ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES. [From March 20 To April 18.]

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVIII, Issue 1571, 18 April 1872, Page 6

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES. [From March 20 To April 18.]

An inquest was held by Majoi' Redder at Whangapoua, ou Wednesday, March 20, on the body of the unfortunate man David Mayman, who was killed on Monday, Mareh 18. The jury having viewed the body, evidence was taken to the following effect : — Une of the smaller belts counected with the steam machinery had got entangled round the shaft. One of the mill hands attempted to put it all right with tho handle of a spade, but the spade was wrenched from his hand by the motive force and broken in an instant. The deceased came and said that there was no occasion for the removal of the strap till the mill stopped, which stoppage was to take place in about five inmutea. It appears that he must have returned alone, and attempted to replace the belt, for almost immediately violent blows were heard thiough the mill, the effect of the body and limbs of the unfortunate man beating against the upper and lower floois of the building. The machinery was at once stopped, and tho body rescued from its fearful position, but to no effect. When found his left arm had been torn off, and was lying about six feet away, his ribs were broken, both legs broken and twisted, and head and chest crushed. Death ensued within twenty minutes after his being discovered. The jury returned a verdiet of " Accidental death.' 1 Ho leaves a wife and children (only just arrived from England per 'Caducous') to mourn their sudden bereavement. A sad instance of the uncertainty of life occurred about 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon, March 25, on the Kaipira li,iilway. The deceased was a man named Murphy,, who was employed as guide l>y Mr. Berry, one of the sub-contractors. The party was working about five miles from Murphy, having loaded hid dol>biu at a cutting, proceeded to the face of the embankment, which was being formed some 70 or SO yards distant, and tipped the stuff over. Soon after, some of the men who wore working at tho cutting came to the embankment, and found Murphy at tho foot, apparently lifeless. Mr. S. Harding, C. E., was near the place, and was immediately sent for. Upon reaching the spot,he examined the poor man, who at that time gave faint indications of life, but soon expired. All inquest was held at the .Railway Terminus Ilotel on March 28, before T. M. Philson, Esq., coioner, and a respectable jury. The jury returned a verdiet of Death from natural causes. The following arc fcho paiticulais of a fatal accident, which resulted in the death by drowniu" of a man named Robert Alright. On Tuesday week, about 8 o'clock in the evening, a party of five bushmeu, employed in cutting timber for the Aratapu Sawmills, left Manga what o iu a boat laden with p ovisious to go up to Buchanan'scamp,about30 miles up the Wairoa river. When a short distxuuo from Mangawiiare, Alright and another man commenced quarrelling, and their mates agieed to put m-shoro in order that they could "have it out." Ju<<t as the boat touched the shore the two men grappled with each other and both went overboard. The water is very deep at this place, and Alright sank and did not rite again. A young man, named Aaron Nobes, whose mind, for some time back, had shown symptoms of derangement, was missed from Whangarei a few days ago. A number of the neighbouis went out to look for him iu tho bush, but without effect. He was found dead on the bank of a stream, not far from his home. His death was supposed to have been caused by drowning. A brutal and murderous attack was committed on April 5, at Riverhead. The facts, so far aa we have been enabled to glean them, are as follow : — A man named Delaney, living at Kuraeu, about three miles from Riverhead, enticed away a woman of indifferent repute who had l>een cohabiting with one Langtou, residing at Whanyarei. In the couise of time Langfcou discovered the whereabouts of his paramour, whose name is Anne Smith, when he followed her to Itiverhead, and from thenco to where Delaney was living in a tent at Kumeu. Before going there he procured a spade and a gum-spoar. With these he proceeded to Delaney 's tent, and there making his accusation, high words ensued, when Lan»ton raising tho spade high above him struck Delaney over the head, openiug the skull. The man fell, and Linton in company with the woman he had cohabited with made off through the bush. Delaney, being discovered, was couveyed to Riverhead, from whence hr was conveyed on board the steamer ' Gemini ' and brought to Auckland under the care of Mr. Johu Lamb. Delaney was then handed over to the sergeant of the water-police, who caused him to be taken to the Hospital. Both men had i>eea following tho occupation of gumdigging, and weie known to each other before the assault took place which we have detailed; Immediately upon the circumstaucc having been made known at tho head-quartera of tho police, constables wero despatched to track and apprebeud Langton and the woman Smith. They were captured at the Wade by Detective Ternahan. The wounded man is recovering. On Apiil 7, Mr. Thomas Russell performed a very courageous and gallant act iu rescuing a little girl named Ellen Gallagher from a watery grave. It appears that the girl had fallen into a well some X5f$, or mt, deep, at

