SAD DEATH OF A CHILD NEAR RUSHDEN

An inquest was held at the Vestry Hall, Rushden, on Saturday morning, before Mr. J. T. Parker, divisional coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr. W. H. Wilkins was foreman, on the body of a child named Louisa Wilmott, aged one year and nine months, daughter of William Wilmott, rivetter, Grove-street, Rushden, who died on the 25th inst. from injuries received on the 19th inst., when a trap came into collision with a perambulator in which the deceased was riding.—G. Sharp, finisher, uncle of the deceased, said on the previous Saturday he was coming from Irchester Station in company with Mr. Wilmott, father of the child, and others. Witness was wheeling a perambulator in which the child was riding. He was coming up the last hill before getting to the "Oakley" when he saw a trap coming about nine or ten yards off. He shouted, but the trap did not turn, and before he could get out of the way the trap was on the top of them, and ran into the perambulator, going over that, and the child. He was walking in the road about six feet from the pathway. The trap was travelling about seven or eight miles an hour. The driver pulled up. He was not the worse for drink, and was not driving furiously. He heard the driver say that he saw something in front, but he thought it was a bicycle.—Frederick Sharp, rivetter, brother of the last witness, corroborated the evidence of his brother. He did not attribute any blame to the driver owing to the darkness neither could get out of the way before the collision occurred.— Thomas Hewitt, carpenter, Wollaston, deposed that on the 19th he was driving from Rushden to Wollaston about ten o'clock and near the bottom of the hill from the "Oakley" he met a large number of people on the road. He did not see any perambulator, but found all at once he had run into something, which he thought was a bicycle. He did not hear any shout. He was driving an old horse, which was not going more than five miles an hour.— Mary Ann Summerling, of Wollaston, said she was riding with Hewitt from Rushden home. He was driving slowly and carefully.—William Wilmott, father of the child, said he was some way behind the perambulator, and did not see the accident happen. He saw the man get out of the trap, but did not speak to him.—Dr. Owen saw the child on the Sunday, and found a long bruise along the bottom of the pelvis. On the Monday he found blood tissues were injured, and that the child was suffering from internal injuries. He attended the child until Friday, when it died from the injuries.-The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death."