INQUEST.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 427, 26 November 1861, Page 2

INQUEST.

A coroner's inquest was held in the Court House, yesterday, on the body of a female child, aged 8 years, nanied Mary Jane Whiting, who; found drowned on Saturday afternoon last in was the Maitai river, between tbe Colliog wood -street bridge and Bush s Mill. The following were the jurymen :—rMessrs. H. Drew (foreman), E. F. Jones, R. Lucas, Jonah Ashburn, Porthouse, Gentry, Christie, C. Harris, N. T. Lockhart, Tregea, T. Snow, G. Coates, and E.W. Trent. The Coroner, in opening Ihe case, told the jury they were summoned that morning to inquire into the cause of the death of the ohild which was found in the water on Saturday last. He thought it right to observe by way of .caution that it was asserted that the death of this child was attributed to culpable neglect by some persons; he begged they would dismiss all such impressions from their minds, and be guided eutirely by the evidence. - The jury then went to view the body, which was lying in a house next the Wakatu. On. their return the following witnesses were examined. John Cann sworn: I knew the. deceased Mary Jane Whiting; she was the daughter of Henry Whiting, blacksmith ; that is the body to the best of my belief, that the jury has just seen; saw her the last time alive on Saturday afternoon last, between 3 and 4; saw her in .front of my house in Grove-street walking towards the river at Coliingwood Bridge; she was coming as from her father's house, which is in continuation towards the hills ; there was a plank pnt across at about 150 yards above the bridge, to cross the river; the plank had been placed there after the accident to the bridge; it has since been removed and replaced there again by the inhabitants; it has now been used as a crossing place for about a week ; there is do other crossing from Coliingwood Bridge to Bridge-street Bridge that I am aware of; the plank is about 30 feet long and about 2 feet wide. By a juror: It was more than 18 inches wide, and three or four inches thick. . Examination contJnued :Do not know whether the child went on that plank or not; never saw her alive after that. ' By a juror: It was originally placed there by the Boi rd of Works and taken away after that; most of tbe neighbors contributed and replaced the plank the same evening, The person, that

removed the plauk was a'servant of the So&rd of Works.

By a juror: My wife heard a scream that evening and looked towards the river where the plank was, but could see nothing. Bernard Charles Beal, surgeon, sworn : I reside in Nelson ; was called on last Saturday to see the deceased at the house of Mrs. York, by the river side. Found the deceased lying oa the floor in a blanket near the fire ; the surface of the body generally and the extremities were cold; the lips livid—not the least signs of respiration or pulse at the wrist; the heart's action was not perceptible. Considered the case almost hopeless from the commencement. There was an appearance of frothy mucus; the eyes appeared to have a filmy appearance; made every effort for nearly an hour to resuscitate the body, but without success; life was quite extinct, I used artificial respiration, had the body put in a warm bath, gave a teaspoonful of brandy, and used friction of hot flannels while the bath was being prepared, but to no purpose. The cause of her death was aspbixia from drowning. By a juror: The body might have been in the water for 20 minutes, from its appearance, but cannot say to a certainty how long. Saw no appearance of any external injury whatever. Emma Lewis sworn : Knew the deceased; she came to my house on Saturday last, at about half-past two. I live in ;the Wood. I asked ber to go an errand for me inio town. She said, 'Yes, aunt.' I told her to go to Mr. Trent's for some groceries, and gave her half-a crown and a Maori basket to bring the articles in ; she went towards the broken part of Col-lingwood-street bridge. Not seeing her from the back part of my house go over, I concluded that she was playing with some children : I can see the plank put for crossing from my backdoor. I went down to the river, but could not see her. Asked a person by the name of Forman if he had seen her; he Baid be had hot. I then returned home, thinking she would soon return. This was about a quarter to three o'clock. She intended going by the Bishop's to go over the Bridge-street bridge : there was nothing said about her crossing the plank. By a juror: Do not consider the plank safe for any one to pass ov«r. John Sherwood sworn: Am a constable in Nelson. On Saturday last, in the afternoon, about 20 minutes past 3, was standing at the Trafalgar corner, when Mr. Balme, coach builder, asked me if I was on duty ; said I was; he said there, was a girl drowned in the Maitai, and told me to go and see; he pointed out down by the mill; went down, and was overtaken by Henry Balm and A. Rankiu in a cart, going towards the water. Mr. Balme got out,' and Rankin went forward in the water; I went in on foot; saw the body near a flax-bush ; Bhe had a Maori basket in .her band. There was a considerable fresh in the river. Rankin reached the place where the body was first; he left bis cart standing, and went towards the body and got hold of it. The place is about 150 yards below the Collingwood. bridge. We both brought the body out; the current was very strong, and the 7" water was from two and a-half to three feet deep; froth was coming out of her nose and mouth, and the clothes were all wet; took the body to the house of widow York. As soon as we got to the bank I sent messengers for the nearest doctors. Dr. Beal was the first to arrive ; be came within 5 or 6 minutes after we got the body. We had; the. child stripped, and were rubbing it in a blanket when the doctor arrived. Cannot say that there was any sign of life when the doctor came.

