CORONER'S INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3825, 18 January 1877, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held yesterday afternoon at the hospital, before Samuel Beg*?, Esq., coroner, on the body of Susan McMahon, whose death resulted from the injuries she received when run over by the railway train on Tuesday afternoon. The following jury were sworn :— D. E. Lindsay (foreman), Michael Hayden, Thomas Annett, Adison Newbold, John Begg, Phillip Bisson, James Cunningham, Edward Lockett, R. J. Robinson, A. Brown, and T. Connor. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : — Peter Smith, engine-driver, deposed that on Tuesday afternoon he left the Napier station with the 3 p.m. train. Observed on starting that the lino was clear down to the Government cottages. Observed Hvo women walking on the tramway. On the train reaching within t9n yards of them one of tbe women walked across on to the railway line. Witness tried all he could to stop the engine, but could not do so until after the engine knocked her down. Succeeded in stopping the train within 40 or 45 yards. The ' break van was on the body when the train stopped. The engine, one carriage,

and the break van. went over her; The break van had not passed over her, but was drawn off after. As soon as witness saw the woman he shouted to her, and re- [ versed the engine, but at that distance it was impossible to stop the engine before it reached the woman. By the jury : The same woman ran a .narrow risk twice before. There are contiiiually people crossing the line at that place. There is no fence to prevent them. The deceased had her back to the train; but she saw it As she turned her head. By the Coroner : The place where the accident occurred was about 50 yards on the Napier side of the cottages. The foreman of the jury asked the husband of the deceased whether she was deaf, and he replied that she was. Eees Watkins, railway guard, deposed to leaving Napier with the train for the Spit at three o'clock. Felt the train receive a shake between Napier and the Government cottages. Tne train was brought to a standstill in about 30 to 40 yards afterwards. Looked round to see what was the matter. Saw a * woman alongside the train waving her hands about. Witness then looked under the train and found the body of deceased lying between the rails. As soon as witness saw that the body was clear of the rails, he moved the train forward about fiveyards, so as to get it clear of the body. Witness then gave information o£ the matter to the, Inspector of Police. By the foreman : It would.be possible to stop a train in ten yards when first leaving the station, but it could not have been stopped from the time . when the deceased was first seen until she was run down. Johanna Dexter (examined through, an interpreter) deposed: That on Tuesday afternoon she was going home to one of the Government cottages; Was a fewyards in front of the deceased. 1 Heard the whistle of the engine, and turning round she saw that deceased was close to the train. Witness called out to her, " Misses, come away from there !" Witness thought the woman would move away, and turned to go towards home, but hearing a second whistle, witness looked towards deceased, and saw the engine knock her down. Witness did not know deceased, only by seeing her once go into her cottage. Philemon Palmer, carter, deposed that he saw deceased walking down the side of the railway on the newly-made road until she came to the crossing, and then she got on the railway. The crossing was one used by foot passengers. Then the last witness tried to get deceased from the line, by catching .hold of deceased's dress. The last witness plucked at the dress of deceased as if to keep her back, but deceased seemed to be leaning forward. Had it been a man or an active woman it would have been quite easy to jump away, but deceased seemed to make no effort. Witness saw the engine coming, and beard the driver ; shout out to the woman; • Almost immediately afterwards the engine knocked her down, and the wheels of the carriage went over her. Dr.' Rowbottom deposed that he was called to deceased on Tuesday afternoon. Found her lying on a shutter near the railway station. She was in a state of insensibility. Examined her, and had her removed to the hospital. When- she was placed on the bed witness made a fuller examination. She had a slight' flesh wound over the right eye ; the left arm was almost entirely cut off just above the elbow, and it was only hanging by a bit of skin of the fore-arm. The bones of the arm were smashed. The right foot was split up from the heel up to the toes ; the bones were broken, and the foot was only hanging by some shreds of muscular fibre. She remained in a state of insensibility the whole time until witness left the hospital, about half-past five. She died from the shock to the nervous system, consequent upon the wounds she received. Charles Raven, master of the Napier Hospital, deposed that deceased was brought into the hospital on Tuesday af lernoon, between 3 and 4 o'clock. She was seen by Dr. Hitchings, who severed the integuments which held the arm and foot. Witness watched her until she died at 7 p.m. The jury returned the following verdict : — " That it' so happened that on the 16th January the deceased was casually and accidentally run over by a railway engine in attempting to cross the line, and she thereby received such mortal injuries as to cause her death four hours after." The following rider was added to the verdict : — " This jury are of opinion that the railway authorities deserve- the severest censure that could be put on them for not fencing in that portion of the line between the White-road and the Royal Hotel.''