CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2250, 15 April 1897, Page 20

CASUALTIES.

■ A sad accident happened on the 7th inst. . to William DavidsoD, a son of Mr James David- [ son, storekeeper, of, the G'en.,Thelad, who was ' about 15 vaars of ag?, and a companion named Andrew Galloway, of about the same »ge, left; . the Glen to go shooting in the direction of the : Silverstrearn water race. The boys were each provided with a psa rifle, and at; mbsut halfi past 5 they stopped in a gully near Round Hill to pick watercress. GaUoway then proposed to gr> home, and leaving Davidson lying down he 1 seb off homewards. He had, however, only proceeded about a dozeu yards when he heard a i shot ; and returning to Davidson he fonnd tha latber shot in the 'forehead. Galloway at once , csoeed loudly, and'Mr'Kyd and Mrs Townley soon arrived on the ece.ae ; but Dividson oniy lived a few minutes affcar their arrival. The body was conveyed to Mr Davidson's house at the Glen. How the accident happened is not known, but it is surmised that in rising to follow hia companion Davidson ia some way touched the trigger of the rifb, with the resulo that the bullet lodges in his forehead. The deceased was a promising lad, and much sympathy is felt for the father and mother in their bereavement. An inquest was held on Thursday. The jury, after a. short retirement, expressed the opinion that a post mortem examiuafcion was not necessary, and returned a verdict that deceased was accidentaly killed by a gunshot wound self-inflicted. A peculiar accident happened at Auckland on the 6oh .to John Jackson, a labourer. He was standing outsids Shaw's Hotel, and being in the acb of leaning backwards to support himself against the verandah post he missed the posb and fell, striking his head against the floor. Blood squirted from hia ears, nose, and mouth, and Dr Buckley found that the man had received concussion of the brain. Ho now lies in a. dangerous condition. W. P. Smith, a middle-aged man, was found dead at the railway sfation. Hastings, on the 6th inst. Deceased had had a fit, but he partially recovered, and was lef c sitiing on a seat. At Christchurch on the 6bh a girl of 15, a daughter of Mr Corliss, of the telegraph office, died under ch'oroform . at the hospital while uodergoiug an operation for goitre. At the inquest. Dc Fjx, house surgeon, Et%ted that the girl was so bad with goitre when admitted tha.fc the operation was the only chance. He attributed death to asphyxia from goitre pressure, expedited by the ar;e3fchetic preventing her exercising the voluntary muscles. A verdict was lvturned accordingly to that effejt, the jary adding that every care had been fakeu. ' A grown-up daughter of William Birlh, ( Macetown, fell over the rooks into the Arrow i river bad, where she lay all Wednesday night,

7th, in the rain. She is fearfully cut and contused, but hops is entertained of her recovery. A man named William Benrose, 40 years oE agt*, was killed afc Oroigrove's lignite pit, Waikaia, oti Tuesday, 6th, afternoon by a fall of earth. William Sharpe, a well-known jockey, who recently rode in Nelson, died rather suddenly at Wellington on Saturday, supposed to be from heart disease. Alfred Seldon Buck, aged 38, a farmer afc Taita, Wellington, w«s killed on his farm by one of his own bulls. Deceased was very highly respected in the district. Michael James. Hunt, who has had 22 years' service in connection with the Magistrate's and Supremo Courts at Nelson, and who was at one time clerk of the court at Brightwater, died on Saturday, aged 68. Deceased was formerly in the OUgo police on the goldfields. His wife was buried only the previous Saturday. A yacht capsized in a squall in Auckland Harbour on Thursday and sank. Messrs Gavnctb and Kennedy, two of those on board, kept Mr Milson, who could not swim, afloat till rescued. | A stabbing affray occurred on board the steamer Mamari at Auckland near midnight on the 10th. The man stabbed is J. Morton, a lamp trimmer. Robert Wedall, an A.8., has been arrested on a charge of woundiug with intent to do bodily harm. Morton remains on the ship with » ddop wound 4in loDg on his face. Catherine Taylor Whyte, an unmarried woman, living in Castle street, was found dead in her bed shortly after noon on Friday lasfc. From the evidence given at the inquest held before Mr E. H. Carew (distriofc coroner) and a ju p y of six on Saturday, it seems that the deceased had been ailing for some time and had boon atteuded by Dr Coughtrey, who attributed her death to apoplexy. James Robertson, brother-in-law to the decettsed, who frequently visited her, stated that ab usual he called on her on Friday about midday, and failing to g<»in entrance by knocking at the door he climbpd in through the window, and found her lying d .'ad on a couch on whioh she was accugtjnied bj sleep. Ths medical evidence pointed to the fact that death must have occurred betweeu midnight and 8 a.m. The jury returned a verdiot " Death from apoplexy." A checking accident occurred at tho Wood* stock Co. 'a mine, Paeroa, Auckland, on Saturday, with the resultth at Patrick Wall, 28 years of age, was killed. Deceased, with others, was employed in blasting, and having fired the fuses they retired until the explosion took place. Walsh'* fusa did not explode with the rest, bo deceased, thinking he had not spit led the charge effectively, wont over to it, but on reaching the place the explosion took place. Walsh received the full force in his fice and chest. One of his eyes was blown out, both his arms were reduced to pulp, and a stone entered his chest and passed iuto the left litßg. Medical aid was summoned, but deceased died two hours ! later. At the inquest held on Monday a verdict of " Accidental <les.th " was returned, no blame | being attachable to anyone. Two jockeys ridlDg in the Hurdle R*ce at the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting *t .Potter's paddock on Saturday wero thrown during the progress of the race, and had to bs conveyed to the hospital, Alfred Patterson goS his kuee injured, 1 bat no boties are broken, while Alexander Long got his leg cut with a spue. Peter Lassen, aged 18, belonging to Bunnythorps, wiß on Monday driving two horses attached to a dray up the bank of the Oroua River, when the dray upset, and Lassen's neck was broken. On Thursday night the infant son of Mr Thomns Berry, farmer, Hedgehops, died ruddenly. Ho had been playing with an ink botU<r — supposed to bo vropfcy — and came runniug in with bis hsndu on his stomach aud aikod tor a drink, and in a short time was dead. The coroner doe< not think &v inquest necessary. — Southland Times. A son of Mr Moir, Hillend, had his thigh broken one day lssb week. On Ihe skh insb., while George Irwiu, son of. Mr Irwin, Waiwera, was feeding n strange horse which had arrived from Dunediu, ib tuddenly kicked out at him violently on the knee, displacing the kneecap. On Saturday, the 3rd, while Mr George Thomson was driving his sister-in-law, Miss Maggie Corson. of Kaitangata, from Stirling to Balclu'ha, the buggy camo into collision with a b&ker's cart. They were arranging a rug at the time, and neither Mr Thomson nor Miss Corson saw the cart uutil they were on to it. They were both thrown violently to the ground, and Miss Corson was seriously hurt. Dr FJeming waa soon in attendance, and had her conveyed iv an ambulance waggou to Mr Thomson's residence, where it was found that the spine was badly injured.