ADJOURNED INQUEST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 249, 30 March 1915, Page 3

ADJOURNED INQUEST.

INFANT FOUND DEAD.

Tlii> adjourned inquiry into tho circinnstances surrounding the death of an in-

fant male child found on tire foreshore near the end of Dawson Street on the afternoon of Monday last week was continued at tin; Court House yesterday morning before Mr. A. C-rookc, S.M., Coroner.

Mr. Quillinm appeared for the motile of the child.

Sergeant Bowden said en Monday, March 22nd, at 3.30 p.m., he took possession of a pillow slip containing the dead body of an infant male child. He to»k it to the morgue and handed it over to Dr. Walker for a post-mortem exaai'ma tion. The body was in a pillow slip marked "Kean's, Criterion." With tinbody were two othe*- pillow slips notmarked, and a small piece of a honeycomb quilt. There was a fourth pillow case marked "Criterion Hotel." He visited the Criterion Hotel the following day and" saw Florence Lavinia Walsii in the dining room. She admitted to him that she had given birth to a child the previous Thursday, and declared that it was dead when born, and that she had taken it down about 0 o'clock that night and buried it in the sand on (he foreshore near the bottom of P —on Street. The bodv was pointed o> > him bv Mrs. Kirkpatrick. Wab'i told him that no one knew of her condition, and no one assisted hpr. Witness expressed a wish to see Mrs. McKenn and the latter came to her. Witness said she was sorry she had deceived Mrs. McKean by saving she had had a bilious attack. Her room was examined, but nothing incriminating was found (here. Tn answer to the Magistrate, witness said Walsh admitted that she put the body and other things in the pillow slip in'which th.'y were found. •, Maria McKean, wife of the licensee of the Criterion Hotel, was the next witness. Florence Lavinia Walsh had been a waitress at the Tlo'.->l for about- five months. Riie had noticed a difference in the girl about a week hefore the IStli. but did not speak to her of her condition. On Thursdiiv. lst'ii. Walsh went to bed about 12 o'clock and told her she was bilious. She went up t) see her about tw.i o'clock, when she said she would be better after she had had some sleep. She saw her at the door. Just before 10 o'clock she spoke to Walsh, but did not -ee her. She said then that she was no better. She saw her again in bed on Friday morning, when she said she would he better it she had a sleep. She did not see Walsa again, as it was her day off. She next saw her on Saturday morning, when tingirl said she felt 'a little shaky, but had been for a long walk along the foreshore and watched <ve boat come in The girl then looked verv ill. She was such a good girl that sTic did not suspect what was the matter with her. In answer to Mr. Quilliam, witness said the girl might have been with her seven months, throughout which time her behaviour was excellent. The slight change that she noticed in the girl did not lead witness to suspect'her condition, ns she bore such a liislily respectable character. The girl did 'her wo-k just as usual until the lSlh. She never suspected then that Walsh had had a child. ,The girl slept on the top floor five girls sleeping along the same corndo. Witness identified the pillow slips as belonging to her. She had not heard cr heard of a baby crying in the house. Dr. E. A. Walker said on the evening of the 22nd he attended at the morgue and made a post-mortem on the body of a male infant. The body was matured and well nourished. It weighed Slbs and measured 2H inches in length It) was, as a whole, very white, but the head and neck were blue. An attached portion of the umbilical cord, measuring about 15 inches, was tightlv .-oiled around the neck. It had apparently bee-,-divided by a sharp instrument, but <m ligature had been applied. There wc-.-,f no signs of violence. The body was very anaemic. There could be no'doubt that the child could breathe freely and the lungs had been normally extended the heart was normal. Death was d»e first to the position of the cord around the. child's interfering with the circulation from the placenta during birth, the child being born with imperfectly sirated blood and associated heart failure; and secondly to hemorrhage from the umbilical cord.

Answering the Sub-inspector, witness said death might well have been accidental. He found nothing to lead him to believe that death had been wilfully caused, but with a qualified nurse in attendance the child would have lived. The condition of the child was not at all unusual.

In answer to Mr. Quilliam, witness said that throughout his careful examination lip found no marks of violence. He hart noticed tliat in many cases young married and unmarried' women could not fix the progress of gestation with accuracy, and cases in which ne indication of approaching accouchement was given the patent. Medical assistance, to he of any use, should have h."en on the spot. It was perfectly certain that the umbilical cord had been in the position noted for some days prior to birth.

The coroner said the doctor had given proof of the cause of death, and returned a verdict in accordance witn that evidence. He added that it was quite certain that the child was horn alive, h\it there was no evidence to show that the mother was acting with guilty intention when she severed the cord, neither was she guilty of culpable negligence.

ACCUSED BEFORE THE MAGISTRATE.

CHARGED WITH CONCEALMENT OV

BIRTH.

COMMITTED. FOR SENTENCE.

After lunch, the girl Walsh was brought before the Magistrate's Court, on charges partly heard and adjourned last week. Mr. A. Crookc, S.M., presided.

The Sub-Inspector said on account of the evidence given at the inquest, the charge of murder had been reduced to one of disposing of the body of her male child in a manner to conceal its birth.

Mary K. Kirkpatrick recounted tic evidence, given by her at the 'inquest, as to the finding of the body, as also did Sergeant Bowdcn and Dr. 'Walker.

In answer to further (|uestions nut by Mr. Quilliam, Dr. AValkor said it was possible that an inexperienced person would regard the child as dead if it did not move or cry. It was most likely that under the circumstances as stated in this case u young; woman would lo distracted.

Maria McKcan also repented her e.i deuce.

This closed the case for the police

The accused-, Florence Lavinia Wa.sh, an unmarried woman, whose family lives in Xew Plymouth, said she went to tin Criterion Hotel as waitress about August or September, last year. She l::iew what condition .she was in, but did not tell anyone. She was going to tell her mother', but did not think the birtii would take.place so soon. She concealed the truth as long as possible in order not to worry her mother. She had made no arrangements in connection with -the birth of the. child, as she though tin re was plenty of time. On the afternoon of Thursday, March IStli, she went to her room and lay down, as usual, ami stayed there all the afternoon. At,that time she had had no indication whatever that her accoucheineirt was approaching,

The child was born between 7 and S o'clock. The child did not cry or move. She was sure it was dead. She w.ik very frightened, and she was not exactly sure of everything that happened afterwards. She remembered putting .. the chi'd in a pillow slip, and also being on Ihe beach later in the evening, but not what part of the beach she was on. Lite sea was very rough and high, and she thought she put the pillow slip in thf water. The next day was her week'y holiday, and she remained in her room. On the throe, following days she worked as usual. When she returned from the bi'ach she knew she had done wrong, and was sorry. She. was arrestsd on Tuesday and confessed her guilt. Accused pleaded guilty, and was ordered to come up for sentence at the next sitting of the Supreme Court in New Plymouth. Kail was allowed.