FOXTON TRAGEDY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 306, 24 November 1932, Page 6

FOXTON TRAGEDY

BROTHER’S RETURN. A PATHETIC ACCIDENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) ' FOXTON, Nov. 24. Yesterday, a largo number . of and relatives joined the polico m a. search for Roy Easton, who disappeared hom his father's 1 farm, on the Foxton-Levm Road following the tragic occurrence in wwcn Jack Easton, aged 20 years, was fatallj injured through the dischargo of a shot gl At 5.15 p.m., however, Airs J. G. Honors, who was returning to Foxton from a visit to tho Easton home, saw Roy Easton walking along tho Whirokino Road near tho bridge going in the direction of t oxton. She offered him a lift in her car, but after some hesitation he declined. - Honore drove on and a little later passed the father proceeding in tho direction or his home. The boy was picked up by his father and taken home, arriving thero a little after 6 o’clock. A doctor was immediately summoned, together with a. local solicitor, and the boy was put to bed as ho was in an overwrought state. Constable Bagrio stayed in the house over-night. A statement issued late last night by tho parents state that it appears that, after tho tragedy, ho lad, having seen his brother fall, was seized with panic imd fled across the sandhills to the coast. There he spent Tuesday- night and the best part of yesterday, subsisting on .shell fish, towards afternoon he mado his way back to tho road. , , Tho lad’s story is that the shooting ot his brother was a pitiful accidout. It had been his intention, ho said, to go put shooting after milking, and ho desired' to get finished early. The delaj-ed arrival of his brother John from Levin annoyed him, and while milking was in progress they quarrelled over this. Finally- Roy said he was going shooting and left tho shed and went to tho house for a shotgun. Ho went back by way of tho cowbails to tell his father and his brother that they could finish the cows and feed tho pigs themselves, as he was finished, but in passing he tripped on a sack. Tho jolt forward discharged the gun in his hands. Tho major portion of the charge entered a post but a few shots, unfortunaely fatal ones, hit his brother who was sitting on a stool milking. Roy saw his brother stagger off the stool and, realising that ho was hurt, he became panic-stricken and ran away. Roy’s first inquiry when his father found him was whether Jack had been much hurt. The news of his death came as a severe shock on top of his sufferings from exposure and lack of food.