MAORI GIRL'S DEATH.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 38, 18 May 1915, Page 1

MAORI GIRL'S DEATH.

Inquest at Tuakau. An irquest whs held in the Tuakau Hotel on Saturday last on the body of a Maori girl, Hariata Matete, 14 years of age, who had died on the 13th inst., at her stepfather's residence, in Tuakau. Mr C. Roadlev acted as coroner una the following were empaaelled as jurymen: Messrs Harry Craig, Gerge Weston Goldsmith, Henry Free, William Jamss Cole, Arnold Mayall and Keith Storey. Mr Cole was elected foreman. Edward Matete, Hep-father cf deceased, deposed that he adopted deceased some years ago. Four days previous to her death the complained of feeling unwell and ha purchased medicine for ber from Mr A. H. Tapper, chemist, Tuakau, which she afterwards drank and remarked that she was feeling quite well again and did some gardening at tha house. Being afraid of the cold she had he asked her to discontinue her work in the garden, but she replied that she was nt in pain and continued or. He came to the conclusion that she must have recovered and he did not bothei further in the matter. On the day of her death Bhe waa digging in the garden and he asked her to discontinue, but she did not, replying as before that there waa nothing the matter with her. But in the evening she became ill again and he went for Dr Ch:ssman, and asked him to go and sea the girl. The Doctor said that he would shortly be at the house, so ke returned home. On nearing the gate he heard his wife crying, and entering the house found bis daughter was dtad. The Doctor had not arrived.

To ths Coroner: He gave his daugther some property at Te Kuiti two years ago. It was to revert back to witness if recipient died. Albert Henry Tapper was the next witness. He stated that the previous wltners called on hire on the afternoon of the 10th inst. and said that his daughter was suffering with pains in the stomach. The mixture he made up was to counter-act the pains. He did not see the girl, but judged from"information Matete gave him that she Whs between eight and ten vears of age. It was an ordinary mixture, containing no drugs of a harmful nature. He had taken it for granted that the girl only had a stomach ache.

To the Ccroner: Witness stated that an over-dose of the medicine would not have harmed deceased. He understood that the girl had been over-eating.

To the police: The medicine was supplied on the date as marked on the bottle, viz., 10th May, 1915.

Dr Herbert Hilton Cheesman deposed that Edward Matete called on him at 6.30 p.m. on the previous Thursday, and asked him to go and see his daughter, whom he described as having been ill for two days. Matete told him that she had been ill on the previous night (Wednesday) and had vomited a good dea', and had been better during Thursday but was then worse. He reached Matete's house probably before seven p.m. and found the girl dead. Ab it appeared to him that she had died from natural causes and as Matete told him that he had buried bodies without a certificate he did not think it necessary to make an examination.

To Sergeant Cowan: Matete had told him that the girl had bled from the no&e, but svery thing discounted that suggestion. He did not know the cause of the girl's death. A boy by his instructions was removed to a hospital four months ago from the same house that the girl had lived in, suffering from typhoid. To the foreman of the jury: He could tell from a poßt-morten if the girl had died from typhoid fever. It would have been an unusual case for the girl to have died of typhoid so suddenly. Aa far as he could find cut there was no sign of illness previous to the 10th inst., and in that case she would have hardly died of typhoid on Thursdav. To the police: A number of doses of the medicine supplied by Mr Tapper for the girl could have been taken as they would have been harmless.

Mr Storey, a juryman: There Beems to be no decided cause of death.

The foreman mentioned that Mr and Mrs Matete were respdctable people and Matete was a licensed lay-ieader. He was a superior man. After the jury had consulted, the foreman announced that it waa the unanimous verdict of the jury that a po2t-mort?m examination was necessary.

The Coroner accordingly adjourned the inquest tiutil 3.45 p.m. to allow Dr Cheesman to conduct the post-mortem, but it was found that during the inquest Maoris had left with the body, in a vehicle, for Te Kotahitanga, where a tangi was to be held. It was accordingly necessary to further adjourn the proceedings to 4.30 p.m. In the meantime Constsble Taylor, in company with a'Maori and Mr Dynes Fulton, left in the latter's motorcar and caught the cortege up at the Onewhero store. The Maoris returned with the body and the post-mortem was made, subsequent to which Dr Cheesmsn deposed that he found a portion, about seven icbes, ot the small intestine, about a foot from its lower end, darkened in colour and twnted on its« f. There was no sign of intlammatiou and the case waa evidently one of death froui obstruction of the bowel.

The jury returned a verdict ol eath from natural cases in accorl nee with the medical evidsnce.