ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 312, 9 January 1908, Page 2

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

i DROWNING ACCIDENT AT AWAKiiSO. The police have received information 1 that a young man named Robert Fiinil atoii, ot New Plymouth, was drowned i yesterday at Awakwu. iie was bathing ; with his brothel 1 Frank, and was ! seized with cramp. He seized his , brother and dragged him under twice. Failing in his etforts at Baviiig hie brother, the other swimmer struck out for the shore, reaching it in an exhausted state. An ignuest will be held to-day 4 Mokau, and the body wiii 'then be brought on to New Plymouth for interment. The yictim was a sipgje man, aged 29 years, DEATH OF A CHILD. Per Press Association, Auckland, Wednesday. At the inquest on the body of the infant child of Irene Snodgraes, found dead in bed at a boardinghouse on December 18, the Coroner stated that the investigation made by the analyst wa& entirely negative. Airs Williams, the boardinghouse keeper, stated that on the morning of December 13, a boarder named Steward said to her: "I don't mind a child crying, but I object to a child being smothered in a blanket." Mrs J Snodgrass was late in coming down to breakfast. Later witness heard Mrs Snodgrass scream, and a maid told witness the baby was dead. Mrs Snodgrass said to witness, "My baby is dead," and expressed a wish that it should be taken away to ascertain from what it had died. Mrs Snodgraes had seemed well disposed towards the child. Sho had admitted to witfless t|)at the man Wasp, ■ who was living with her in the house, ! was not her husband. The inquest is ' proceeding. ,

Later. At the inquest on the child Snodgrans, Drs. Bull and Hardie Neil expressed the opinion that the child was well cared for and well nourished. The latter said he had made a partial pout mortem examination of the body and found a trace of inflammation of the intestines, He believed death was caused by gastro-enteritiß, The Coroner said he was safieficfj witlf J)r NeiJ's evidence. Mr Stewart said hie renmrk to Mrs Wilson was that he objected to hear a child crying as if it was being smothered in the bed clothe*. Though he heard the child crying in a smothered way, he did not mean to infer that it was being suffocated. A verdict of death from a natural cause, namely convulsions, was returned.