CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2260, 24 June 1897, Page 24

CASUALTIES.

W. Harper, an old resident of Kanieri, was found dead in bed on tbe 15th. Smoke was observed coming from the house where deceased lived by himself, and the neighbours went in and found Harper apparently j suffocated. He must have been reading in ! bed and have fallen asleep, leaving a candle burning on a box beside him. On the candle burning down it is supposed the box took fire, and the smoke suffocated the unfortunate man. The flames were ascending the wall when the neighbours entered. The deceased was about 60 years of age and was greatly respected. A painfully suddsu death (information of which waa not telegraphed) occurred at , the Wellington Hospital on Saturday, the 12fch. Mr Frank Btssett, a farmer at Ohariu, and a son of Mr Bassett, postmaster at that place, entered the institution for the purpose of going under an operation for an injury to one of his knees. He was placed under chloroform in the presence of Dra Cahill, Martin, James, Pollen, aud Birart, but before the operation could be commenced he collapsed, and all efforts to restore vitality were unavailing. Mr R. M. Houston, M.H.R., accidentally fell down a flight of steps at Awanui, Auckland, one day last week, and broke one of his ribs. He is now slowly recovering at his homo at Mongonui. A boy named George lies, 18 years of age, had the top of his thumb cut off and three fingers badly lacerated by a circular saw at Mr J. Marlow's cabinet factory on the 15th. The lad had his injuries dressed at the hospital. A young man named Anderson was found in an unconscious state in Campbell's stables at Waihi on tha 16th. He had been kicked by a horse and his skull was fractured. His condition is critical. Eleanor Preston, a young woman, while riding a bicycle to Evans Bay, Wellington, fell over the edge of the road on to the rocks below and sustained very serious injuries, including a compound fracture of the pelvic bone. j Some excitement was caused in Gforge street on the 16th inst. by the bolting of a pair of horses attached to a cab. They tore down the street until opposite the premises of Duthie Bros. (Limited), where, in dashing between a tramcar and a coal cart, both of which were going north, they came into violent collision with the horse drawing the Utter. The shock of the impact released the horses from each vehicle, and the pole of the cart, which belonged to Messrs Boiton and Carnie, was snapped off almost at its bottom. ' The cab, on which there was no driver, was comparatively little injured, and the horses escaped without hurt. A young man named B. Breakwell, a grocer in Auckland, committed saicide on Thursday by cutting his throat with a razor. He got out of bed, went to the washhouse, held his head over the sink, and drew tha r«zor across his throat, and in a few minutes bled ro death. His wife went for a doctor and the police, who found the man dead. He had started business as a grocer last Saturday. His suicide is attributed co

domestic troubles. At the inquest a verdict of " Temporary insanity " was returned. He came from America some vsars ago, and leaves a, young wife and one child. No reason was disclosed in the evidence to cause him to do the rash act. Breakwell had his life insured for £300, aDd had recently purchased a house in which he resided. Mrs Breakwell said she knew no cause for her husband's act. A juryman stated that he heard Breakwell had backed a bill for a friend, which had been dishonoured. Mrs Breakwell said she had heard nothing ot that. Mr H. Sinclair Thomson, late Inspector of Stock in South Canterbury, died on Thuraday after a brief illness. He had been about 40 years in the coleny, and was at one time the owner of Wanaka West station. On Thursday afternoon Mrs Janet Hepburn, who was liberated from the Sunnyside Asylum on leave, was missed from her daughter's residence on the South Belt. Later in the day she was found dead in an empty outhouse at the rear of the premises. A boy named Claud Robison, 15 years of age, sustained a fracture of the leg at Catlins on Thursday. Ho was chopping down a tree, when a portiou fell upon him. He received medicat treatment at Balclutha, and was on Friday removed to the Dunedin Hospital, The little fellow, is bearing his painful injury manfully. A bolt took place on Friday in Princes street, and resulted in the a man named Alexander Winton, sustaining rather severe injuries. He was changing the bridle of a horse attached to a spring carb in front of Mr Bell's saddler's shop, when the animal took fright, and started off at a furious pace. Winton hung on till he was knocked down and I ran over by tte vehicle, aud the horse continuing on his *>**y ran into Bond street, where it was broajjh* to a standstill, the cart being smashed to p'sces. Meantime Winton was taken to the hospital, where his injuries were ; found to consist of a fractured rib aud an ! injured knee. ! James Hobbs, a patient in the Lunatic Asylum at Wellington, was found drowned in th* harbour there on Saturday. At the inquest : the evidence showed that the deceased had been an inmate of the asylum for 13 years, but was , harmless, and on certain occasions was granted [ leave to go and see his wife Having stayed ' away all one night, his leave was restricted, i and on the present occasion he left without leave. The decease d went to work with other ' lunatics on Friday, but got away without; being seeu. He vis'ted his wife and left on his j return to the institution ab 4.30 p.m., and bo far as was known he was not again seen alive. The jury returned a verdict that the deceased wan tcund drowned, and that Hobbs was absent without leave. In the football match betweea the Pirates and Kaikorai on Saturday Shand, of the former team, had his oollarhoue dislocated.