THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE GATE ACCIDENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 254, 24 October 1892, Page 4

THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE GATE ACCIDENT.

(To tho Editor.) SIE, —Your correspondent "Australian" in Saturday'e issue takes some little trouble to prove nothing. He states that be marched by tbeside of the bandall tbe time up till they were dismissed, and that he saw no reprehensible rushing in between vehicles, or any member near the horses' noses with their instruments. It is not, under these circumßtancee, iv the least likely that he would see it, as it did not take place till after the band waj dismissed. If he is weak enough to imagine that the evidence of a man who did not ccc anything happen in a dense crowd is of more value than that of the many who did see it, he is to be pitied. I am pleased but not surprised that he saw the bandsmen assisting the sufferers afterwards. They would have been lees thin human had they not done co. I may add that members of my family have seen most of the •offerors, and they exonerate me from all blame in the matter. Their opinion necessarily bears infinitely more weight with me than that of an observer like " Australian."—l am, etc..

Tkos. Co_tl_.

To the Editor : Sir,—ln to-nigbt's Star, Mr Cottle to exonerate himself, puts tho blame of the late accident at the Government House gate, on the Band. Kindly allow me to contradict his statement. He says the members of the Band came out of tbe grounds ; such is not the ca*e, for they never went inside of them, but remained stationary outside of the gates some two or three minutes alter the whole of the procession had pas.=ed in. And when his horses first commenced to plunge, the nearest member of the Band was fully twelve to fifteen yards away from them. Nor did the Band break recklessly through the crowd, till they were driven, by his horses plunging amongst them. And I think the members of the police force and the people who were near the scene of tbe accident wili bear me out in this statement. Thanking you kindly for publishing this letter.—l am, etc., Jas. Imf_y, Bandmaster, Newmarket, October 21st, 1592.