ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1005, 21 December 1910, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

' MAN WHO WAS HIDDEN- OVER. - ; : POLICE CHARGE FAILS. (By -Telegraphs-Press Association.) ..Dargaville, December-20. . Follow ing the Verdict of the coroner at the recent inquest touching , the .death of. Stephen..Frederick Parker,, gumdiggcr, of Kaihu, as the. result of injuries sustained through being knockcd down by a 1 horse-ridden Vy Harry Hockey, bushman, twenty years of > age, further proceedings were taken to-day by the police. Hockey was charged before-Messrs. F. J. Dnrga.ville, and A. E. Harding,' J.P.'s, with hav r ing furiously ridden his : horse so as to cause Parker's death;'Accusedtwas defended by-Mr. G. N. Hayes. Proceedings lasted all day. . Briefly tlie case for-the. Crown was .that . Parker had. been- drinking with a mate named Larkins in Kaihu, and was walking home. At about 5.30 p.m. they had arrived at a point about half a mile from Kaihu, arid, about 1J or 2 chains round a bend tin the road, when accused, riding abreast'with'another man, came galloping round the bend, and Parker, sustained injuries to his head.'.. The horseman dismounted, and assisted the man to the side of the road, where he was attended to, . and got, on his feet. The horseman'then rode on home. On tho following morn- .: ing Parker died at the Northern Wairoa Hospital. The police contended that tho corner on the road was a dangerous corner, and that in- failing to slacken his speed' accused was guilty, of; -negligence which! caused, death. They, further contended." that' hocused ;was guilty ,of further • negligence in leaving !deceased in the company of.a man who was under the influence of liquor, ancj in not obtaining , proper medical attention for .him. . , ■ > For the defence a Quantity of evidence was -led. to show that accused was riding . at a'smart canter, .neither furiously nor, Tecklessly, and • had perfect command of his horsey - Just as accused came within a yard or. two of Parker the, latter suddenly lurched across the ; road as a ■ drunken man is aptHodo, and this caused the .accident. • - - . - • The Bench decided to dismiss the case,'' and discharged'the accused, at the. same time, complimenting.- the, police.. on . tlie! manner:.in which. ..they,;, ftad... conducted. their :c'ase. BOOE-BINDER ' COMiIITS SUICIDE. i Chi-istchurch, December 20. ; : An inquest was held this afternoon regarding thf-death of John M'Kay Campbell; book-binder, aged 31 years, who was killed, early'yesterday morning by being run over.by a dray in Colombo Street. ■ After hearing the-evidence the Coroner read a letter written on' Sunday and addressed to a friend of the. deceased in which Campbell thanked him for his kindness.. He said -that the strain was too much for him and his health was going down. : He asked that' his belongings should be forwarded to his brother-in-law- in Auckland. He expressed the hops that he; would'be forgiven for what ' he was going to. do, which ho did forthe best. - The Coroner recorded . a verdict that the man committed suicide while temporarily. insane. WELLINGTON SEAMAN DROWNED. Blenheim, December 20. Patrick Turnin, a seaman on the Bteamer_ Wairau, was drowned at Havelock this morning. He had dropped a painter overboard and jumped into a dinghy to go after it. The dinghy capsized, and all efforts to save him were fruitless. He was'a married man— his wife is residing in Wellington—and was about 35 years of age.

A. VERY SAD OCCURRENCE. ...-u.. Auckland, December 20. .'Harriet Scott, - a married' woman, who had been into.the bush ,at Mackay with her husband's lunch, was found drowned in a creek which she had to cross on a plank when returning- home. Her- body was found by her husband when he was coming home from work.

"WAS IT SELF-INFLICTED? A man named George Morecroft, aged 50, a tailor by trade; has .been admitted to the' hospital suffering from serious injuries, whether self-inflicted or not is not known. He resides at No. i) Thorndon Quay, and as he did not 6how up at breakfast his room was entered, and ho was discovered with a wound in the throat and in one of his wrists, while a razor'and'a knife were by his side. Medical aid was summoned, aiid the man was removed, to the hospital, 'an examination showing that a small' artery had been cut and a tendon of tho hand injured. It is stated that the wounds were inflicted at 1 a.m., so that Morecroft was lying helpless'for eight hours. Late last night the hospital authorities reported that he in much the same condition as when (admitted. . '

. A FAILING BRICK. '. William Sandall, a single man, 22 years of age, residing at' 60 .Rintoul Street, was idmitted to tho hospital yesterday suffering from a fracture of tho skull, caused by a brick falling from a building on to his head, DRIVER INJURED. Henry Redmond, driver of a coal cart, accidentally fell oil his cart on the wharf yesterday afternoon, and received injuries to his head, which necessitated his removal -to' the hospital. '