of ; witness went and examined the body, which had bruises and abrasions on the arms, legs, thighs, and main body, back and front; there wer« a few slight abrasions on the lid of the left eye, and top of the forehead; ho found a cavity on the right side of the bead, almost directly over the ear; Mre Drake said, “ I did not do it all myself”; she was so depressed and grieved that she was unable to answer any question#: in consequence of whit Mr Drake told witness, he requested and obtained possession of whip wpduood; matched the butt end ef whip to some of the abrasions of the body, which fitted the handle; in his opinion the marks were so defined that they eould not have been inflicted had there been clothing of any thickness on the body; Dr Power, who assisted in the post mortem, was with him when he examined the body. After a consultation of a few minutes the jury returned the following verdict: —‘‘That the * death of Dorothy Gwendoline Drake was due to shock, paused by excessive punishment administered to her by her mother.’’— Otaki Mail.