CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2252, 29 April 1897, Page 24

CASUALTIES.

Two ladi named George and Murphy, each 13 years of age, were shooting at W <<iviUe with a pea rifle, when the gun accidentally went off. The pellet entered Murphy's nose near the lefc eye, and must have penetrated the brain, as he died two hours later. At the Fairlie races on the 20th, at the finis a of. the la9t race, * horse ran eff the course into the crowd and knocked down several ptople. Tbe animal then fell and rolled over bis rider, , Fox. The jockey, who wss unconscious for hours, had some of his ribs brpken by stones carried in his pockets in order to make up vreight. Angus M'Master, a settler, leceived a scalp wound. He was struck by the hoof of the horse, and was unconscious for seme time, but was able to go home. Tho others were unhurt. Bruncer was thrown into a state of excitement on the 11th iuet. when it became known thit Mr John Gray, jun., had committed suicide by jumping off the top of the railing on tha Wallsend-Taylorville footbridge in'.o the Bwift-iunuing stream, 40Fb blow. It seems (says the Grey Star) that deceased was walking along with a younger brother, aud when halfway across the bridge said he would take a dive, and, suiting tte action to the wordi, jumped over the rail into the stream, which at the time "was in high flood. On reaching the water Gray roie to the surface and bade his brother goodbye. The current speedily carried him down stream till opposite Rocky Island, where he sank and was never seeu again. The deceased, who was 27 years of age, was a steady, sober, and industrious man, who appeared to live happily with all round him, and his suicide is therefore all the more unaccountable. As be was a powerful swimmer it is possible that he never contemplated suicide, believing in his ability to safely negotiate the current. He leaves a wife and child. A youDg man named George Wark, son of R. Wark of Opawa, was found dead on the 21st) inst. in his cilice at the warehouse of Messrs P. j Hayman and Co., in whose employ deceased j wa*. ' Mrs LemoD, of Killinchy, was killed at ] Rtkaia at 7 p.m. on the 21st by falling between a ] railway carriage and the platform. ] An inquest was held oa the body of Roberb ■ Corlett, a seaman, supposed to be a native oE LondoD, aged 56, whose body was found suspended to a stringer of the Bluff wharf on Thursday morning by the arm. Coilett shipped in the Liira for London on the Ist inst., and on the 9th the captain repotted thab he and another seaman had deierted. The latter was apprehended, but nothing wss seen of Corlett till tte body was found. He was last seen going down tbe wharf on the night of the Bth to the vessel. He had been drinking, but was supposed to be able to take cure of himself. The electric light on tbe wharf was cot in uso that night. A verdict of fonnd drowned was returned. Corlett bad been working at the freezing works before he shipped. It has been found necessary to remove the eye of Cuthberb Cowarj, jun., of Inve-cargill, injured by a gun shot last week. A man named David Lenon was killed at Ltuiiston Canterbury, on Thursday, through his horse, which was seized with a fit of the Btaggers, falling on him and crushing him eeverely. Peter Smith, a halfcaste, living near Picton, «&■ drowned off Waikanae bar. He w&i a member oE the crew of tha cutter Nai, from Ficton, and was thrown into the water by a sudden lurch in a heavy sea. The dingey be'ng washed away, no attempt could be made to save him, The body has been recovered off Wsikanae. A Native named Horomona. Ta. Paravrakn, living near Eketahuna, was found dead in his bed. He apparently .passed away in sleep. The deceased is said to be 99 years of age. Durirg the voyage of the b&rque Dundale from Liverpool an able seaman named Leopold Hildfrb, aged 21, fell from aloft aud was killed. The body of a man, reported to be Robert Pirmey, & labourer, aged about 40, was found in the Waipoua River, near Masterton. There are no indications rr to how h« was drowaed. Arthur Sweele, 61 years of age, was found dead on the Epsom reserve. Auckland on Saturday, ljing on.his swag. There were no marks of violence. It is supposed he died from heait disease. He was formerly » tradesman in Auckland, aud a man of means. The post mcrtem showed that death was due to pericardites. A boy named Ernest BT'Keach met with an accident at Messrs A. and T. Burt's on Saturday morning which necessitated bis being taken to the hospital. He wss in the ret of putting a belt on a pulley when his arm was caught and drawn iD, tnd^he limb fractured. After being attended to ab the hospital ha weut home. A eiogular fatality is reported trom Glenalvon Boarding-house, Auckland. Alexander Roger M'Kellar, atayicg there fo* the last four years, went into the garden wi-h a pea-rifle, ii-trnd-ing to shoot cats, as they kept him »wake. Liter on a Bhot was heard, and the gardener found M'Kellar dead with a bullet holo iv Irs forehetd. The deceased was a single mau, 32 jears of age, and was about to be married. He was a native cf Bfc. Andiews, Scotland, and is said to have spent some years in Ceylon, where he was erigaged in tho te* trade. He leaves a brother in Ceylon, who is a tea>plant,er. Since his residtnee at Gleualvcn deceased has had good health, but was attended some time ago by Dr MKellar. On Sunday he complained of Bufloriug from neuralgia. The two-year-old daughter of Mr J. Campbell, of Ra^laD, Auckland, difd tn Monday from burns cau«ed by her dress catching fice. A schoolboy named France Hesketh, aged 10, was drowned while playing on logs at Te Kopurn, Auckland, on Monday, An irquesfc wes commenced at H&wera on Saturday touching the death of E3*il Mason, a girl aged 22, of Kaponga. The evidecce so far indicates that death was due to poisoning, but how or by whom the poiton was administered has not yeb transpired. The inque6t resumes ou M*y 11. The contents of the girl's stomach have been sent to the Government analyst. Aruzus t\ Kay { a well-known Southland

I farmer, was killed at Balfour through the whee • of his dray, loaded with timber, passing over him. The horse bolted, and Kay retaiued hold i of the reins till he was thrown down. [ R. Meakin, an engine driver, was shot in the arm at Riverton on Saturday by a, boy, who picked up a gun, not knowing it was loaded. ! Meakin was only a few feet off, and the limb j near the elbow was fearfully lacerated. ■ A man Darned Samuel FultoD, 70 ypars of ; age, was admitted to the hospital on Monday evening for medical treatment. Fu'.ton, who resides in King street, was assisting in the un- | loading of a dray, when he fell off the vehicle, i and, striking the kerbstone in his descent, frac- ) tured several of his rib 3.