Newbury  -  a child burnt to death

a little sisters brave action

The little lad Harry Brindley aged 2 years and 10 months who was badly burnt about the body on Tuesday in last week succumbed to his injuries at the hospital on Friday morning.

An inquest was held on the body in St. John's parish room on Friday night before doctor Watson coroner and a jury of whom Mr. A Cooper was chosen foreman.

Daniel Brindley fishmonger Kings Road Newbury identified the body as that of his son.

Alice Brindley, a little girl, said that on Tuesday morning about 10:00 o'clock she was in the house with her younger brother. Her mother was ill in bed and she went upstairs to see her. When she came down she found the child standing in front of the fire with his clothes all burning. He was not screaming. She at once threw some water over him and put the fire out. There was another little brother in the house but he could not tell how the other child's clothes caught fire. Witness then took the child upstairs and afterwards rang for her father who was engaged in business in the town.

The doctor J Watson stated that on Tuesday morning the deceased was admitted under his care to the hospital he was burnt over the abdomen the front of the thighs and the arms and face the child rallied from the injury and took food very well up to Thursday night. During that night however he became very restless and in the morning the nurse noticed he became suddenly very quiet. She ran for the matron but before the latter arrived the child died. The cause of death was the failure of the action of the heart through shock. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony.