CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2369, 27 July 1899, Page 28

CASUALTIES.

An elderly woman, named Mrs George Coppin, is missing from her home ab Makauri, H.B. She had been suffering from insomnia, and took an opiate on the 17th, but left home during the night, and lias not been seen since. Her hat has been found near the river, which is being dragged by a search party. Mary Ann Porter, 67 years of age, was killed "near Stratford, N.1., on the 19th inst. through the overturning of a dray in which she was coming to Stratford. At the inquest in the evening a verdict of "Accidental death" was returned. The evidence showed that the driver had stopped his team to give them water, but they started off and ran off the road into a swamp. The woman. was carried to the Toko Hotel, but she died before a doctor arrived. Constable Poland, one of the best-known members of the force in Wellington, slipped in getting off an express on the 19th and fractured the small bone of his ankle. Jonathan Kay, an old man, who was remanded from the Christchurch Magistrate's Court to Lyttelton on the 19th for medical treatment, died in the gaol shortly after being admitted. Deceased, who was charged with being drunk, appeared in the court in a wretched condition, and on the Avay to the railway station had a couple of fits. He reached Lyttelton at 11.20 a.m.. and was taken to the gaol in a cart, but gradually sank, and died at 1.15 p.m. On the 19th inst. a wharf labourer named H. Jones, while working in the hold of the Talune at Lyttelton, met with a severe accident. A sling of grain was being lowered into the hold, when it swung round, and, striking the side of the hatch, fell on him. He was badly crushed. A sad drowning case is reported from Alexandra South, the victim being a young man named James Smith, who was employed on the Earnscleugh No. 1 dredge. The accident took place at 8 o'clock on Thursday morning. It appears at that hour deceased and another man named Merritt, who was working on the same shift, were about to cross the river in Uha dredge's boat, and when rounding the stern of the dredge the boat by some means capsized. Merritt succeeded in swimming ashore, but Smith was carried away by the swift current and drowned. He Avas 28 years of age, unmarried, and belonged to Millers Flat. He formerly worked, it is stated, on the Eureka dredge. The body has not yet been recovered. It is reported from Naseby that a man named Frederick Jelly, employed at the railway works at Wedderburn, died suddenly whilst having his breakfast on Tlmrsmorning. A sudden death took place at North Dunedin on Thursday afternoon, Mrs Gray, living in Eden street, having been found dead sitting in a chair. Mrs Gray is the wife of the chief officer of the Monowai. A gumdigger named Thomas M'Carthy, aged 60, hung himself at Lucas Creek, Auckland. He has been eccentric for some time. He has no relatives in the colony, and is a native of Cork. John Young, an old resident of Alexandra, and a miner by occupation, was found dead in his hut on Friday morning, and heart disease is supposed to have caused death. He was well-known in sporting circles, and was for some years secretary of the local Jockey Club. An inquest was held on Friday afternoon touching the death of Emma Sussanah Thorn Graham, who died suddenly at her residence in Eden street on Thursday afternoon. The evidence elicited the fact that deceased was 39 years of age, and was the wife of John Graham, clvief officer of the Unton S. S. Company's Monowai. She was in her usual health when her son (about 17 j'ears of age) came home to his dinner. She gave liim his dinner, and he left for his work again. A younger son came hom6 from school some time later, and found his' mother sit,tin£ in a cb,air x

apparently dead. A neighbour was called] in and medical aid was summoned, but life was found to be quite extinct. Dr Martin gave evidence that 'he had attended deceased some time ago. He expressed the opinion that dea-th was due to syncope. A verdict to that effect was returned. A young man named Charles Cawkwell was killed when felling a tree at Teranamo, Auckland. A verdict of " Accidental death" was returned. A lad, eight years old, named Patrick Joseph Hogan, fell off a ladder in a building in Christchurch in course of construction, and died of concussion of the brain, on Saturday night. A girl named Agnes Reynith, who was kicked by a horse at PigeSn Bay, Canterbury, died at the Christchurch Hospital on Saturday night from the injuries. A boy, aged five years, named Frank Joseph Triganer, was run over by a cab in Christchurch on Saturday and killed. Afc the inquest a verdict of "Accidental death" was returned, and exonerating the cabdriver from blame. Early on Sunday morning, while driving into Port Chalmers with milk, Mr Alexander Boyd noticed what he thought w-as the body of a man laying in the watertable on the Sawyers' Bay road, aboufe eight chains distant from, the Presbyterian manse and Mr Pratley's store. He hastened to the Port and acquainted the police. Sergeant Geerin with Constable M'Quarrie at once proceeded to the place, and found the dead body of a- woman, which Mr Pratley identified as that of Mrs Jessie M'Sweeney, a resident of Sawyers' Bay. Sergeant Geerin at once had the body removed to Port Chalmers morgue, where it was seen by Dr Borrie, who was of opinion that life had been extinct for some hours. There were no marks of violence, and no signs of the probable cause of death. The deceased woman was about 60 years of age, married, and living apart from her husband in a small tworoomed tenement in Sawyers' Bay. A post office employee named Easton met with a slight accident on Saturday morning. Ho was driving round clearing pillar boxes when the horse slipped on the frozen roadway and fell, throwing the driver out of the trap. Beyond a bruised knee and a shaking he was not badly hurt, and was back at hia work during tho day. At the inquest at Auckland on T. M'Carthy, gumdigger, a verdict was returned of temporary insanity. Deceased had made two attempts to hang himself. The first time the rope broke. The second time he stood on a box and jumped off, breaking his neck. Leon Simon, a brewer, committed suicide at Wanganui by shooting himself with a, revolver in an outhouse at the rear of hia" residence on Saturday. Three wounds were inflicted — two in the throat and one in the mouth. Deceased was an old West Coaster, and highly respected. The recent death of his brother and business worries are the supposed causes which led to the perpetration of ther act. Deceased leaves a widow and one daughter.