RICHMOND FATALITY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17292, 6 October 1916, Page 7

RICHMOND FATALITY.

young man bragged by BOLTING HORSE.

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL

DEATH,

An inquest was held at the Morgue yesterday, before Mr H. W. Bishop, Coroner, into the circumstances surrounding the death of Albert Milne M’Kenzie, who was killed on Wednesday afternoon, as the result of the horse which hq was leading whilst riding a bicycle, bolting. M’Kenzie was dragged along tho ground andreceived terrible injuries to the head. Senior-Sergeant Mathieson attended on behalf of tho police. Alexander M’Konzie, joiner’s .machinist, brother of the deceased, Said that deceased was in his twenty-first year, and was temporarily employed by Mr A. B. L. Smith, coal merchant. Deceased had a deformity in. .bis right, hand, having lost the four fingers through a previous accident. Ho had no experience with horses. Alfred B. L. Smith said that M’Kenzie had been in his employ for tho past six or seven months as office boy and doing odd jobs. Part of his duty was to take the horse from the yard to the paddock, about one and half miles away. No previous trouble had' taken place with the horse, which was' very quiet. Witness, when teaching M’KenZio how to handle the horse, impressed upon him never to tie the rope around his arm and witness had never seen M’Konzie do that. Witness saw M’Kenzio tako away the horse on Wednesday at about 4.15 p.m. Later witness was telephoned to that an accident had occurred, and ho rushed to the scene. Ho did not know what startled the horse, and he had never known it to bolt before. It was quite a common occurrence for a man to ride a cyclo and lead a horse.

The Coroner: It is not a common occurrence 1 hope, to ride a bicycle and to tie the leading rope to the arm. It was madness. Senior-Sergeant MathiesonM’Kenzio could not lead tho horse without tying the rope to his arm, as his only hand was necessary to guide the cycle. Witness explained his instructions to M’Kenzie as to leading tho horse, and tho Coroner said that the explanation was satisfactory. James Wilson said that he saw tho horso galloping, and dragging a man. Ho drove up to try and stop the horse, which turned into Stapleton’s Rond. He called out to M’Kenzie to lot go of tho horso, but M’Kenzie called out, “Oh, help me.” 'flic horse stopped at the paddock gate, and witness saw M’Kenzio: turn over, at which tho horse bolted again, -and in turning a corner M’Kenzie’s head struck a bridge and later a telegraph post. The horse continued to bolt for about a quarter of a mile, but was finally stepped by Mr Voyce. Henry Voyce said that at about 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday he was in Hill’s Road, working, when ho heard the sound of a horse galloping down the road, and then saw tho horso dragging a man. Witness ran about 100 yards and stopped the horse.. The innn had a rope around his wrist and tho other end of the rope was rounu tho horse’s neck. Witness cut the rope, but the man was quite dead. The Coroner returned a verdict that tho deceased was accidentally killed by a bolting horso that was attached to the deceased’s wrist by a rope.