he rear of a lionso adjoining the "New Caledonia Hotel, in Sytnonds-atreet. Tlie screams of the mother brought two gentlemen on the scene, and Mr. Russell at once threw off his coat au'I descended the well, holding on to the bricks iu his descent. On reaching the water he secured the little girl, and, a rope and bucket being subsequently lowered, both the girl and Mr. Russell were again drawn up in safety. A very sudden, shocking, and singular death happened on Apiil 5, at the North Shore, to an aged woman named Mary Willctt^, who resided in a small cottage about three miles from tho landing-place. The woman was engaged in her oulinary morning occupation, when a vein in her leg suddenly burst, and within ten minutes of the occurrence, and iu despite of every effort made by her husband and son to stop the haemorrhage in the time mentioned, tho woman was a corpse, having immediately previous to her death been in tho enjoyment of the best of health. No medical assiafcance was at hand, and long before any one could be sent for tho woman had expired. This was at seven or a little softer seven o'clock in the morning, and at no o'clock au inquest was held on tho body of the deceased in the dwelling in which she resided, Dr. Philsou acting as Coroner. A verdict vvas returned in accordance with the facts here stated. It transpired at the enquiry that Mrs. Willett had at some previous j time suffered from the bleeding of a vein in j her leg, but the haemorrhage had been stopped by ordinary styptic applications. On Wednesday morning, April 10, a little before noon, awell-attired,respectable-looking man walked into Mr. Pulleng's Restaurant, on the wharf, and requested to see the landlord. On Mr. Pulleng coming forward, the man asked to be accommodated with board and lodging for a few days. He had only, he said, a few shillings, and these he placed in the landlord's hands, in prepayment for his board. He stated that his name was Simpson ; that ho was au engineer by trade, and had received an engagement to work at Mr. Masefield's foundry, at which place he should commence work on Monday. Ho begged that he might be put in a separate sleeping apartment, as he preferred sleeping in a room by himself. Tho man was sober, but had the appearance of having br>en drinking. There is no doubh that at this time he was suffering from incipient delirium tremens. Simpson shortly after sat down to dinner, of which he ate heartily. In the afternoon he gave Mrs. Pulleng a bundle of clothes, which he asked her to get washed for him. He afterwards partook of supper, then went out, and, shortly returning, went to bed. At midnight Mr. Pulieng's attention was drawn to a sound as 0? a gurgling in a man's throat; while at the sune time a voice from one of the lodgers called out for him to go up-stairs. Entering Simpson's room he found him lying in his bod undressed. Thei e was a wound in his throat, and a gash in the inner bend of eauh arm. Tho bedclothes were much stained with blood, and a razor was lying on the floor, within a few inches of tho bedstead. Mr. Pulleng's fiist act was to send a messenger for Dr. Nicholson, while he remained in the room in charge of unhappy man, who appeared to him to be iu a dying state. Presently Mr. Pulleng saw Simpson slowly move his hand from the lied clothes, and then almost imperceptibly allow it to fall in the direction of where the razor was lying on the floor. He was in the act of seizing it, when, Mr. Pulleng interpose.!, aud possessed himself of the razor. Almost immediately afterwards Dr. Nicholson arrived, and sewed up the wound, when, the police having been communicated with, Simpson was conveyed to the Hospital. On inquiry, wo learn that tho wound, bein • superficial, is not likely to be followed by any very serious consequences. An inquest was he.d at the Lunatic Asylum, before Dr. C P. Goldsbro' and a common jury, of which Mr. E. S. Hill was the foreman, to inquire into the circumstances attending the dcth of Patrick Skerry, who was an inmate of the Asylum, and died on the 4th instant. Tno evidence showed that he h.id been admittled to tlio Asylum on the 20fch December last After Dr. Aickin's evidence was taken, the jury returned a verdict, "Died from natural causes." The following rider was added : — 11 The jury feel bound to express their opinion that the m<\ins of accommodation for the sick are deficient, and that addi(ion;>l nuisiuq; attundauee is nocesaiy." On Wednesday forenoon, March 20, another sad and f ital accident occurred at one of om sawmills. One of the woi lemon named Johu StanchlF, while engaged in the null of Mr. Pollard, at Port Ohailes, wm struck with great violence on tho side of the head and right temple by a picco of timber thrown from the circular sw. He remained in a state of total insensibility until his death on the following morning at 3 o'clock. 