SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO MR FOX.

Otago Witness, Issue 847, 22 February 1868, Page 8

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO MR FOX.

DECLARATION OF MR FOX'S.POLITI- ■'■"" CALJ^IEWS. "_ ' -'

1 • (FROM 'dUB- OWN CORBBSPONDEirr.) " .

; , ' ,. Wellington, Saturday. t lsth Feb.,, An accident' of < a very, serious nature, bnt. fortunately not' attended by any fatal results,' occurred- to Cobb's, coach, i,on. Thursday morning, the 13th instant. .The. coach left Wanganui, on that morning, at' the usual hour, 7 a.m., -with a full freight .of ! passengers, including ■ Mr .Fox; (who had, been entertained on the previous everting, at a ■ public political dinner in •Wanganui) Mr Gilchrist, the Inspectoriofthe N.S.W., Bank, Mr Hugh Ross, ; Solicitor ah d. Coroner, Mr •Buller,B.M.i'Mr Webb, ,'jlate of'Dunedin,' and five or 'six others. the steep"; side cutting,"*neV iHe T'qrak'ina River,'|ab6ut 16' miles'. irp.mj : "V^ajiganui,^7vrher,e, the i rqadji» / narrow «,nvkthe turns sharp,, the coach. was foe'trby ahorse and cart. Jnstea4of plappiog. on 'the ; break 1 andvreining up' His team*: •yrhich," at*the*pace the -horses- were. going,* jit, .y as' • pWhaps ' scarcely ■ possible ..to i idb • .effectu'ally'j .the coachman • endeavored'to' ,driv<e! past." ' 7 TKe' roSd was t6o, narrow for' the^twevehiclest'o .pass 'Under "such circumstancesjl.and^the. coach, being 'ori'the" outer side,;was thrown over ihto"the.giillyj below, 'the jfate,at whipli ,if -was. "jgojng, 'giving. it w ,a Very .greafy momentum/ 'Mr Gilchrist,. ,who : was., seated' on the box,'; managed" tb- gain . his • feet as . the ,coach fell; mainly by the help of a tree, .ancLthe driver, who retained his hold of the reins, was- thrown ;upon v the''road. • Most "fortunately, 1 ;thV'-"" devil" pin/ 3 the iron pivot on which the 'body' of the" 'coach works)' was free,' and ,-the horses' 'succ'e'eded,Via^'tparing',.off;; the -, front ,'por'tip'n' qf M the j( carriage, and. thus '"savie'd tKose two from* the >fall^ .which befell'the 1 rest of v the passengers- „ f The,^cqach With .aiT.th'e. others fell. bodily o.yer to thede'pth of'., some 50 -feet,- tearing. 'Up- the.rypuag bush, and'was -dashed to .pieces ,at,;th.e bottom. "It 'is a marvel how some .of ..the. passengers were not killed. :• As it was, the casualties.' were f serious. r -Mr' Cass,. 'of Wanganui(who was on his way to Melbourne), had his leg badly broken — a compound fracture below the, knee;. Mr Stone (who was 'enrouie, for England) sustained some .severe, injuries of the 'spine, and. Mr .Webbj it is teared," has one of his .ribs broken, i Mr.' Pox, who, >( like ..the,. rest, was unableVto"; extricate ■ himself .until, the' coach broke open at the bottom,' was stunned," and", severely- "hurt. - -It; was feared' at first that his 'thigh -was 1 broken; but on examination it'was -supposed thit his-inability to' stand'arbse " orily from the muscles being" severely' bruis6d;V A gig was obtained .for', his, conveyance to 'his residence at.Westoe, and^ the other sufferers were. 1 sent back" to' Wanganui for medical- treatment • • r,The .whole,- of , the rest escaped .with slight • bruises v and .contusions, .and. on a.. fresh cdach beiDg ob.tained at Turakina, came on to'Manawatu the same' day. - ■"'■' tii-m'^mj • -„,,. '. 'Mr Fox; -who is destined "to misadventure, 'shows his* usual 'genial nature under .the most trying circumstances. A fellow .passenger;condoled' with Him, by saying, 'AWell, ,Fox/y6u, .are an.unfortunate 'tra'vellei";,", fin. - : which? he' .repliedj^.Do,'ypu, 'thirJiso i~l consider lama most'iqrtunate' one, it's, .nothing short of -^miracle .that any pf \us are aliye ( now. ' y(ly (l vMr Fox ( has been.we^'jieceiyed'at^anganui^'.^'On^th'e J sthi he' was' 'entert'ai^p il at i dmner'b'y"his more intimate personal , friends.' v Sd'me 1 forty' .'yere,.. present^ andi'it'was strictly private, yy f b]Bmg;* r^tendei./ l me^Bly;''aa.;' 1 a .friendly welcome, befriends of all shades of \ opinion on ;his return' 'ho '&'. district jwhere his social (^ualiti^s'axe^'bgst^knqwn' and ajppr|eci^tedi^ 1 \T i h'e;gath(9ri^g : on If the |12th"wa8i'nowever, more (of ;a political character. , p Nearly a hundred', gohtlemeu sat dpwh'/nind.er" ihe pre»dency of 'Mr'H.' S. ! H'arrisbn/the'M'j'H.-K.Qf 'the district'; the r .yice-chair r.V^S, ,^ e(^ ( ,9y' -M-T Watt/ ,'the^' "^inemVer/,' .fo^ J Baiigitikexi J At 'the' 4 'urgent"''request' ' of " the "manI aging committee, communicated " the

