DEATH OF A YOUNG GIRL AT BOSTON, ARDCLOUGH IN 1906

Kildare Observer 6/10/1906

 

 

 

 

 On Wednesday a melancholy accident occurred at Boston, Ardclough, Co. Kildare.

It appears that a young girl, about ten years old, named Maggie Hogan, heard her younger brother had accidentally fallen into a quarry hole which was within a short distance of their home, and with a heroism which is rarely met with in a youngster of such tender years, she bravely attempted to rescue him, and lost her life, her brother being rescued in time.

 On Thursday Dr Cosgrave, Coroner for North Kildare, held an inquest as to the cause of the death of the girl. A jury, of which, Mr Jones, Postmaster, Straffan, was foreman, was duly empanelled.

 The evidence was to the effect that Mrs Hogan left the house about two o’clock on Wednesday, and about 3.30 some children were heard screaming near the quarry hole, which in places is said to be fathoms in depth. She ran to the verge of the hole, and Patrick Buggle, who was working in the same field, went as fast as a man could go to the scene of what proved to be a fatal accident. On their arrival Mrs Hogan and Buggle found the body of the boy floating on the surface of the water. Not being able to swim Buggle wrenched a bough off a tree, and succeeded in bringing the apparently dead body to the edge of the hole. It subsequently transpired that the boy was not dead, but there was no sign of his sister. Subsequently the hole was dragged, and Michael Buggle succeeded in bringing the dead body of the little girl to the surface.

 The Coroner highly commended the prompt action of Patrick Buggle.

 Sergeant Porter brought under the notice of the coroner the kindness displayed by Mrs Coonan, who applied restoratives. etc, to the half-drowned boy. In fact, the doctor when summoned said that medical skill could have done no more for the boy.