CORONER'S INQUEST.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3915, 25 May 1877, Page 2

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Ax inquest was held yesterday at Parker's Victoria Hotel, White-road, before Dr Hitchings, coroner, touching the death of James Robert Goddard, who was run over in the White-road on the previous day by his own cart. The following gentlemen were sworn on the jury :— H. Steed (foreman), John liiggins, Thomas Taylor, Thomas Scrivener, Peter Grant, M. Ebden, J. M'Aneny, John Scott, John Norman, Frederick Cox, Alex. Jlobb, G. Phillips. The jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was taken : — • James Goddard, a youth of about 18 years, son of the deceased, deposed : My father, my younger brother, and myself were in our cart, an ordinary spring cart, yesterday. It was drawn by two horses, one in the shafts and one leading, and was loaded with about 12 cwt. of vegetables. We were coming into town about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and were between the two railway crossings, about 2. 1 , miles from Napier. The horses were going at a pace between a trot and a walk. The train was coining the same way as we were going. Jt had passed us, when the whistle frightened both horses, and (hey broke into a gallop ; the back band of the shaft horse broke, and the shafts were let down on the ground. I jumped oil' and got to the ground all right. 1 looked to see where my father was, and saw awheel of the cart passing over him. My father had been driving. 1 went immediately to him. Blood was coming out of his mouth, and he just breathed once. Ho did not speak, or groan, or make any noise at all. A man came up and helped me to put my father's body in a Maori's cart, and wo brought it to town. Both horses had been accustomed to hear the whistle of the engine. If the back-band had not broken the accident would not have occurred. Anthony George Oldfiold deposed : I was yesterday on the White-road about 3 o'clock. A vegetable cart passed me, going slowly. 1 heard the sound of a whistle from the railway engine. The pace of the horses in the cart had then greatly increased. I saw some man on the ground about 200 yards off. 1 ran up to him. He was alive ; blood was coming from his mouth. He did not speak. I said something to him, but he did not reply ; he was quite unconscious. He died in about live minutes from when I went to him. 1 then noticed that the cart was upset and the horses had got away. The younger of the two boys had just jumped out. Both the lads came to me. The Mayor came up and directed me to take the body to town, which I did, ] afterwards went to the deceased's house with the body. I saw it undressed, and noticed that there was a bruise just over the; heart. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death,