SCHOOLBOY’S DEATH
BLOW ON THE HEAD.
STONE THROWN BY COMRADE.
Richard William Newman, who would have reached his 12th birthday next month, and who was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Herbert Newman, Chatton, was admitted to the Gore Public Hospital at 7 o’clock on Thursday evening in an unconscious condition, suffering from the effects of a blow on the head.
During the night he rallied for a brief space, when he made a statement to the nurses in which he alleged that at the Knapdale School yesterday another boy had hit him on the side of the head with a stone. He then relapsed, and remained in a state of coma until he passed away at 9 o’clock yesterday morning.
THE CORONER’S FINDING.
Yesterday afternoon, Mr A. Martin, District Coroner, held an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fatality.
Richard Herbert Newman gave evidence of identification, and stated that his son, who would have been 12 years of age in November, attended the Knapdale School. When witness returned home shortly after 5 p.m. he found his son lying on the bed. When witness asked him what was the matter he said that he had Leslie Tutty’s hat and Tutty threw a stone and hit him on the side of the head. He took his son’s temperature, which was 96, and told him to be quiet. Witness then went out to milk the cow and when he returned he found that his son had been sick again and was rapidly becoming unconscious. Shortly after he communicated with Dr. Rogers and took his son by car to the doctor’s residence. The doctor ordered his removal to the hospital.
Leslie George Tuttv said that he lived with his parents at Knapdale, and was 11 years of age. When he came out of the Knapdale School on Thursday at 3.30 p.m. Dick Newman had taken his cap from a peg in the porch and ran outside with it. Witness asked Newman to return the cap but he refused to do so. Witness then took up a few stones intending to throw them at him. One stone was thrown and it struck Newman on the side of the head.
Newman was standing still when the stone was thrown, but moved to avoid the stone. Witness could not say whether he turned to right or left. Three stones had been thrown, the last of these hitting Newman who was not more than a chain away. Newman then threw the cap to witness and rode away on his bicycle. Newman when hit had repeated, “Poor little Leli,” a term frequently used to tease the witness. The other stone thrown passed Newman about shoulder high. Newman did not come over to witness after he was struck. He had always been good friends with Newman, who was at times inclined to tease. The stones were thrown with the intention of missing, but also of frightening, Newman.
Dorothy Mason, a nurse at the Gore Hospital, stated that when she went on duty at 10 p.m. on Thursday night she was given instruction to closely watch a boy Newman, who was a patient. One nurse was continually at the boy’s bedside. During the night she asked him if his head were sore and he replied that it was. She then asked him how his head had been hurt and he replied that a boy had thrown a stone at him. In reply to a further question as to why the stones were thrown Newman said that he had taken the boy’s cap. No suggestion was made that the stones were thrown wilfully, but the deceased mentioned something about teasing the other boy.
Dr. J. E. Rogers stated that the deceased was brought to his surgery about 7 p.m. on Thursday. He was then unconscious and witness ordered his removal to the hospital where Dr. Little and witness saw him. There was a small swelling just above the left ear and as a result of the examination they had come to the conclusion that he was suffering from haemorrhage of the brain. Shortly after witness arrived at the hospital yesterday morning the sister in charge of the ward advised him that Newman had taken a bad turn and on going to him witness found that the boy had taken a fit. He never recovered from this and died about 9 p.m. A post mortem examination revealed bruising on the soft tissues at the side of the head, while the bone of the skull was also fractured. The immediate cause of death was haemorrhage of the brain.
Robert McLelland and Gerald Ross, pupils at the school, gave evidences along the lines of that given by Tutty. The Coroner returned a verdict that death was due to haemorrhage of the brain caused by a stone thrown by Leslie Tutty. There was no evidence to show that there had been any intention on the part of Tutty to do the deceased injury.
At the conclusion of the inquest, both the coroner and Sergeant Packer, who represented the Police, extended their sympathy to Mr. Newman, stressing the danger incurred by the throwing of stones. Mr. Martin said that the fatality was one of those things liable to happen at any time when boys threw stones thoughtlessly and without any intention to do harm. -Southland Times, 23/10/1926.
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