FATAL FALL FROM A TRAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 165, 14 July 1910, Page 2

FATAL FALL FROM A TRAIN.

INQUEST ON MATTHEW WALLACE. An inquest was held by the Coroner (Mr. T. Gresham) at Gleeson's Hotel 'this afternoon concerning the death of the old man named Matthew Wallace, who was found lying dead between the two sets of rails on the line between Ellerslie and Penrose yesterday morning. Matthew Wallace, a. son of the deceased, gave evidence of identification, stating that his father was 70 yearn of age, and lived in a cottage at Papakura, which he owned. Of late years he had been afflicted with rneumatism, which particularly affected bis knees, but otherwise he had enjoyed good healnh. His father had been about 45 years in New Zealand.

Dr. A. Clark, who was called yesterday morning to the scene of the fatality, expressed the opinion that death must have occurred -between, nine and ten hours before he saw the body at 8 a.m. The scalp was lifted at the back of the head almost right across, while there was another wound over ihe right eye. The hands were also cut. A postmortem examination .disclosed a compound fraoture of the back of the skull, about two dncb.es by three-quar-ters of an inch wide, the skull being depressed on to the brain. The base of the skull -was also fractured, while, in addition, the jaw was fractured. "Witness noticed no sign whatever of alcohol about tbe body. The injuriee were evidently the result of a fall, probably from a, moving train. 'The fracture at the base of the skull was the immediate cause of death. Death, must have been practically instantaneous, as wben picked up deceased still had his pipe in his mouth.

A Maori youth named Sam Jack stated that on Tuesday night last he had tea ■with deceased at the P&pakura Hotel, where they had two or three drinks together, and together they walked to the station, deceased holding on to witness' arm for steadying purposes. Deceased •gave witness two shillings to purchase .a refcitni railway ticket to Auckland. Witness was also coming to town, so they iboth got into a, non-smoking carriage, and after the train Jiad travelled some distance deceased went out on to> the platform -to have a smoke. Witness himself went into a smoking carriage about ten minutes later. (Proceeding.)