DEATH OF A BOY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 June 1919, Page 6

DEATH OF A BOY.

AFTER RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME TO AVOID PUNISHMENT. Auckland, June 17. The circumstances of the death of a boy named Trevor Calder, aged 7J years, who was missed from his home for five days, and died in Auckland Hospital on Monday from tetanus and heart failure, formed the subject of an inquest by Mr. J. E. Wilson, coroner. Angus Calder, tramcar examiner, said his wife was dead, and a housekeeper was in charge of his house. He had a family of three boys and one girl, the deceased being the youngest child. When witness, whose work kept him away at nights, arrived home on Sunday, June 1, he was told that Trevor had got into mischief, and had run away for fear of being punished. He looked all round the district, with his other two boys, but could find no trace of the missing lad. He reported the matter to the police on Wednesday. The coroner: Did you search in the meantime? —"I looked round each night and morning, and made a house-to-house canvass." Witness said the boy had run away once before. The coroner: Why should the boy run away? I see by the police fili here you state that you used to thrash him, but could not make him cry, and you then decided to dip him in cold water, and that this did more good than thrashing.—"Yes, it had more effect." How often had you done this ?-—"Twice. I cannot say when I last did it." The boy did not like these cold baths ? -"No."

How long did you keep him in them ? "No time—l just dipped him in and out again. He was a good boy, and there was only one thing I had to punish him for." Dr. Gould, house surgeon at the hospital, said that when the boy was admitted his feet were severely frostbitten, and there were several superficial sores on them, due to breaking of the skin. He was in a very weak state. The condition of the feet gradually improved, but they were very septic. On June 13 the boy complained of a little stiffness of the knee. Tetanus commenced to make its appearance, and the patient became steadily worse. The cause of death was tetanus and heart failure, aggravated by the septic condition of the feet and the boy's low bodily health. The coroner returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence. He added that he did not propose to make it part of the finding, but it seemed to him that punishment sucli as Mr. Calder was accustomed to inflict on the child was not n proper thing. The child was apparently not amenable to ordinary punishment, but it was no good frightening him by extraordinary punishment.