The tragic loss of Irene Milverton in 1905

Stories about individuals from the past make family tree research fascinating especially when they happen well before their lives should have been cut short. This is one such story that had tragic results considering the event was witnessed by the grandparents of one such person. The paperwork generated forms various sources from the newspaper reports to the coroner’s inquest that occurred on the same day as the accident. I could not imagine how the grandparents would have felt from the loss of their own grandchild that occurred in front of them.

A little girl was travelling with her grandmother from Palmerston North in New Zealand to Taihape on Saturday the 11^th of March 1905. The life changing accident occurred at 9.30 am while the grandparents and grandchild were at the Marton Railway Station. Irene Milverton also known as Renni was 5 years of age and was being escorted by her grandmother, Emma Downey, while her grandfather Harry Downey was fetching their bags to be placed within the first-class carriage.[1] Irene’s father, Percival Amos Milverton was away in Dunedin participating in the United Fire Brigades Demonstration, but was expected to be on his way home on the same day.[2] Emma Downey had let go of Rennie Milverton to open the carriage door and found that it was locked. The sudden movement of carriages being shunted meant Renni fell between the carriage and the platform onto the tracks where she was run over. The death certificate states her death was caused by accidentally falling off a train and carriages passing over body. One of the witness statements explains the marks on the body where the wheels had gone over her.[3]

The inquest was held on the same day as the accident that occurred at the Railway hotel in Marton. According to one newspaper the inquest was held earlier than scheduled as the grandparents desired to return home to Palmerston North than to stay in Marton overnight considering the mind frame of the grandmother. The death had been labelled in the media as accidental.[4] The coroner was Mr. J. J. McDonald and days later disputed the claim made by the newspaper and later there would be a police report mentioned later. I havnt done any research on the coroner so his identity can remain a mystery.[5]

According to the coroner report Renni’s body was on display throughout the coroner inquest with a jury of six people. The report has witness statements from railway employees and even Harry Downey the grandfather to Renni. The report includes several news articles that were published about the inquest that are included within this blog as sources.[6] The coroner report verdict states no railway employee was at fault. A later police report from the 14^th of March in 1905 explained the reasoning behind the inquest and pointed out the false accusations from a newspaper. The inquest was held earlier at the request of the grandparents so they could catch the evening train to Palmerston North and take Renni with them home. Renni was buried on the 14^th of March in Terrace End Cemetery.

Sources

New Zealand Coroner Inquest, Marton Railway Station, 1905/238, New Zealand National Archives

Renni Milverton, 11 March 1905, New Zealand Death Certificate, Registration 1905001263

Unknown, ‘The Marton Train Accident’, Wanganui Herald, 14 March 1905,  https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WH19050314.2.46, accessed 21/01/2018.

Unknown, ‘United Fire Brigades Demonstration’, Otago Daily Times, 10 March 1905, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19050310.2.4, accessed 21/01/2018.

Unknown, ‘The Marton Fatality’, Manawatu Standard, 13 March 1905, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19050313.2.14, accessed 21/01/2018.

Unknown, ‘A Coroner’s Threat’, Manawatu Standard, 15 March 1905,  https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19050315.2.3, accessed 21/01/2018.

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[1] Unknown, ‘The Marton Train Accident’, Wanganui Herald, 14 March 1905,  https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WH19050314.2.46, accessed 21/01/2018.

[2] Unknown, ‘United Fire Brigades Demonstration’, Otago Daily Times, 10 March 1905, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19050310.2.4, accessed 21/01/2018.

[3] Renni Milverton, 11 March 1905, New Zealand Death Certificate, Registration 1905001263.

[4] Unknown, ‘The Marton Fatality’, Manawatu Standard, 13 March 1905, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19050313.2.14, accessed 21/01/2018.

[5] Unknown, ‘A Coroner’s Threat’, Manawatu Standard, 15 March 1905,  https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19050315.2.3, accessed 21/01/2018.

[6] New Zealand Coroner Inquest, Marton Railway Station, 1905/238, New Zealand National Archives.