ATTEMPTED SUICIDE,

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 159, 7 July 1899, Page 5

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE,

A PLUCKY ItESCUE

At the Police Court to-day, before ifr Hutchison, S.M., an elderly man named Thomas Brown was charged with attempting to commit suicide on July 1 at the Auckland Railway Station, by placing himself in front of an advancing train. Mr Thinks appeared for the defence. ■ John Henry Colthurst, night porter, said that as the 10 p.m. train was arriving from Onehunga he saw Brown step oIT the platform and stand between the rails, right in front of the advancing train, turning half round so as to face the wharf. He did it quite deliberately. The train at that moment was about 12 or 15 yards away. Witness and two others called out to Brown, and then witness and a shunter named George Mason rushed out to the man. Mason caught him by the shoulders and wheeled him round, and witness pulled him off the rails and on to the platform. The engine whizzed past just as they got the man oft" the rails. It was a narrow escape for the three of them. The lamp witness was carrying was knocked out of his hand by the engine as it passed. Even if the driver had seen the man he could not have stopped the train in time to prevent Brown being run over. When accused was got on to the platform he refused to say who he was, and began to call witness names "for interfering." Witness noticed no signs of drink about the acciised. Corroborative evidence was given by Mason and others. The defence being reserved, accused was committed for trial at the Supreme Court.