TRAGIC DEATH OF A MELBOURNE SOLICITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13147, 9 April 1906, Page 6

TRAGIC DEATH OF A MELBOURNE SOLICITOR.

Ox .Monday. March 26 (reports the Melbourne Ago), roni<* children proceeding to school at Moonee Ponds noticed the recumbent. form of a man at the bottom c! a sewerage shaft off Chayccr-sireot. There was a series of these shafts in the lane, the mouth of each being about 4ffc by 2jft, and [ their depth about 15ft each. The body was i ! lying at. the foot of the third opening from s Chaucer-street. The shafts had been left open the previous night, but at the street end barriers had been placed across in the form of two rails, lights also being provided. Assistance was forthcoming, and it was discovered that the man was dead. There were .some ugly abrasions about the head, which indicated that deceased had probably fallen in head foremost, and broken his neck. De-ce-astd was quickly identified as Mr. Edward Kane, a well-known barrister and solicitor, who lived in Chaucer-street, a few yards distant from where the body was found. Mr. Kane left home about a-quarter to eight p.m. on Sunday, and was not seen by his friends until his body was found as described. He called at. an hotel in the vicinity about nine p.m., but only stayed a few minutes, and left, apparently in a hurry to return home. Mr. Kane was in the habit of taking a short out home, crossing a vacant allotment and proceeding along the right-of-way in which his body was found, and it is surmised that lie was either ignorant of the sewerage work proceeding in the lane, or incautiously risked reaching his home by this route. Deceased was one of the best known lawyers in Melbourne, and a familiar figure in both the Police and Law Courts. He was born in Herefordshire, England. His father was Colonel Kane, who gave his son a libe- | ral education. Two of deceased's brothers | are in- the army, one of whom holds a I colonel's commission. Another brother is a clergyman at. Worcestershire. The late. Mr. Kane was twice married. He leaves a. widow and four children by the first union. Deceased at the date of his tragic death was j 69 years of age.