The Keswick Guardian Sat 7th Aug 1897 SINGULAR FATALITY TO A CHILD AT KESWICK

SINGULAR FATALITY TO A CHILD AT KESWICK

The Keswick Guardian - Sat 7th Aug 1897

SINGULAR FATALITY TO A CHILD AT KESWICK On Wednesday afternoon somewhat of a sensation was caused by the announcement that a little girl had been picked up dying or dead on the Borrowdale-road. The body was brought in a trap by Mr W Messenger of Aspatria who turned back while on a journey round the lake. The body was carried into the Pack Horse Inn where Dr Crawford tried all means to restore animation but without avail. The child was identified about 3-Oopm as Annie Mary Pickering, daughter of Thomas Pickering, labourer, Back Lane . An inquest was held at the Cour tBuildings on Thursday morning by Mr E Atter, deputy coroner for the division.The jury was composed as follows :Messrs J F Hope (foreman),J Adamson, J Aitchison,J S Allinson,G Bell,T H Birkbeck, R Birkett,T Brown,I Cartmell,D Melvin,J Robinson and J Young. Mrs Pickering, wife of Thomas Pickering, deposed that the body which the jury had viewed was that of her daughter Annie Mary who had turned 9 years of age. She last saw the child alive at 11 o,clock on Wednesday morning when she was going out to sell lemonade on Borrowdale Road . She was accompanied by her brother 7 years of age and they had half a dozen bottles between them. The deceased had a fit about 13 months ago and was then attended by Dr Russell but she had not ailed anything since beyond sick headache and she had not complained during the present year. The child had sold lemonade previously on trip days but she was not out on Tuesday. Witness was not aware that the deceased had taken any sewing with her; she worked with a needle only at school. The children took some bread and butter and fruit cake with them. The little boy came home and asked for three more bottles of lemonade but witness sent him back without to tell his sister to come home and she was expecting them when the Police Sergeant came to the house for her. By the Foreman :Witness did not know that the deceased had a needle with her. William John Eades, schoolmaster 4 Osbourne  Terrace, Westoe, South Shields deposed that he came to Keswick by an excursion train from Sunderland on Wednesday. He was by himself reading in Castlehead wood about 2-3Opm when the driver of a three horse conveyance shouted to him. He ran down the green jumped the wall and found a little girl lying on the road her face partly in the soil. A gentleman came up and they carried her to a seat in the wall. There they laid her on her back wiped the dust from her face and fanned her. She was breathing very heavily and was unconcious. A spring cart came up and as they thought it best to get the child to the town they stopped the cart and lifted her in. The gentleman who had helped then went on his way  Witness came back with the cart to the town. Meeting the Police-Sergeant witness asked him directions for a doctor , .Dr Crawford happened to be near and when he came up witness to the best of his best belief thought the doctor pronounced her to be dead. The 'girl was lying on the road as if she had fainted. She had in her hand some coppers and a sixpence and two or three small berries which led him to surmise she had been gathering bleaberries. He did not examine the berries. The sun was very hot If the driver of the carriage had not pulled up he would have run over her for she was lying in the middle of the road. By the foreman: Witness did not see any other children about. He had been sitting in the wood for about an hour and a quarter and he had not previously noticed the child. The money was gripped in her hand. Inspector Logan deposed that about 2-45pm on Wednesday a messenger came to the police station with information that a girl had been found dead in Borrowdale road. He at once went up the street and found that the deceased had been brought to the Pack Horse .Dr Crawford was there and assisted Mr Eades and himself to carry the child indoors. They laid her on a table and for a considerable time the Doctor tried to restore animation. The deceased was afterwards carried upstairs where a thorough external examination was made. Witness did not observe the least mark of violence on the body, nor did he see any blood. While Dr Crawford was examining the body he found a piece of needle which he handed to witness .It was taken out of her clothing by the Doctor. Witness produced the portion of a needle and it was passed round to the jury for examination. There was a good deal of dust about the deceased,s mouth and nostrils. The money she had amounted to  1s 3d 1/2d. (Mrs Pickering in reply to the Deputy-Coroner said the child should have had a shilling) .The Inspector also produced a bottle opener and a small combe  which was found in the clothing. Dr Crawford stated that he had early on Thursday morning made a post mortem examination of the body which was well nourished - On the right breast 3 inches to the inner side of the nipple line and 1 and 3/4 inches below the nipple he found a minute puncture capable of admitting the point of a needle. On removing soft parts from the chest a small puncture was found corresponding in position to the one in the skin and proceeding further the pericardium when opened was found to contain a quantity of clotted blood. The pericardium had also been punctured in a line with the opening in the chest wall. On the surface of the right ventricle there was a lacerated wound fully quarter-of-an-inch in length and the heart wall had been perforated. On examining the pleural spaces the pointed half of a needle an inch long was found in the right pleural space. The stomach contained 6 and 1/2oz of semisolid food largely composed of undigested meat. There were also several berries half digested - in all probability from their appearance bilberries. All the other organs were examined and found to be more or less congestéd .Death was due to hemorrhage in to the pericardium causing syncope. In reply to the Deputy Coroner, Dr Crawford said the puncture was sufficient to cause death. There were no marks of violence on the body. The Deputy-Coroner said the evidence of Dr Crawford would assist the jury to come to a conclusion. Without that evidence a variety of reasons might have been surmised; but now the cause of death had been most amply shown and it has been shown too how from simple causes fatal results might ensue for he believed it was a very common practice to put needles and pins in the dress breast. The jury found that the deceased had been "pierced in the heart by a piece of sewing needle which caused her death," At the request of the foreman, and on behalf of the jury ,Mr Atter acknowledged the service which had been rendered by Mr Eades with the view to save the child,s life. They regretted the inconvenience  to which he had been put in having been prevented from returning home the previous night and they thanked him for the manner in which he had given his evidence.  Mr Eades briefly thanked the court. The jury gave their fees to the parents of the deceased .