Burning Fatalities.

Sad Case at Denaby.

“This case not as bad as many of the burning cases that I have to investigate. There was thoughtlessness the mother’s part in not seeing the door was left secured, because she must have known that the boy could get in, but she did leave the child apparently a safe place. If it had not been for the other child coming in the baby would have been saved.”

In the above words Mr. J. Kenyon-Parker summed the evidence he took the Fullerton Hospital, Denaby, yesterday, relative to the death of Emily Meredith (11 months) daughter of Thomas Meredith, pony driver, living at 14, Doncaster Road, Denaby, who died in the institution on the 31st ult., ten days after admittance, suffering from terrible burning injuries.

Miss J. Helena Stead, of the hospital staff, said the child, when admitted, was suffering from burns over the whole of its left side, back, left arm, and left thigh. Pneumonia supervened from the shock, but the case was hopeless from the first.

The mother of the deceased described the circumstances surrounding the accident. On the day that it happened she left the child in its “pram” alone in the living room, shut the door, end went across the yard. Her boy, aged five years, was playing in the yard. There was fire the room, but the baby was the other side of the room. Witness was not gone more than two minutes when her little boy came to her and said “Oh, mammy, look sharp, the baby is burning.” She hurried in and put out the flames. The baby was where she had left her in its carriage.

The Coroner; How did it get fire?

Witness: There was some newspaper burning the carriage, and I think that my little boy must have got it out of the dresser cupboard. She had never known him play with fire before.

The Coroner; There was no fire-guard, was there?

Witness; No, but I have ordered one.

The Coroner: Could your little boy open the door?

Witness; Yes, but I never thought such a thing could happen in so little time.

The Coroner; These cases always do happen in a little time. That is what I find from my experience of them.

A verdict of Accidental death ” was returned, a juryman remarking that these burning oases were getting very frequent just now.