Mary Jane Whiting

CORONER'S INQUEST. Tuesday 26th November 1861 report from Newspaper “ Nelson Examiner “

An inquest was held at the Court-house on Monday last, on the body of Mary Jane Whiting, aged eight years, who had been drowned in the River Maitai, on the preceding Saturday afternoon.

The jury were not very punctual in their attendance and, on being remonstrated with by the Coroner (who had issued his precept for the jury on Saturday afternoon), they stated that they had been summoned to attend only within the preceding few minutes. The Coroner, addressing the jury, said : You have to inquire into the cause of death of a child who appears to have fallen into the River Maitai on Saturday afternoon last. What occasioned the fatal accident cannot, I think, be very clearly laid before you. You will, however, view the body, and hear the evidence ; and I would remind you that, in arriving at your verdict, you must cautiously guard against, any participation in the feeling of some portion of the public who appear to consider that the accident is attributable to certain persons. You instruct give your verdict on the evidence alone, regardless of whom it may concern whether it be favorable or unfavorable light. The jury then proceeded to view the body, and, on their return, the following evidence was received :— John Cann, being sworn, said ; I knew the deceased. She was the daughter of Mr, Henry Whiting,

who is a blacksmith. That is her body which the jury have tins day viewed. I lust saw her alive on Saturday afternoon between three and four o'clock. She was then walking past my house, in Grove-street, towards the river near Collingwood-street. There was a plank across the river about 150 yards above where the Collingwood bridge stood. That plank had been there since the flood which washed away a portion of the bridge. It had been washed away on one occasion, and was again replaced there by the inhabitants. It was generally used as a crossing place. The only means of crossing the river, except by this plank, was to go over the Bride-street bridge. This plank was about thirty feet long, and about two feet wide. By the Foreman : I think it was more than eighteen inches wide, and it may have been three or four inches thick.

Witness continued : I did not know whether she was going to this plank. I did not see her alive afterwards.

By the Foreman : The plank was originally placed there by the Board of Works. But, when the case of Murrell against the Board of Works was decided against them, a servant of the Board removed the plank, and the inhabitants replaced it the same evening. It was subsequently washed away, and was again replaced by the inhabitants.

Bernard Charles Beale, being sworn, said : lam a surgeon residing and practising at Nelson. Between three and four o'clock on Saturday afternoon I was called in to saw the deceased. Her body was then lying at the house of Mrs. York, by the river side. Deceased was lying on the floor in a blanket, near the fire. The surface of the body and extremities wore cold ; the lips livid, with not the least sign of respiration, and no pulse at the wrist ; the heart's action was not perceptible. I considered the case from the first was hopeless. There was a discharge of frothy mucus from the mouth ; a film was also across the eyes. I made every effort for nearly an hour in order to resuscitate the body, but without success, life being quite extinct. I used artificial respiration. I had the body placed in a warm bath, having first used friction with hot flannels. I also administered small quantities of brandy, but nothing availed. I saw no sign of life. She had died from asphyxia from drowning. By the Foreman : I saw nothing which could suggest how long the body bad been in the water. It must have been there at least twenty minutes, because the body was cold. I saw no evidence of external injury.

Emma Lewis, being sworn, said : I knew the deceased, who was at my house on Saturday. I asked her if she would go into town on an errand for me, and she said " Yes." I sent her for some groceries, telling her to go to Mr. Trent's. I gave her the money and a Maori basket. I live in Grove-street. She went towards Collingwood bridge when she left me. She was, however, to go round by the Bridge Street bridge, and, not seeing her, I went out, thinking she was at play. I could see the plank across the river from My back door. I looked out for deceased but did not see her pass, and, thinking she was playing by the river, I went out, having first put my bonnet and shawl on, but not seeing her, and having inquired for her without learning where she was, I returned homo.

By the Foreman : She left my house at about a quarter to three o'clock, and I understood that she intended crossing the Bridge-street bridge. At least she said so to me, because she spoke of passing help mother's hop-garden. I do not know if the child had been cautioned about crossing the plank, but I never thought she would offer to cross the plank. William Hunt, questioned by the Coroner, said : I am twelve years old. I do not go to school. I do not go to Church. I do not know the nature of an oath. I know nothing of religion. I know there is a God. I think he will punish people, who tell lies, after they die. I do not know if my soul will live after my body dies. I came from Taranaki here.

The Coroner : I do not see my way to administer an oath to this boy. It is lamentable to Bee a boy so frightfully neglected. I cannot receive his evidence :

John Sherwood, being sworn, said : lam a police constable. On Saturday afternoon last, at about twenty minutes past three, I was standing at the Trafalgar-street corner of Bridge-street. Mr. Balme ran to me and asked if I was on duty ? I said yes. He said, there is a girl drowned in the Matai, and I immediately ran towards where he pointed. Before I got there I was overtaken by Mr. Andrew Rankin, and Mr. Balme, who were iv a cart. Mr. Balme got out just when I arrived at the river bank. Mr. Rankin drove into the river and I followed. I saw the body lying against a flux bush in the water. There was then a considerable flood in the river. Mr. Rankin first reached where the body was, he then jumped out of the cart and caught hold of the body, and he and I brought it out of the river. It was about 150 yards below where the Collingwood bridge stood, on the north side of the river and about ten feet from the bank. The body was floating as the river ran very swiftly, and the body had caught against the flax bush. Froth was oozing from the nose and mouth. We took the body to Mrs. York's house, but, before reaching there, we had sent for a doctor. Dr. Beale arrived within five or six minutes of our having recovered the body. We then had the body stripped and were rubbing it before the fire. At first we fancied the body was warm, but it showed no sign of life.

Henry Balme, being sworn, said : On Saturday last v lad on horseback called at my house iv Trafalgar Street, and said a child was iv the river. I asked where, and he told me. I said, you run for a policeman, and I will go for the child. I saw Sherwood just as I was leaving, and I told him. He then ran on before me, and as I saw Mr. Rankin in his cart, I told him what had occurred, got into his cart and we galloped down to the river. Rankin took the body out of the river, and we ran with it to the nearest house. We then tried for some time to get animation into the body but did not succeed.

The Coroner : This being the whole of the evidence, it will be for you to say whether you presume that this child fell accidentally into the water. There is already, I think, sufficient evidence to justify you in finding a verdict of " Found drowned," but it seems most desirable that, if possible, you should also learn something of how the child fell into the water, and, if you think there is any probability of eliciting further evidence, I will adjourn the inquiry until to-morrow morning. The Sergeant-Major of Police : I have made every inquiry in the neighborhood, and am unable to learn more about the cause of death than that already detailed to the jury. The Coroner : That being the case, the jury will at once, I presume, decide upon their verdict. The death of the child has been reported to have occurred through the neglect of duty of the Board of Works, but at present, I must say, that no evidence whatever has been elicited which will at all implicate the Board of Works as being accessory to the child's death. The jury then, after a short deliberation, returned as their verdict, " That deceased was found drowned, but by what means she got into the water there is not sufficient evidence to prove." The Coroner

Before the jury leave, I would wish to remark that great blame attaches to the father of the boy Hunt, in not having even had him instructed in the commonest ideas of Christian faith. Greater blame will, however, attach to those who have the power, if they do not see that this poor lad is, for the future, instructed.