FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE SOUIHERN RAILWAY LINE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1486, 8 May 1880, Page 17

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE SOUIHERN RAILWAY LINE.

At Waihola, on Tuesday night, a man named James Deakin (or Dukin) was kil'cd onthe railway line. Ma bad been at Tokomairiro daring the day, and left there by the 5 p.m. pft6snnc[er train (which arrives in town at 7.30 p.m.) for Henley. Ho was under the influence of liquor. He left the train at Waihoia, and, we believe, had a drink at the hotel there. It was stated that the guard of the train objected to his re-entering it as ho was in liquor, but we do not know that this is correct. At any rate he remained at Waihola. The accident was discovered when tha late goods train caino along. This had got a few chains on the Dunedin side of Waihola, when the driver felt a shock, and on the train beiDg pulled up the man's body was found on Ihe raito in a horribly mutilated condition, one foot being cut right f.ff. The line was then examined, aDd some yards back a pool of blood was discovered alongside the rail*, so that the body had been dra&ged a little distance. From the iact that the'body was quite cold when it was found, and that the back of the&kull is very badly bruised and broken, the pool of blood evidently being accounted for by this, it is conjectured thatDeakiu must have got upon ona of the waggons cf a goods train which passed between 6 and 7 ia the evening, and that he must have fallen iron!, this and been killed. Thus when Uielater train cameup he must, have been already dead. All this, however, is conjecture, and the facts will probably come out at the inquest fo ba held on Friday. Deakin was a middle aged man, unmarried, and had been labouring .V. contract work for some time on the Henley Estate. Fte id also understood to have been shepherding previously at Lower Waipori, ami to have been engaged on Messrs Ritchie Brothers' Terrace Range Station there.

Racing Fixtures, May 24— Dunedin Winter Meeting. May 24— Itiverton Annual Races. May 24— Grand National Steeplechases (Christchurch) May 24— Tapanui (Otago) Winter. May 24— Wyndham (Otago) Winter. May 24— Ettrick (Otago) Winter. June 2— Waimate (Canterbury) Steeplechase. June 19 — Wanganui (Wellington) Steeplechase