THE LATE CAPTAIN CLELAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4163, 24 July 1874, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LATE CAPTAIN CLELAND.

So many different statements have been made as to the circumstances attending tho death of the late Captain Clelaml that, though somewhat late, we publish the evidence which was taken at the inquest on Saturday last. For the report of that evidence we are indebted to the WtiirarapaStandard. It is as follows: . Jas. Macara deposed: I was driving the mail coach to-day on this sideof the Rimutaka, just a the bottom of the hill nearly opposite Dr. Wallace’s, and travelling at the rate of eight miles an hour; at this spot there is a beud in the road and an incline which prevents anyone seeing a person coming in the opposite direction until within thirty yards or go ; I saw two horsemen coming towards me and slackened the pace a little ; one was Captain Cleland, the other Mr. Barber ; the latter was loading a horse ; they were riding abreast; one of them drew off to the left, and the other to the right of the road, to allow me to pass ; Captain Cleland was on tho upper side of tho road, nearly against the bank, and Mr. Barber on the gully side, the led horse being on the outside hedge of the road. To allow Captain Cleland to pass I drew off to the left of my side, leaving a passage about three feet from the gutter and about five from the bank for Captain Clelland to pass between the bank and the coach, I know this because I measured themarksof the wheel and the distance of it from tho bank. Capt. Cleland’s horse walked past me and I could no longer see him until I felt, as I thought, the coach strike the horse. Of the accident itself I neither heard nor saw anything. I pulled up the coach about fifteen or twenty yards from the spot where the accident happened. When I first saw the two coming I could have stopped the coach altogether before they came up to me. When I fh-at saw them I was on a dead level, and could have pulled up at five yards, and would have done so if I had thought there would have been any danger. They were ascending an incline at tho time, and when I passed them I do not think I was going at a greater rate than five miles an hour. At that spot, the road is wide enough for two waggons to pass. Neither of the horses were shy. A Mr. Edwards, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. O’Malley, were seated on the box seat with me. Neither of them called to me to stop. The bank I spoke of is about seven feet high, and nearly perpendicular. The gutter at the side of the road is one in whicli a man might ride conveniently. Captain Cleland was riding on the proper side of the road. If Mr. Barber had not been passing on the other side of the road, I would have given Captain Cleland more room, though I felt sure that I had given him plenty as it was. Mr. Barber passed slightly ahead of the Captain, tho latter crossing the road first in front of my horses. I consider Mr. Barber, having a led horse, was right in keeping to the outside of the road. I had three passengers on the top of the coach, viz., Mi*. Buchanan, Mr. Mace, and an immigrant, also a boy. The coach was full inside. It was built to carry three besides the driver on the box seat. There is no seat for passengers on the top of the coach. Edward Barber stated that he was riding in company with Captain Cleland about 2 p.m. past Dr. Wallace’s house. After he passed the coach he turned and saw the coach wheel strike the rump of Captain Cleland’s horse. The horse made a shy back whicli caused the deceased to full off. He fell off towards the coach, and the wheel passed over his neck. The horse did not rear up the bank, but merely sidled back in shying, and Captain Cleland was not free of the horse when the hind wheel went over his neck. The horse tried to turn round, but there was not room for him to do so, and consequently he was struck by the coach. The witness added—l got off my horse, and called to the coach to stop. On going to the deceased I found him to be dead or dying. I feel sure (in my mind) that the wheel wont over Captain Cleland’s throat. I did not see tho horse tread on ins head. Walter Mace stated that from the top of the coach he saw the Captain’s horse sby, and try to turn round, and in doing so the hind wheel of the coach struck the horse. Captain Cleland appeared to lose his seat as soon as the horse began to shy ; he did not see him fall to the ground. [Both this and the preceding witness gave other evidence which as it merely repeats and confirms the driver’s statement, it is unnecessary for ns to print.] William Tutere then gave evidence, Mr. Freeth acting as interpreter. He said that he was sitting on the back seat of the coach. He felt the driver slacken speed, and saw Mr. Barber pass on the left side of tho coach and go on ; then the deceased came on the right side. He was on his horse when he passed the coach, but on getting a little way past it his horse began to plunge about and roar up, and deceased fell off. The horse reared as if it were trying to get up the hank, but not till it had passed the coach. • Deceased fell with his head downwards, still holding the bridle'in his hand. He fell off the side of the hind-quarter of the horse, and the horse stood a little behind him. The horse jumped over him, putting one hind foot on tho chin, and the other on the breast of tho deceased, who still held the bridle. The horse got clear of him, pulling tho bridle out of his hand, and ran off. Deceased was sitting in the saddle until he had passed the coach upwards of ten feet. John Chapman Andrew deposed that he was sitting in the coacli at the time of the accident, and that if Captain Cleland had fallen between the wheels he must have seen him do so. As far as he could observe the horse passed the coach before the accident happened. He had been many times over the Rimutaka with the driver, Macara, and considered him a most careful driver. John Smith stated that he was sitting on the back seat of the coach and saw the Captain fall, and his horse put one foot on his chin and the other on his body. When lie fell from the horse he had passed the coach three or four feet. Dr. Smith, of Grcytown, stated that he had been summoned by a telegram to attend Captain Cleland, who mot with 1 an accident on tho Rimutaka, about 3 p.m. that day. Ho went immediately. On reaching Eeatheraton he heard that ho was dead. Ho examined him at the request of Mr. Wardell, There was a lacerated contused wound on the lower jaw down to the bone, about an inch and a half in length,. laying the bone bare. The lower jaw was fractured on each side. He did not notice anything else particularly wrong about the body. Ho thought the cause of death was the shock to the system occasioned by the fall and suffocation from the blood from the wound in his mouth getting into his windpipe. Ho saw him between 4 and 5 p.m. The wound on tho face might have been caused by the shod hoof of a horse. Ho could not detect any fracture of tho skull or of the neck.

The jury, after consulting', returned the following verdict :—“That tho deceased, Hugh Cloland, accidentally mot with his death from injuries received by a fall from his horse, which became frightened and shied at tho mail coach on the llimutaka road, on tho 18th duly, 1871 ; and the jury wish further to state that no blame is attached to tho driver of the coach for tho said accident.”