BRAVE BOY DROWNED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 159, 30 March 1908, Page 8

BRAVE BOY DROWNED.

r ' ' 7 COROMDR' COMMENTS 'ON ■: - ' callousness:, ! A ■■ sad case of drowning occurred between •5 o clock an'd':6 p'.'m.l bri March' 7! at Talbot (Victona).y Three-ladsj"named Jack Whit,' -.taker;-Milton Gale; andvHenry 0/ Bolam,' j being, ajged eight years, and Bolam nearly ten, were returning from a rabbiting, expedition, ,/wh'en ', Bolam and Gale went in. to bathe-in a: dam- on Thomas Fawcatt s Lone Tree Estate, about a mile and'a' half from .the town.- The water varied. in depth from .4 . feet to 6-feet. Gale .was in dari'gor; when Bolam : went to his aid but although: he" got hold of him, he 'was'unable to pull him out. Gale himself managed to struggle out','' but 'it 'would appear as if Bolam, in tho endeavour to reseuo Galo, slipped into deep water,'and was drowned ■At an inquiry'by the coroner (Mr. A.'Barlow), -Whittaker' stated that he went for assistance,. and, at about .a quarter-of a mile from the town ho met. a man, and woman in a buggy. On being told what had happened,: the man drove to tho dam, looked at the water, arid remarked that the boy was gone, and then departed without making any endeavour, to recover the .body, although the woman, according to tho evidenco of Galo, said to him; " Oh, Jim, try and savo him:'' A' finding of accidental death was recorded. The, coroner referred in strong terms to what appeared to bo tho callous -conduct of tho man, who apparently took' no steps to recover the body, and compared his'conduct with that of the.'little boy Bolam. " Surely if a lad like that could go to'the reseuo of , his companion," M r - Barlow' said, "how much more was to. bo expected from an adult?" Had: tho man recovered tho body and applied means ,to restore'animation, \ tho coroner added, he. might hava succeeded. He hoped that this man, who was known only as "Jim," would be found, and be able to' .explain conduct' which seemed inexplicable.