day before,'Mr-Fox' took this opportunity of stating his' views on. the present " state of ..New! > Zealand > politics. ' ;; IJia speech is spoken ;.of as being a.very.able one, • and, .although- it- occupied an hour and ,a,.half in its delivery,) ho i avoided,. details,; confining himself..mainly :to principles.- • The. Wanganui papers containing • the full re-: port'h'ayenotyet come ito,-,h&nd, ,and I auvafraid that, for wa^i oft;efficient,..re-■p6rtersjv-it..will,,not.,do Jilr F,ox- justice when it does appear. ', Tjher,e.was bni one .copy/ ofvthe/;C7Mfa)Mc(e received by the coach, owjng to the.confusion. arising out of 'the- accidents, ' „1 haye reason ;to think that }Ms!^Vatts, } s retiring, address to the i 'BangitijcejL electors, and that . of Mr Fox' oflering himself an-;, his stead,, fare in the hands' qfi.theWanganui -printers.^ ;t; t ;.',,,]■ 1 'I send, .this! per, .s. a., , Ofcago, iv anticipation of the, regular mail^ 9! Monday.' '--••>■.' „ -■•■••>MoMayj=l7th 'February.. ','The WaiKjtinni Timei is' tb hn,nd this niortoing, J,"' containing ■ a 'very -fair and apparently fair report of Mr Fox's speech^ I see tlie 'Titties 'caution's' the <Press'" not to re-publish' the' Very unfair statement of what Mf.Fox' is '" there reported to have' said."' -Tlie Wanganui- journals will cer-' tainly sdme "day" outdo' the"famous Kilkenny cat's; 'indeed,', the Chronicle office nearly presented a 1 case of > spontaneous combusticiri the :<1 other' night/ <>-&• most flagrant 'attempt" at arsori by "some 'one 1 ■having the run of the 'office, : 'having- been discovered just in time.' 1 If -it were at all necessary'to establish my credit for being ■well informed," I should call your readers' -attention ; toi the correctness 1 of- the -sketch of . Mr 'Fox's policyi whiohd recently gave, even to the • illustration-. ab6ufc"< plate-glass windows ;!but I: have' always- f bund myself in Biich 1 good' hands, .'that -I never- trouble myself oivthat 1 score;* Before quitting the "Wanganui papers'," which,- : somehow-, or other, are so subject to misconception, .1 see" that in the.acc'6unt 1 of- the' 'late* coach ac'cident,"<the"Tiwiesrstates l -that- some of [th^iUnforfcunate J.8.-. passengers- at. : once hejld anidnyestigatioh'i.asrtof the .- .cause ; of theLacciaent; 'andrcaTKngithe^driver in; acquitted 'him- of tall .'blame.:. The statement 1 is a 'perfect myth/-" There seems' to ••be* frieridlyjriyab^y' /between, "Wanganiii an'd"lldngitik'ei as to which of -them shall send ' Mr •jFox. /into. ' " the • Assembly, - the representatives* of both- being now willing ta' resign in Ms. favorl-.-i /-:.•. a ... „ T.By *^c Ahuriri, wliich arrived from the No^rth. on Saturdayjiight, .wejhave intelligence of more fighting at Opotiki. The fpUowihg particulars have been communicated to, me by one of the. passengers. For some' time' past . a "body °of ' the disaffected natives' have been -prowling about in the' vicinity of Opotiki, -plundering' the out-statichs,'and threatening a descent on the' settlement "Itself." "'As 'you -are already aware,' J Mr Clarice, 1 the' 'Civil ' Commis-sioners-has been 'authorised' to raise a body of A'rawas for tW purpose of rooting 'Wt .the'enemy 'arid' 5 dispersing^ them. -. •• To prevent,' 'however, any r asgressive movement on the' settlement, Major St.: John; -went out" with a' small body of military settlers 'to"re'c6m'j6itre.' '"Finding r the enemy 'iii"strpngeV force .than had, been anticipated, he was ~ afraid" "to • risk an encounter, and 1 "quietly ''retired to Camp;" A 1 larger .force was at 'once organised, and sent' out under'Majbr Mair, the Resident Magistrate at OpotikiV After a long marchj under the cover of night, they ca'ine upon the Native encariipinent, and at ODce attacked Itr ' The Natives made a sharp resistance, and " tbok to flight, leaving eight' of ' their "riumber 1 dead, or so severely wounded as to J die" shortly afterwards, but helping off such others as could at all assist themselves. 'On the 'side' 1 of the' Military Settler's only one was slightly wounded. " On" the 'return . of ' the expedi- • .tion, Major Mair proceeded' toTauranga for reinforcements," the Opotiki settle- ! ment being very inefficiently garrisoned in the event I 'of ah attack by the Natives — an attack which was thought probable. ' The Sturt : is ''since in, 'but brings no further news.'"' :V" '' ' "*::■.■ , ' . The Travelling Prison Commission has bnen sitting Here all last week, and is' now taking its" departure for Nelson 1 . ' One day the town was on the gui imiey'not knowing what was up. • The- Judge drove to the gaol at 'seven o'clock one morning, accom- ; panie'd bytwoxTr'threebther gentlemen ; and pe'6ple' began ib'think'there must be an, execution," 'a "contdrnplate'd- ' outbreak^ i>T something equally serious/ The ComniissiGhytopped the whole Say, until halfpast five 'o'clock, seeing the .'prisoners'' at their' meals' and at' 'work, ahd examining into, the 1 e^'ery'-day" machinery: 1 Most 3 ofthem'had nev6r been 1 in -gaol 'so long 1 before say, hone of them." had' ever fare&'s'o w.ell in'one previously'; ioi' } [ instead ' of, p'articijia'ting ni-.the 'ordinary fare, 'as they ought tphaye done, the Sec- r retary't'6'iie' Commission -had provided '•& weU-fiUea ; hamper, 1 suclfas would /haVe '.done' 1 rib 'discredit'to EpsoitfDowns.' f v •"•' ' The ' Eeception ' * Commission 1 ' doe's' not make much progress owing to : its want of 'f undsi- ' ' 'j&most eyerythiiig 'requires t6'b y d ! d6he o'ri'the k'elf-^uppdf ting's^stemi 'Sofa r 1 as I can learn, the Governor willleave here' in the' Falcon; on the Bth of March,- unless

