ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 8

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

' ' >- —. INVERCARGILL SUICIDE. , (by telegraph—press association. ) Invercargill,. February 13. At an,inquest touching the death of John •Thompson, aged 26, found dead in the Oreti lliyer, the evidence showed that death was duo to strychnine poisoning. Deceased left a letter for his father, indicating that ho intended, ending his life owing to trouble. A verdict of suicide whilo temporarily insane was returned. -. -\ NELSON COACH FATALITY. ""■■■ February 13.Tho inquest on the death :of Mrs. Lydia Tilbury, who was killed, in a collision between a coach and a train at. Appleby on. February 1, was resumed, yesterday, when ■the jury inspected the scene'of the accident. Tho hearing of evidence was deferred till today. •: • '■ . . ~... Tho condition of the coach-driver 'Brick--land, who was injured internally,- is' still serious. . '' t " ; ' NAPIER DROWNING CASE. Napier, February 13. . At tho inquest on'tho body of Maurice Langley, who was drowned near the breakwater yesterday, a verdict of suicide, while of unsound mind, was. returned. • FATAL FALL OF EARTH. ■ An inquest was held at the Hospital yesterday aitornoon before Mr. A. Simpson, deputy coroner, concerning the death of William Wallace, who expired: in tho institution on tho previous day, after sustaining injuries from a, tall of earth while working at Wadestown. Tho deceased was twenty-eight years of ago, and had -only been ill New Zealand since last November. He had a wife and family at AKmchester, England, and was lodging with his brother, Thomas Arthur Wallace, at Wadestown. v. Tho evidence showed . that : deceased was working at an excavation for Mr. Cook ,at Wadestown, on land belonging to Mr. George,, of.the firm of Georgo a'nd .Doughty. On tho day boforo his.death he came home at 10 a.m. complaining -of great pain, and saying that the earth had fallen on liini; His sister-in-law attended to him, and, as he continued, in pain ,a doctor was'called in-at G p.m., . and by his orders- tho patient was removed next day'to tho-Hospit-al, where he died. Deceased's brother-in-law sqid that tho face of tho.: excavation where ho - was working was about 13ft. high, and about 9ft. fell down. It was not undercut," but tho ground about it was Tho ground was of a hard and slippery nature. Deceased was in tho habit of carefully watching tho' excavation. Ho had been working ,on tlie job over since his arrival in tho. Dominion, and was accustomed -to that kind of work. Tho excavation was in c1ay...,1t appeared that no ono had seen tho accident':'

Dr. Patrick, assistant medical officer at the Hospital, described tho condition of deceased while in tho institution, and attributed tho death to tho injuries, ho had received, tho most serious of which was a, rupturo of tho pancreas. 110 did not think it would have availed much if deceasod had been admitted to tho Hospital earlier. !•.

Tho jury returned a verdict of accidental death.