Henry Balm confirmed the evidence of. the previous witness. The Coroner, in summing up, said there wa3 no evidence to show how the child got into tbe W ater —whether she fell from the bank or the plank. No negligence oould be attributed to the Board of Works in this .matter.

The jury, after a few minutes consultation, returned the following verdict <—' Found drowned, but by what means the child got into the river, there is no evidence to show.'

The Theatre. —The weather on Friday last was unfavorable for a full house; considering, however, its inclemency the audience was a large one. The drama of Time Tries All gave Mrs. Foley scope to display some pood acting as Laura Lees'on. , Mr. Webster, as Matthew Safes, played in his usual careful manner; the undesirable task of having to read the part of Charles Clinton however militated against keeping intact, as it should have been, one of the principal parts. Messrs. Newman and Wilson, two amateurs, deserve commendation for having undertaken parts in thievery pleasing little drama, and they acquitted themselves extremely well under the circumstances. The former, as the Honorable Augustus Collander Yawn, had a capital part assigned him, one that, if he progress as may be fairly augured from this he will do, will soon leave little to be desired from him in this line of character. Mr. Wilson, as Tom Tadk, got through his first attempt at theatrical love-making with great credit, and more1 especially, when after three years spent in France he resumes his courtship with a Frenchified speech and appearance which were well sustained. When the nervousness consequent upon first attempts of this kind is dispelled by use, and the mannerism of, the stage a little more acquired, these gentlemen will prove a great acquisition to the present or any succeeding company limited in professional assistance, if first attempts may be taken to judge more continuous efforts by. The character song of' Buy a Broom,' bp Mrs. Foley, was loudly encored, and gave another proof of the tact ana judgment she is possessed of. The comedy of the Young Widow, which was fully as well done' as on the previous occasion, concluded the performance, which lasted until a late hour.

The Weather.—The rain which set in rather unexpectedly, or at least without much indication of its nearness and severity, on Friday evening last, continued throughout Saturday at various times, and between Sunday and Monday mornings gave such convincing proofs of its continuity and volume, that the low grounds, which on several occasions during the past season were considerably flooded, became inundated to a greater extent than ever. Houses in Toi-Toi-valley were swamped with,the pouring flood; one portion of Bridgestreet could not be crossed dryshod, and some of the habitations in the neighborhood became quickly possessed of large water frontages; while the tide on the mudflat, which should have been got rid of by the culverts, threatened equally the back of others. The Maitai, whose contempt for either persuasion or resistance to secure means to cross its wilful course has been but too frequently apparent, broke loose in its wildest mood, and rising within a few inches of the bank parallel to Col-lingwood-sti-eet north, carried away yards of the only barrier which opposes its inclination to break a new channel completely across Collingwoodstreet, and pass onward in the direction of Mr. Harley's house toward the old channel by the mill. The Brook-street stream has followed an equally destructive course, piles, planking, and all the ordinary methods adopted by the various occupiers of land by which it passes, to protect the banks, have been uprooted and washed away. Most of the approaches to the town were cut off, and the most circuitous routes or unusual means had to be adopted, The unfortunate tyile-street bridge has been visited, still more severely than last flood,

and the repair of the west end of it rendered use-_ less by the approach on the eastern side having had many feet of it washed away^ and crossing by it being quite precluded; Several land slips have also occurred, to the destruction of fruit trees and the confusion of some household gardeners. The extraordinary quantity of rain that has fallen in the course of the past few months is a matter *.ot general remark, and unless a change speedily takes place, anything like a continuation of dry weather between seedtime and harvest, will certainly be the exception this year.