advices delaying the Prineefs, arrival vA Auckland considerably beyond the 21st, are. received by .the Sydney steamer due on the; 6th: The programme , includes a levee and ball at Auckland, dayatKawau, , ajvisitjto the!3ay of Islands, and then to. Wellington by; sea, calling at Tauranga. : At Wellington a ssta r of three of .four days' only,ia contemplated, .apdftli l en,a l trip,up. ) the; Wanganui river, -will leaye.H.R.H. free fot his promised South Island, tour. * Our> demonstration here bids fair to be .of a- very- quiet kind ; . quiet being the fashion fibje parlance for ...what , would ordinarily be termed "paltry." .Owing to. theref usalof the city rate- payers to sanction a'coritribution by the Town Board, thenext appeal was to the Provincial Government. , TlieExecutive declined contributing, on the ground that if it was illegal and -improper to spend the -city's, revenue-for a purely , city demonstration, it, must still li'i.innre so to appropriate the funds of the ' Province for such a purpose. The Committee seem to have a fear of testing the. public subscription . spheme, at, "any rate,, they have not yet resolved to try it. Some -ten to fifteen hundred Sunday School. children are reported to be practising the National Antheni and ,the Hun- , dredth ; Psalm ; a, subscription . .ball is adopted ;_a dinner at the Club, confined, almost exclusively i• to „the members thereof,, is. on on the tapis ;,the Qaledonian., ' Gathering postponed from New. Year's-, Day contemplates a' numerous attendance, if the Prince will graciously exhibit him-, self ; the tailors are busy preparing for the. levee ; sundry transparencies of wonderful'designs are being painted ; and the youngsters stand aghast at the unheard of , magnificence which a whole hundred. and. , ten pounds' worth of fireworks is to pro-, duce. -However, as in most other places . which the Duke ha 3 visited, the proposed reception .has been the. subject of eyij.,, prophecy," and, the reception itself .proved' successful, I have little doubt ■ but what : we shall do the thing as, creditably, as, considering . • our Kf ,circumstances, .ought. . reasonably to be. expected' of us.- ... \ > ■ . /'A subscription ball is to be given to the Governor and Xiady Bowen, on Thursday, in the', House of .Representatives, which. promisea 4 to be well attended. ; They. paid, a visit, to their marine residence atLowry Bajr on .Thursday, and were • somewhat astonished at its insignificance. ; A donation of twenty guineas to the Benevolent Society, reminds us of the old English gentleman who, while he feasted with the great, ne'er forgot the small, and gives us a favorable impression accordingly. .