'I he most praiseworthy and diligent cft'oifcs were made by both manager and men to procure surgical aid from Coromaudel. The |iume and the act of a brave man belonging to the schooner 'Ariel' deserves to be placed on lecord. The 'Ariel' left this port a few days ago, bound for Russell. Theie were two passengers, and one of these was a voting girl about 12 years of ago. She was leaning over the bulwark, when a lee lurch followed l>y a sudden weather roll caused tho girl to fall into the sea, the schooner at the time running under all canvas before a stiff breeze. It was then that George H. P. Christian, a seaman at the helm, called out for some one to take charge of the steering, when he dashed overboard, caught the girl as she rose to the suiface, and kept her head above water for quite ten minutes, until a boat had boci\ lowered from the schooner, and pulled to where the gallant fellow was sustaiuing his chaige. Norfolk Island has the honour of owning Christian for it« own. On Fiiday lastaseriousaccideuthappenedat the saw-mill of Messrs. Schupp and Ansenue, Mercury iiiy, by which a man named Thomas Eoley lost three of tho fingers of his lfffc hand, basidea kivinj; his hand badly mutilated. Aftir tho accident the poor follow was sent to Auckland in a cutter, but after beating against head winds for a day aud ahalf, he had to put into Kennedy's Bay, and was compelled to walk across the Tokatea range. He reached Coromandel on Sunday morning in a very exhausted state through loss of blood, and was at once attended to by Dr. Payne, who removed portions of the metacarp.il bones, as well as part of the hand. The man now appears to be progressing favourably. An accident occurred on Friday evening between seven and eight o'clock iu the Ballarat and Rising Sun mine, Thames, by which a miner named Keogh was seriously injure 1. Keogh was at wcrk in the stopes when a quantity of fctone fell from the roof, aud a piece dropped on his foot, seriously injuring tho great toe and lacerating the others. Amputation of the toe will be necessary. A serious accident occurred last week near the Mangonui to two men employed in getting out timber for the Kopura saw-mills. It seems a fleet of logs were lying on a rising ground, and three of tho men had commenced jackiug one of them towards the t>amway, when the second log, not being properly secured, rolled down behind them. One man managed to jump out of the way : the others, named Robert Shea and Thomas G-arvey, were not so fortunate. Shea was caught between the two logs and seversly iujured about the hips and loins. Garvey jumped upon the foremost log, but fell back, and was crushedaboutthechestseverely.Themen were quickly extricated from their perilous position, but Garvey was taken up for dead and reraaiuedunconscious until the next morning, Mr. Webb, chemist, attended them and examined their injuries, and did what he eould for them. I am hapj y to hear that when he left they were both much better, and iu a fair way of recovery. I cannot pass over this accident without again alluding to tho urgent necessity there exists for procuring a resident doctor for the river. The men employed at and by tbo different mills are all keenly alive to this their pressiag need, and I hear from the managers that the men are all willing to subscribe a certain sum weekly and some of the settlers have also expressed t heir readiness to contribute liberally to the

cause. Surely this is worthy of the consideration of some medical man. An inquest was held on Friday morning at the Lunatic Asylum on the body of Patrick Mclnley, who had been an inmate since the year 1SGS. The deceased had be^n suffering from paralj sis for some time previous, and hte death resulted froin natural causes. Mclnley lias a wife and four childien at Blenheim. On Sunday, April 14, shortly after 12 o'clock at noon, two men were walking along the pavement opposite the Union Bank, in Queen-street, when cue of thorn suddenly stopped .short, turned to his side, and excJanne 1, "Sieve, hold u:e!'Tho man droppel down on the pavemaut and died instantly. Ho was picked up and conveyed to the hotel where he and his nuto were staying at. The deceased's name is Abel Goldaworthy, that of his mate Stephen Cateriue Both are tributers to the j Inverness gold mine, at the Thames goldHeld. Goldsworthy had been long subject to fits, and had fallen down in one the day previous in the Greyhound Hotel. He was sensible of his affliction, and was afraid to move about without some one beingin his company. An inquest was held on April 15,atthe Clanricarde Hotel, before T. M. Philson, Esq., coroner, and a respectable jury, on the body. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony to the effect that deceased had died from disease of the heart.