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TREATMENT OF BOY
Home Superintendent for
r. Tial .
MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE
Further Disclosures at Inquest
A t r MELBOURINE, Friday.
At the resumed inquiry into the death
of Rex Ronnie Simpson, aged 11, at the
seaside garden home at Newhaven. Ethel
:Hamilton, wife of the Assistant Superin
tendent, an employee at the home, said
that when shb saw Simpson on November
14 his hands were hot and clammy, his
bands were twitching, and his body rigid
He was begging for water.
At breakfast time she saw Baye rushing
towards the beo" with a cricket bat up
raised. Looking Into the breakfast-room
she aw Bayse Iitting Simpson, iwho was
lying on his stomach. Baye struck several
blows with the bat. and sie heard Simp
son crying out, "Oh, Mr. Baye, don't. I
want a drink of water." During tile after
noon she saws Simspson leaning against the
side of the tank, holding an old salmon
tin containing water. He was rigid and
perspiring, and his face was agonised.
At tea-time Simpson tried to line iup
with the other boys, but could not, and
was left lying on hIis back near the tank
from a little after 0 o'clock until 0. The
boy was continually asking for a drink. She
tried to get hIim to stand uip, but he rec
pliredl that hie could not do so. Baye told
.ler to leave the boy alone.
Constable Bilston. of Bass. said that in
the course of several interviews tile
Superintnendent. William -enry Baye, de
nied having struck the boy with a bat
or having stuck pins in his body.
BOY FALLS DOWN.
Robert Hamilton. Assistant Superinten
dent, said that Baye asserted that Simp
son, when hlie first complained of being ill,
was putting it on in order to evade
school. Next day witness heard Baye
threaten the boy with a "jolly good dose
of the strap." This was while he was
trying to make the boy bend his knee.
Under instructions from Baye, witness
took thle boy to tile farm on the following
day. He appeared to have been crying
al was perspiring At athe farm he fell
backward, sand again fell on tihe way.
home. On the Ilast occasion he struck his
head on the ground.
Despite the fact that witness reported
what had happened and added that tile
boy was likely to fracture his skull by
such a fall, Baye still said that hie was
putting it on. When witness snaw the
boy lying in the yard he did not pick
him up as hlie had been instructed not to
do so by Bays.
Later, lie eard a thud in Baye's sitting
room, and saw Simpson lying on the side
of a couch. His nose was bleeding. As
witness gave him a rag wvithl whnch to
wipe tie blood away, Baye said, "This boy
has got us tricked."
Queenie Valentine Johnstone, cook at
the homle, gave similar evidence of ill
treatment of the boy.
STATEMENT TO DETECTIVE.
In a statement alleged to have been
made to Detective Webster, which the
detective produced, Baye set out that he
thoullgt that tle bI Iwas nmalingerisig,
and that was why le sad not sent for
the doctor sooner. In spite of his may
ing he was too ill to go to school, ihe
appeared to be quite normal as he walked
some distance when helped to his feet
and stepped over drains without ditficulty.
VlWhen the doctor was acquilainted the fol
lowing day of the boy's condition hie said
hlie appeared to be malingering. They sle
cided to watch him until the following
day, when, upon the boy's complaiining of
stiffness and inability to get up. hlie caledl
on: the doctor, iwho later telegraphed to
him at ,Melbourne that the boy had been
sent to hospital. aipparently withl lockjjaw.
Mrs. Baye said she hlad never seen Simp
son puiinseilel hlut hle could have been
wnithlout lier knowledge.
Queenie Valentine Johlnstone, cook at
the home, said that Bayse twisted Simp
son's arm when forcing a shirt on tie
j:outh, and then dumped him on the floor
like a log of wood.
Bays was .commnitted for trial on a
chage. of manslaughter. The Coroner
found that Simpson died from .tetanus,
andl that his death was due to Baye's neg
ligence.a The callous obstinacy of Baye
in disregarding the advice of his staff re
garding tmhe symptoms of Simpson's illness
amoiunted to criminal negligence.
Bail was fixed at a piersonal hosnd of
£150 and a surety of £150.
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