SHOOTING ACCIDENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 8

SHOOTING ACCIDENT.

A MAN FATALLY INJURED. CHRISTCHURCH, October 9. Arthur Edward James, a resident of Sydenham, died in the hospital last night as the result of gunshot wounds received during the afternoon. James, with two companions named Kennard and Mather, was shooting hares near Kirwee,. 25 miles from Christchurch, when the accident occurred. Kennard was climbing over a gate with his gun at full cock. The gun went off, and the shot hit James, wno was sitting by the roadside, in the head, arms, and chest, inflicting severe wounds. The injured man was brought back to Christchurch in the evening, and died soon after admission to the- hospital. An inquest was held this afternoon by Mr H. W. Bishop (coroner).. George Sydney Kennard, labourer, said he was 29 years of age and single. He had known the -deceased for about five years, and they had been very good friends. After Mather left them deceased and witness were in a plantation of trees. No hares were to be seen. They went through several paddocks until they got tired. The deceased said they had had enough, and they sat down in the shade of the hedge waiting for Mather to return. They were sitting there talking when a hare came >ut and crossed the road. Witness said to deceased " Come on," but the deceased said he had had enough, so witness went in pursuit of the hare himself. He got' over the gate and searched for the hare, but could see no trace of it, so he went to return to where he had been sitting. He had to get over the same gate again, -and >vhile he was doing so his gun, which was in his left hand, exploded and shot th 3 deceased, who was reclining with his head on his hand just opposite the gate. Witness did not know that deceased was shot until he saw blood issuing from him. Tho deceased was unconscious, and never spoke. Tho gun, which was a double-barrelled breech-loader, was at full cock. The gun belonged to deceased's father.. He had fired from it several times that day. Ho thought that a loose end of barbed wire on the gate must have caught the trigger. He was accustomed to the use of guns. Deceased was looking away from the gun when witness was getting over the gate. Deceased ' was fully a chain away, and was lying with his back to the road as witness got over. The whole occurrence wasTpurely accidental. The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased died from a gunshot wound, accidentally inflicted. The only evidence on the' matter was that of Kennard, and he saw no reason for disbelieving it..