RAILWAY FATALITY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 112, 13 May 1911, Page 5

RAILWAY FATALITY.

MAN KILLED NEAR LOWER HUTT A shocking railway fatality occurred tbia morning on tho lino between Lower Hutfc and Mellinge Bridge, resulting in Ah® des4b of a man named George Dennis •Crofliu, a master coachbuilder, of Petone. The train by which tho accident, happened loft Upper Hutt at 6. SO a.m.~ oflictillj known.* us number 509. It was a passenger train of three carriages, and ■wn«a passing between +-he point* men # ±ioned the driver of the engine (Petherick * H. Jane) noticed that his engine had struck something, but ho saw nothing unusual. When the ta-aiu reached Lower Hutt a boy named William Hawland, who -was standing on tho platform at •fho. Mar of the train, informed the passengers that the train had passed ov«r the body of a man, and on, an inspection of tho front of tlie engoie odd pieces of clothiiig and splashes of blood ware discovered- As the result of an, inspection of the line the mutilated body of a man we found lying betooen the rails. It is stated that the body wae dragged .quite 100 ysrfde before it got under the Swh^eiLs. Oronin waa a widower about 48 years ,old. He had resided at P«tone for come time, and dining the last four or five , years he had stayed at tho Empire Hotel, Petone. v He was a partner in tho coactbadlding firm of Cronin and jO'Leaiy, late of Httffell and Cronin. INQUEST OPENED. An inquest on the deceased was opened sfc Lower Hutt to-day by the Coropet, Dr. M* Arthur. Harry J. Palmer, hotelkeeper, Petsaid h« knew the deceased well. I He had been staying at witness's hotel for some four or five year*. He left last Wednesday morning to catch the •brain for Bannevirke, proposing to re■inrn on Thursday night or Friday morning, but witness had nob seen ■him alive sinco Wednesday. During the last two weeks deceased bad; complained of pains in the head', which were attributed to neuralgia- Witness had noticed that deceased was very peculiar in his manner during the pa«fc two weeks. Generally he was very regular in his habits and ho was not addicted to drink. Daniel C OTjeary, coachbuilder, Petone, said he recognised the body a« that of his partner, Ororiin. He last saw Oronin alive on Wednesday morning, ■when aboub io catch a train for Dannevirke, in order to visit his agent there. Witness was not &ttr© that deceased went to Dannevirke, as he had received no -word to that effect. Deceased said he would be back on Friday evening or Saturday morning ab the latest. Deceased had absolutely no business worries that witness was awara of, but he> had complained of pains in the head. Deceased was naturally a cheerful man. ' Norman 3. BenningtoH also gave evidence of identification. A 6 tins stage the inqaesti -was adijottttted until 12 o'<jlock on Monday,