CASUALTIES.

Evening Star, Issue 12167, 11 April 1904, Page 4

CASUALTIES.

During the run of the steamer Turakiua from Wellington to Monte Video a second saloon passenger (Mrs Hamilton, of Otaki) died of apoplexy. Mr Allen M'Lean, a single man, aged twenty-nine years, employed as a sawmdler near Martinborough, who was injured through falling from a coach whilst returning from Tauherenikau races at Easter, died in the Greytown Hospital on Saturday. At the inquest on the body of the lad Smith, who shot himself at Christchurch on Friday, a verdict suicide whilst of unsound mind was returned. The deceased left the following letter: —“To any one of my family. Tuesday, April 5. The cause of my ending my life in this fashion is because lam too wicked to live. I have had to steal money to give to a certain person, and if I do not get it he meant to kill me. To-day I have to get £5 for him, and if I don’t get it by eight to-night he will murder me. So now yon know the couse of all my troubles.—Stanley M'Lecd Smith.” Deceased had been a liigbly-stnmg, emotional bov.

A child named Agnes Lillian M‘Donald, aged eight months, died yesterday at the residence of Mrs Stevens, licensed homekeeper. at Sawyers Bay. An inquest will be held.

OAMARU. April 11. J lie body of an elderly man, decomposed beyond recognition, was found in the Waitakf River opposite Kurow yesterday. The deceased, who was about fifty-five, had evidently been in the water for three weeks, oo far as is known, no one has been missing from the district. The body was partly nude. The deceased was probably drowned m attempting to swim the river above Kurow.