ALBURY FATALITY.
THE INQUEST CONTINUED.
VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH.
The adjourned inquest touching the death of Ida Evelyn Johnson, of Albury, who died in Timaru Hospital on Wednesday as the result of a gunshot wound in the abdomen, was resumed at the Timaru Courthouse on Saturday, before the Coroner, Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M.
H. W. Beaumont, teacher, Te Ngawai, stated that he knew the deceased, who was sewing mistress at the school. On December 4, deceased was at the school in the afternoon, and witness and Miss Johnson thereafter had tea at the house of deceased's stepfather, Mr J. McCort. An arrangement had been made to go shooting, and after tea Mrs McCort suggested that if shooting was to be done, it was time a start was made. Witness and deceased went outside to get the guns and ammunition ready. While witness was seeing to his own gun he heard a shot, and on looking round saw the deceased stagger and fall. About two yards away deceased’s sister, Amy, was standing holding a gun in her right hand pointing towards deceased, and Amy herself was leaning against the wall with her hand over her eyes. In answer to a question as to who left the cartridge in the gun, Amy said, “I didn’t anyway.” Witness went to where deceased lay and endeavoured to move her inside, but she said “Don’t move me please. Let me lie where I am.” Deceased, however, was carried inside and placed on a bed. Before the accident, deceased was standing about two yards from her sister Amy. Witness was quite satisfied that the mishap was a pure accident. Speaking to witness in the afternoon, deceased said she had been shooting birds in the morning, and having missed two had put the gun down disgusted. Witness considered that there must have been a cartridge in the gun when deceased put it down.
Amy Reta Johnson, sister ot the deceased, said she was 17 years of age, and lived with her parents at Albury. On the night of the accident after tea, witness was going shooting, and one of her sisters handed her a gun from the corner of the kitchen near the door. Witness walked outside with it and stood at the door waiting while the other members of the shooting party were getting ready. Deceased stood at the other side of the door way. Witness was trying to open the breach of the gun and touched the trigger with her finger, and a shot was fired. Witness thought the gun was unloaded. The shot entered her sister’s stomach, and she fell immediately, saying that she (witness) should not have pulled the trigger. The shot was fired quite accidentally. Witness was about the kitchen all day and saw the gun there and did not touch it.
Constable McIntosh. Fairlie, proved the registration of the gun (produced) in the name of Mr McCort.
Dr T. L. Parr, Medical Superintendent, Timaru Hospital, stated that deceased was admitted to the Hospital on December 4 about 10.30 p.m. She was in a collasped condition with, a ragged wound in the abdominal wall just above the right groin. There was a good deal of external evidence of internal bleeding. Witness operated immediately, and found lacerations of the bowel, the damage being too severe to offer any hope of recovery. Some small pellets of shot were found, and deceased died on December 5 at 8 p.m. In witness’s opinion the cause of death was shock and hemorrhage, following a gunshot wound in the abdomen, such as would be caused by a shot with the gun and cartridge produced.
The Magistrate returned a verdict in accordance with the doctor’s evidence. He referred to the death as a very sad one to all concerned, he could find no evidence to warrant blaming the deceased's sister, but emphasised the particular care necessary on the part of anyone handling a gun to keep the muzzle turned towards the ground or into the air. No reproach could be levelled at the parents for allowing girls to handle this class of gun, which was quite a safe weapon, under ordinary circumstances. -Timaru Herald, 10/12/1923.
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