Henry Featherstonehaugh Wooster

Extract Evening Journal (Adelaide, South Australia) 12 August 1880

CORONER'S INQUEST.

INQUEST AT THE HOSPITAL.

An inquest was held at the Hospital by the City Coroner (Mr. T. Ward, J.P.), on Thursday morning, August 12, concerning the death of a little girl named Grace Chambers. Mr. Henry Wooster was chosen Foreman of the Jury. Charles James Chambers, father of the deceased, said he left his home about ten minutes to 8 on last Tuesday morning. He did not know anything of the occurrence till he came home to dinner in the middle of the day, when his wife told him that an accident had happened, and that deceased had been severely burnt. Mrs. Chambers said she went to the butcher's with her little boy, aged seven years, and left the deceased at home. She was not away more than a quarter of an hour at the most. When she returned the house was full of smoke. Witness could not see the child because of the smoke. The cottage they lived in consists of only one room. There was no fire in the room when witness left, but some matches (tandstikors) were on the mantleshelf. Witness took her to the Hospital and remained with her till she died. She was sometimes sensible and sometimes insensible. When sensible deceased was asked how she burnt herself, and stated that she lit a piece of rag with a match, but would not state where she got the match from. If the child had screamed the neighbours would have heard her. Deceased's face was black with smoke, and the clothes on her back were burning. The smoke in the room was so thick that witness could hardly breathe. A piece of an old shirt was also burnt. Nothing else was burnt. Did not think that anyone had been in during her absence. Jane Benjamin, married woman, living in Adelaide, said her house was situated about a stone's throw from that of the Chambers'. Last Tuesday morning a messenger told her that a child was burning at the bottom of the yard. Witness immediately went to Chambers' place and found a Mr. August stripping the clothes off it. Did not think that the child was sensible. Advised the mother to take it to a doctor, and thought that the Hospital would be the best place. Mrs. Chambers immediately took it there. From where witness was she could not hear the child scream. The Chambers' have not been living there more than a fortnight and appeared very fond of their children. Dr. Wilson said that deceased was brought to the Hospital between 10 or 11 o'clock by its mother. It was suffering severely from extensive burns on the back and abdomen. Deceased was insensible nearly the whole time. The burns it received were quite sufficient to cause death, independent of anything else. It died at 11 o'clock the following morning. The cause of death was shock to the system occasioned through the severe burns it received.

The Jury returned a verdict that the cause of death was shock to the system occasioned by severe burns.