MANSLAUGHTER ALLECED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 295, 7 April 1921, Page 5

MANSLAUGHTER ALLECED.

TAXI-DRIVER BEFORE'wibfytJRT.

»v lio <& °" ™, °»* u wrdict returned of. the fiKr °w ,hu . In « ou the body W the Publ.V ii A,a - u T e llicUe >'> wh ° di <*< iSISn • 11 . 0S P lt J a V )U B "«W 8 after lffl Ured b / <»ng with a »l£3£ ?" n charge of manffi nvi •* I>r . cfcr , rcd a S ai » st James orni,,; I 'v nvCr ' l in thc Poli ™ Court this V A * n^ USed was represented bv Mr (.',;..L- V?W/ahd Detective-Scrgeant te k VTC rcd , {or police. uESm !hfi«Si w - w - wa,her - J, '- p -* croou li,il ediCa Jt. Cvi^nce was givoh on the same "»«s as that given at the mquesfc »'£ l !l °f tho loc,ilifc y d the accident; v«s certified to as correct by Robert iiicivil engineer, who had prepared H. • ■ a

Michael llickpy, son of deceased, stated iiuvt his father would have been 68 years ot ago this month. He was borough poundKeeper for 35 years and occupied that post '«:..tho tune of his* death. Deceased hud always enjoyed good health and had. ridKeif lus' bicycle backwards and 'forwards' to v.orlc every day. His hearing and'eyesight were unimpaired. Deceased was a.bU to lead without tho aid of spectacles and his length of vision was normal. Witness identified a bicycle in Court, with its wheel badly buckled, as his father's machine. To Mr Oiigioy: Witness said ho would be ; vea-y surprised to hear that on two occasions within three weeks of deceased's death he had ridden into standing ears in Ihoi street, although on one occasion an occupant of the car had shouted $ warning. Witness noticed on seeing the car after ill© accident thai a box on one sido had been broken.

John P. Fib.gibbon, of Mangahao, stated that at the time of the accident he was employed in Palmerston North and at about 4.25 p.m. on February 5 ho was riding a. bicycle in Main street towards Terrace End on the right hand sido of tho lincj when he saw accused driving a cor on the left* hand side of the line, going also' towards Terrace End, and travelling at 15 to 20 miles an hour. Witness thought tile oar was on the iniddlo of the road. At .the intersection of Albert street the car swerved to the right, came back again, and; then stopped about two chains from the crossing. After the car had passed the intersection witness saw a man lying on the: road. On closer inspection he louud the man was bleeding from thc face and that ha was 1 in a helpless condition. With the assistance of another passer-by witness carried deceased into adjacent shop premises.- Witness could not say definitely whether accused sounded a horn on approaching tho corner or not, but he did not hear any horn sounded. No other traffic was in the roadway at the time. As witness watched the car swerve from the side view he ma able to say that deceased was j not in front of the car when it swerved.

Hans Peter Jensen, driver, Sunimcrhays street, stated that he was in an office at the •corner of Main and Albert streets on the afternoon of February 5, and &uv accuseds car coming up Main street. His attention was directed to it by hearing someone call out "Look out!" Witness beard a. crash and went out into the street, where deceased was lying in the. roadway at tlio intersection. To,' Mr Ongley: Witness said that he had not seen the accident itself. He.had beard a man call out a warning, but ho could not bay whether the horn was sounded or not. ' Deceased was a slow rider, but he invariably rode with his head down and would not move oil the road for anyone.,' Witness had had to stop his lorry on two or three occasions to avoid" a. collision with'deceased. Witness had not.tried tho experiment of calling, out a. warning to deceased on these occasions. Re-examined by Detective-Sergeant Qnirke, witness said these incidents had occurred when he was entering the premises of the firm which employed lain. At- 1 this stftgo the luncheon adjournmcift was taken.