FATAL ACCIDENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 103, 2 May 1900, Page 5

FATAL ACCIDENT.

(Coutiuued from Pag<

Jury was some 40 years of ;..\'.>t\ and leaves a wife and four childror.,

THE INQUEST.

An inquest was held ill is morning at Gleeson's Hotel, before Dr. Mo Arthur, coroner. Air .lames Uowden was foreman of the jury? and Sergeant Forbes represented the police. .!. 3. Craig, the employer oi' deceased identified the body as that of Charles Jury. Deceased had been a carter in his employment i'or a little over a year. He saw him loading' pipes yesterday (Tuesday) morning. He was perfectly sober. .V drunken man could not, have handled the pipes, each of which weighed some ;.'c\vt.. Deceased was a first class workman, and could always be trusted to go on with his work. The weight of the waggon would be about 41 tons. Witness had every confidence in him when he was In charge of horses. Leslie Henry MeCormack, carter, in the employ of J\fr J. J. Craig, described the journey to Tamaki. The party had two drinks on their way to Tamaki, which was reached between one and two o'clock. They had no drinks there. On the ret urn journey they nad a drink at the l'annnire Hotel, and another at the Harp of Erin at EDerslie. Jury culled for a shandy gaff. Witness did not see him take any other drink. So far as witness could see when he came out of the hotel to his waggon he was perfectly right and sober. Witness was ahead of deceased at the time of the accident. Warren called out to witness and witness went back to deceased, who was lying on the road some ten yards behind bis waggon. He was just alive and never spoke. "IJlood was coming from hi.*> nose aiid mouth. He had known deceased for years, and had never seen him under the influence of drink either on or .of? duty. P>y the Police: Deceased was in good spirits at lunch, but did not seem very strong. He had had a sickness some few months ago. There was nothing to cause him to be jerked out of his seat. Constable Shearman, of Ellerslie, deposed to bringing the body to the morgue. The road was quite level at the locality of the accident. Charles Cowan, proprietor of the Harp of Erin Hotel, deposed that.deceased was in his hotel about ten minutes past five, when he asked for something to cat, and witness gave him some biscuits. He also had a long glass of beer and lemonade. On leaving the hotel Jury was perfectly sober, as were the other carters in his company. He knew nothing of how the accident occurred. By the police: He noticed no signs of drink on any of the four carters. Charles Warren deposed that lie was a carrier, plying between Ellerslie and Auckland. He had known deceased for about six months. About halfpast five on Tuesday afternoon he passed deceased on the South Road bet-Ween the Harp of. Erin and Green Lane. Deceased was on the seat of a covered waggon driving. They said "Good evening" to each other as they passed. Witness had proceeded about two chains along the road when he looked round and saw deceased roll over on tlie road under the hind wheel of the waggon. He then recovered the body with Macormaek. Witness thought the wheel passed over deceased's neck. Deceased, never spoke or moved. When-he spoke to deceased before the accident he' noticed nothing peculiar about him. He had his horses ! well in hand and at a walking pace. i In witness' opinion deceased was. as ■ well as the other carters, perfectly | sober. He had never seen deceased ! tinder the influence of drink, and } could not accoiTnt for the accident. ! By the police: He did not hoar tie- i ceased ■ use his whip after passing ] him. His .seat would be abca.it ten feet from the ground. , After a short deliberation the jury returned the verdict of "Accidental ' death," no blame being attachable to anybody.