PETERSFIELD.
SUDDEN DEATH OF A GIPSY’S CHILD.— On Tuesday an inquest was held at the White Hart, public house, Selbourne, on the body of Emma Saunders, aged three months, child of Noah Saunders, a travelling hawker or gipsy, of Portsmouth, who died suddenly on the previous Saturday.—Delilah Saunders, deceased’s mother, said that when at Stockbridge and when deceased was three weeks old she was suddenly taken ill, and turned blue. She took the child to a doctor there, who said it had a diseased heart, but he gave her nothing for it nor told her what to do with it. When at Totton, near Eling, Southampton, deceased had another attack. Witness was then going to New Forest, and she got some medicine from a medical gentleman at Totton and gave it to the child. About a fortnight ago when they were in Petersfield deceased was again taken ill. Witness went to a druggists shop and obtained some medicine, which she gave to the child. The deceased use to take her meals pretty regularly. On Saturday they were coming towards Selbourne. Witness was riding in a little cart with her child in her arms. Part of the harness broke, and she slipped on her right arm, she had her baby in her left. She thought at the time that the child was hurt, and she showed it to a Police-constable in Selbourne but he could not see any marks upon it. What made her think the child was hurt was it had another attack and turned colour in its lips. She went to the White Hart and got some peppermint, which she gave to the child by wetting its lips with it. It seemed to make a noise in the throat, and fetching its breath was very hard. She also gave the child a little drop of wine a lady gave her on the road. About ten minutes after she got to the van her husband took the child from her, and said it was dead, and went and gave information to the police. Deceased’s father was next examined, but he did not speak to any further facts. Mr. Albert Warren Leachman, M.D., of Petersfield, said he was called on Sunday last to see the deceased, whom he found in a van in a field adjoining the road leading to Selbourne quite dead. He should think it had been dead about twenty-four hours. There was nothing unnatural in her appearance. He examined the body, but found no marks of violence on it. The body had the appearance of being fairly developed and nourished. He had no doubt that the deceased died from natural causes, and from what had been sworn to as to the attacks the child suffered from. He should consider that there was deficiency from birth in the organic structure of the heart.—The Coroner having summed up, the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.