SERIOUS INJURIES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 71, 6 January 1936, Page 5

SERIOUS INJURIES

YOUTH SHOT IN ABDOMEN. ,

COMPANION'S GUN EXPLODES'.

CLUBBING WOUNDED RABBIT.

(Per Press Association). CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A youth named L. Tanner, aged 17, left his sister's home at 14 Travers Street, Linwood, yesterday afternoon to go to the St. John Ambulance Association, of which he was a member. His relatives heard nothing more of him until there were informed last evening that he had been admitted to the Christchurch Public Hospital from Brooklands with a bullet wound in the abdomen. He was operated on last night, and this morning was in a critical condition. Although extensive inquiries were made by the police, nothing to indicate how Tanner came by his wound could be found. It was thought that a young man who lives in the city was in Tanner's company in the afternoon, but efforts by the police to trace' him last evening were not successful. The hospital authorities who were questioned were unable even to say. how Tanner, had been brought to the institution. He was not carried in an ambulance, so it was presumed that he was taken in a private ear. Inquiries to-day showed that Tanner went to Stewart's Gully on a rabbitshooting e)x|?edlition with another young man, Warren Albert Hartshorn, of Barbadoes Street. They had been at the gully for nearly two hours when Hartshorn shot a rabbit but did not kill it. The pair ran after it, and Hartshorn caught his rifle by the barrel and swung it to club the rabbit with the butt. The rifle went off and Tanner received the bullet in the abdomen.

At noon Tanner was stated to be seriously ill. Tanner's mother lives in Greymouth.

BABY FATALLY BURNED.

MOTHER IN CRmCAL STATE. AUCKLAND, January 5. A Maori woman, Mrs Tom Rewi, is in the Kawhia Hospital in a critical condition with severe burns suffered in a vain attempt to save the life of her baby, which was trapped in a burning house at Taharoa, 15 miles from Kawhia, on New Year's Day. Mr and Mrs Rewi were visiting friends and the party were having dinner outside, about a chain from.the house. They left the Rewis' eightmonthsrold baby asleep in one of the

rooms of the house, and two other children were placed in a different room. Suddenly one of those outside saw smoke issuing from the house. The two children who were together were rescued unharmed, but the baby was trapped in the room in which the fire originated. Thinking the baby was in the kitchen, Mr Rewi dashed into that room, but could not locate the child. Meanwhile Mrs Rewi rushed into the blazing room in which the child was lying, clasped the infant to her, and escaped from the burning building. The infant was severely burned and died the following day, and its mother's arms were burned. Her back was also severely burned through her clothes catching alight.

YOUNG WOMAN FATALLY HURT. TIMARU, January 5. Miss Lilian McKay, aged 21, died yesterday morning from injuries received in a motor-car accident, which ! occurred some hours earlier near the corner of Wai-iti road and Preston street, Timaru. The young woman, who lived at 7 Ranfurly Street, had been to a dance with Mr John McLean Hunter, aged 21, living at 6 Le Cren's Terrace, and was going up Wai-iti Road when the accident took place, the car being found about 2 a.m. overturned in a badly-damaged condition and with a front tyre punctured. Miss McKay was picked up unconscious. Mr Hunter, who was not badly injured, was afterwards able to be taken to his home.

CHILD'S SKULL FRACTURED. DUNEDIN, This Day. While playing at Brighton on Saturday, James Johnson, aged six, whose parents live at Mosgiel, fractured his skull and was admitted to the hospital.