INQUEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1165, 25 October 1883, Page 3

INQUEST.

On Tuesday morning last an inquest was held at the Gerald ine Hotel touching the death of Honora Coffey, before J. Beswick, Esq., Coroner, and a jury of whom Mr Col*man was foreman.

Dennis Coffey : I am father of the child whose body is now laying here. I saw her on Sunday evening at about a quarter to five o'clock. She was then quite alone outside the . house, at, Stragglers' Flat, and shortly afterwards she ran in with her clothes on fire, I hastened, hearing her scream, and put out the fire with the assistance of, my wife. We took off her clothes, and applied oil to the burns. She did not seem badly burnt at first, but an hour or so after the parts burned seemed much worse. She did not appear in much pain. I sent for Dr Fish from Geraldine, who attended the child till her death, whicli took place on Monday morning at half-past one. Johanna Coffey deposed : I am wife of Dennis Coffey; and the mother of the deceased. On Sunday evening last, at about 5 o'clock, I put a log of wood outside the door, which I took off the fire. It was smoking. I went for a bucket of water, to put in the kettle. I saw deceased playing with the wood, and as I passed in with the bucket the child said to me, ' Mother, 6ee how I am warming myself;" but it never struck me she was in danger, and in five minutes after she ran iu in flames. Her father caught hold of her and threw two buckets 'o*

water over her. She said 6he was burnt, and we undressed her. We got some oil and flour and dressed the burnt parts of her body, and my husband went for Dr Fish. She was four years old on 22nd next month.

Robert Fish deposed : I am a duly qualified medical practitioner, residing at Geraldine. On Sunday evening last a messenger came and reported that a child belonging to Mr Coffey, at Stragglers' Flat, was burnt. I returned with him and found the child very severely burnt indeed, and attended it, but I had not the slightest hope it would live. I did all that it was possible to do to save it, and left about 11 p.m. I recognise the body laying here as that of the child I attended. There are no other marks of violence on the body. The shock to the gystem was the cause of death, Tbe parents had done all they could till I arrived.

By the foreman : Ido not think it wise to throw water on a child when in flames, but in this instance it did not matter, as she could not live.

The jury, without retiring, returned a rerdict of ' Accidental Death.'