FATALITY NEAR MOSGIEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2105, 28 June 1894, Page 10

FATALITY NEAR MOSGIEL.

An inquest was held on Thursday Afternoon at Mrs O'Kane's Commercial Hotel, Mosgiel, by Mr Carew and a jury of six (of whom Mr J. H; Inglis was chosen foreman) concerning .thef death of James Barrowman, b, farm labourer* who met his death the previous day. The facts elicited at the inquest were as* follow : — Deceased and a man named George 1 M'Leod went into a paddock belonging to Mij Wylie, at Wingatui, on Wednesday afternoon for a load of hay. Barrowman had a frame 1 dray, and wai driving two horses. The mcri loaded the dray and started for home. They 1 had travelled only about 10yds when the dray came in contact with a shed, and in trying to 1 get clear the near wheel got into a rut. Twd men named Owen and Wylie went to render" assistance, and the dray was partly unloaded i Several attempts were made to get the horses started again, and at last Barrowman turned their heads well to the otf side, and theo held the shafcer's bead. The horses made a start to pull, but instead of keeping to the off side, wheeled round again to the neat Bide, and Barrowman was jammed between the frame of the dray and the side of the building. His head wag terribly injured, the skull being fractured and the brain exposed. One of the men went for Dr Allan, but Barrowman expired about five or ten minutes after he arrived. He was unoonscious from the time the accident occurred to the time of his death. He was about 55 years of age, a single man, and had been in the colony about 27 years. A verdict was returned that he was accidentally killed while driving, from beiDg jammed between the dray and the house.

Circumstances alter cases! In the south there is weeping and wailing at the closing of hotels. In Hokiauga, however, two publicans do not intend to continue to keep their places open, deeming it a waste of money to take out licenses for them. The travelling public will be the sufferers in this instance.