MYSTERIOUS RAILWAY FATALITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 53

MYSTERIOUS RAILWAY FATALITY.

, MAN FOUND DEAD. ,Shortly after 7 p.m. on Monday information was taken to the Railway Station 'that the . body of. a man was lying on a loop-line about four chains south of the Rattray street railway crossing. Mr Duncan promptly procured assistance, and, on proceeding to the spot, found lying there, quite dead, the body of Mr A. E. Heycock, employed as a clerk in the office of the railway engineer. They found that death was probably caused by an injury to the head. At the back of the head there was a contused wound about 2in in length, and the left ear was abrased as if from dragging. It was, however, evident that death was mercifully sudden, for the body had not been dragged any distance. •. A clue to the fataliity was afterwards found. A shunting engine left the shed a few minutes after 6 o'clock, and the cowcatcher bore unmistakable 6igns of contact with a body. The engine merely came out for the purpose of shunting some trucks, and passed on its return journey a few minutes later. That fixes the time of the death at between 6 p.m. and 6.20 p.m Deceased, -who was about 35 years of age, was last seen when leaving his office at 5 p.m., and as far as is known he had no occasion to go in the direction of the spot at which he met his death. His residence was aj Pacific street, Roslyn, with •his. wife and two children. In his pocket was found a memorandum in pencil setting forth the address of Mr D. Wallace, goods agent. Deceased was under transfer to Ohakuna, on the North Main Trunk line, and it may be that he intended to arrange with Mr Wallace about transporting his furniture.

| The body was removed to the Morgue by the police, there to await an inquest. THE INQUEST. An inquest was held at the Morgue yesterday afternoon on the body of Arthur Edwin Heycock, railway clerk, who was found dead on Monday evening on the railway- line a few chains south of Rafctray street. The inquii-y was held before Jlr C. C Graham (coroner) and a jury, of j whom Mr A. M'Kenzae was chosen foreman. Mr J. Wilkinson appeared to watch the proceedings on behalf of deceased's relatives. « ' George Burnett, chief clerk ir the railway 1 engineer's office, stated that he had known ' deceased intimately for a^ considerable num- ! ber of years. vDeceasad tvas a clerk in the 1 office, and had attended to his duties as j usual on the day he met his death. He ! was in good health and spirits. Deceased , left the ojffice a few minutes after 5 p.m., j an(j under ordinary circumstances would ' have proceeded home at that time. To Mr Wilkinson : Deceased was a man of exemplary habits. To Sergeant King: Deceased was under instructions to transfer to a station in the North Island, but the arrangements for the j transfer had not been finally settled. The transfer in the first instance would not mean promotion, but there was every probability that promotion would follow in I April. Deceased did not like the idra of ! the transfer at first, but became reconciled . to it later on. "■ I Andrew Duncan, stationmaster at DunI edin, stated that he last saw deceased alive j about 3 o'clock on the afternoon of Monj day, on the platform, when he spoke to him I About 7.20 or 7.25 p.m. witness went about j four chains to the 6outh of Rattrav street, i and there found the body ( of deceased. There was a wound on the back of deceased's head through which the brain had been slightly scattered 1 . The body was on a goods road or siding parallel to the main line. A shunting engine which had passed over the route during the evening for three I trips was examined, and the underside of ■! the cow-catcher had blood marks. The engine would probably pass over the spot for the last time at about 7.10 p.m. The ■ body of deceased, when found, was not cold. * To Mr Wilkinson : There ras a private footway for railway people alongside the track where deceased's body was found. Deceased might have been going to a library in the vicinity, or he might have gone to see some of the alterations that were taking place. James M'Kay Henderson, fireman, stated' that at about- 7.30 p.m. on Monday he was going on an engine from the station to the eoods shed. After passing^ Rattray street he saw the body of a man lying on the rails. The body was that of de/'eased, and life was extinct. The head of the bodj was towards the rails. The locality where the body was found was not so brightly lighted as other parts, and was darkened by shadows from the goods sheds. To Mr Wilkinson : The impact of an engine with a body would probably Jse felt if the engine was travelling at a slow rate. James Hutchinson, shunter, stated that he was on duty on a shunting engine from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, and was standing on the step keeping a lookout. He passed the spot where deceased was found twice — at 6.7 p.m. and at 6.40 p.m. Be did not feel the engine < strikt anything. 1 The position he occupied on the step of the engine and on a foremost truck enabled I him to see everything on the line. The ! firat time the engine passed the spot there j were no trucks attached, but on thp second j occasion fchere were 19 trucks. He did not think the engine struck anvthintr while he ' was on it. The engine passed over the spot again at 7.10 p.m., but witness was not on it at that time. The second time witness's engine passed over the spot he was standing on the cow-catcher. To Mr Wilkinson : If anyone had been on the line witness would have seen him. He did not see anyone about. The first time witness passed over the spot he was standing on the foremost truck that was being propelled by the engine. David Wallace, good.s agent, stated that ! he concluded, from where the body was \ found, that no other than a shunting engine had struck it. The shunters would not be on the engine at 7.10 n.m. There was no evidence of the body havinsr been trailpd. The indications wore that the ©ngine struck deceased when there were no trucks being drawn or propelled. Witness had no business with deceased officially or privately, and he did not know how his (witness's) private address was found on the body. I A. previous witness, J. Hutchinson, here suggested that deceased might have b'ien walking close to the shunting line, and that he tripped and fell, and the cow-catcher of an engine then came along and struck him. Sergeant King: I understand deceased wa-5 seen on the railway platform at 6 p.m. Mr Duncan : Yes : I understand one of my clerks saw him on the station about that hour. Constable Fox gave evidence as to tho finding of the body. which was lying on its back. Tho head of the body was 6in or Bin from the rail. There wero two wounds on the head — one on the right side about 2in long, which was an irregular wound in a vertical direction, and had apparently been caused by coming in contact with something blunt. It seemed as if deceased wa« killed where the body was found lyLnjr. The crown of deceased's hat was indented, and was beside the body. j The Coroner said there seemed to be little doubt that deceased was killed where the body was found, and the mystery about the death was that none of those on the shunting engine had 6een the deceased. There was nothing to suggest that there had been any foul play. The thcoTy nut forward that deceased went along the line and tripped and fell, and was afterwards struck by an engine, was a reasonable one : j A verdict was returned that deceased . met his death through being struck by a railway engine, but as to how the accident i occurred there was no evidence to 6how. j

—In the United States and Canada 3000 cities and towns have a curfrx boll, which rings at 8 o'clock at night in the winter ■and 9 o'clock in the slimmer, ar.-d after that all children under 15 years of age. unless accompanied by parents or absent with leave, are compelled to b» at home, or are liable to arrest.