The Shooting of John Henry Lawrence Aged 10

THE FLAXBOURNE FATALITY
- CORONER'S INQUEST -
Marlborough Express, 24 April 1906

At the residence of Mr Christopher John Alexander Lawrence, Flaxbourne, yesterday, an inquest was held concerning the death by shooting of John Henry Lawrence, his son, aged 10 years, which occurred on Sunday afternoon. Mr F. M. Foster, J.P., acted as Coroner; and the enquiry was conducted by Constable Southgate.
The following person comprised the jury:- H. W. Elvy (foreman), Wm. Cobeldick junr., John McGregor, John Hoare, Bernard Chapman and A. T. Neugeschwender.
Christopher John Alex. Lawrence, father of the deceased, carpenter, deposed that he last saw his son alive at 2 p.m. on Sunday. At 4 p.m. he was brough back dead by his cousin, Thomas Lawrence. Mrs Lawrence gave evidence as to the latter coming to ask permission for the deceased to go and help him shift some furniture from Hegglun's whare to Chapman's whare.
Thomas Gabriel Lawrence, aged 13 years, cousin of the deceased, was the principal witness.
.. NOTE Thomas was a son of Christopher's brother William Peter Lawrence & Annie Eliza Boxall, see top link ..
He deposed that deceased and he left on Sunday afternoon to go to Chapman's whare. He was going to shift some of his bed things from Hegglun's whare. They each took a load over and were about to go for another load, when deceased found a box of caps and said, "I used to let them off on a nail at Ashburton." Witness told him they were caps for a muzzle-loader. Witness then went for a load, deceased remaining in the whare. When he came back deceased had a gun in his hand and there was a cap on the nipple. Witness, "The gun may be loaded; you had better give me the gun." Deceased gave witness the gun, turned from him and the gun went off in his hands. Deceased fell, rose again and then fell evidently dead. He did not speak. Witness picked him up and carried him to his home. Witness said he did not notice if the gun was cocked,

To the foreman: I do not know if I had my hand upon the trigger.
To a juryman: When the gun went off he (witness) was standing up; deceased was two or three feet from him.

Constable Southgate said he had examined Chapman's whare. He found a double-barrelled muzzle-loading gun upon the floor near the stove. The right barrel had been recently discharged, the hammer being down and a cap on the nipple. The cap looked as if it had recently been put on. The left barrel was still loaded. The gun appeared to have been loaded for some time. An examination of the body showed that there was a wound behind the left shoulder blade. He could find no other marks upon the body. The wound was, in his opinion, quite sufficient to cause death.

The jury gave a verdict that the deceased came to his death by misadventure from a gun-shot wound at the hands of his cousin. A rider was added to the effect that more care should be exercised when leaving loaded guns about dwellings within reach of children.

NOTES
(also see info at Christopher's link at top)
Christopher John Alexander Lawrence (1871-1939) first married Frances 'Sarah' Batchelor (1875-1907) in 1893 and had 5 children
their children
* 1893 - 1987 Harriet Frances Lawrence
* 1896 - 1906 John Henry Lawrence (the victim)
* 1899 - 1902 Leonard Walter Lawrence (aged 2)
* 1903 - 1974 Leslie Walter Lawrence
* 1905 - 1975 Clement Oliver Lawrence

* The cousin, Thomas Gabriel Lawrence, was born in Invercargill, a son of Christopher's brother William Peter Lawrence, of McLaughlin St., Farnham, Blenheim, (also of Springhead, Seddon, Marlborough).
Thomas went to war in 1915 (just 9 years after the incident), as Private 10/1880. He embarked from Wellington 17 April 1915 with the Wellington Infantry Battalion, 4th Reinforcements. He joined his Battalion at Gallipoli on 9 June 1915. Was admitted to 15th Stationary Hospital, Mudros on 25 June 1915 (with diarrhea); discharged from hospital 30 June 1915 and rejoined his Battalion at Gallipoli on 1 July 1915. A month later, he was sent sick to hospital, 2 Aug 1915; rejoined his Battalion 3 Aug 1915. Five days later, on 8 Aug 1915, he was Killed In Action. He was 25.
His Memorials are at: Chunuk Bair (NZ) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli. Marlborough War Memorial, Blenheim and Seddon District War Memorial

PHOTO
THOMAS GABRIEL LAWRENCE
Private 10/1880