CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3352, 12 June 1918, Page 43

CASUALTIES.

Jesse Vallely, single, aged 29 years, was shooting, game with two brothers named Langguth, when one of the latter fell, this caus.ng the cartridge to explode. The shot badly fractured Vallely's right leg. He was admitted to Auckland hospital, and died three hours later. He was in both naval landings ab Gallipoli, and was wounded at the second landing. The TaranaJci Herald reports that the death occurred at 6 o'clock on Thursday, 30'th ult. at the New Plymouth Hospital of Mr Robert Kilpatrick, a well-known farmer. The deceased was admitted to the hospital as the result of injuries he reoeived on May 23 through a log falling across his body. Ho was a married man with four children, and was about 37 years of age.

A verdict of accidental death wae returned at the inquest on the body of Jesse Yallcly, who died in the Auckland Hospital on the 4th as the result of a gunshot wound received while out shooting with two companions the previous day. The body of John Mowbray Rodgers was found in the Upper Harbour, Dunedin, on the sth, near the Kitchener street wharf. The deceased, a returned soldier, was missed from his home, in Hanover street, on May 10 and his. disappearance was shortly afterwards reported to the police, who, from the evidence afforded them, dragged over a portion of the harbour near the wharves, but without success. The body was very much decompcsed,_ but was recognised by tattoo marks upon it and by the clothing. While the express from Wellington was passing down the spiral arc at Riuirimu at night a stone weighing about six pounds crashed through the window of a second class carriage, having evidently been dislodged from the cutting. Mr and Mrs D. G- Cooper, of Richmond (Nelson) had a narrow escape, tho missile passing between them.

At 4 a.m. on Tuesday, 4th inst., Private John Tarbet, of the Wairarapa, a returned soldier, walking in his sleep, fell off a fire escape connected with the Occidental Hotel, Wellington, and broke one of his logs. He is now in the hospital (says the Post). Ho fell a considerable distance, and his escape from more serious injury was little short of miraculous. Advice from Tuparoa states that Mrs Petherbridgo, wife of the licensee of the Tuparoa Hotel, fell through a trapdoor from the bar to the cellar on the 2nd, and is still unconscious It took four days to got a doctor to her. A serious accident occurred on the Wellington wharf on the 7th. The gangway leading from a crane to a vessel broke, owing, it is stated, to the weight of the numbe; of men who wore going up on the way back to work on tho vessel. Several men were injured. Three —Thomas Jones, David M'Cann, and Robert Freeman, were taken to tho hospital, suffering from injuries to the. legs and bodies, and others received first aid treatment from tho Harbour Board Thomas Samuel, probably the best known man in the Buller district, died some time between the 2nd and 3dd inst., says the Westport News. He was about ai usual early on Sunday, but was not seen again until his body was found in the garage by his assistant, on Monday at 10 a couch, he had a rug over him, and the end of a gas tube in his mouth, tho tube being connected with a bnrnc-i and tho gas turned on. It was a sad ending to a life full of incident. The late Mr Samuel was a Welshman, a miner bv occupation, but in his time was engine-driver, winchdriver, soaman, fireman, gold miner, handy man, and at the. time of his death, a motorcar owner and driver. He claimed to bo

ono of the founders of the Miners' Union at Dcnniston. He also worked in fcho Shag Point mine, and in other coal mines, lie was a Welshman to the core—an ardent admirer of his countryman, Lloyd George, whom ho_ never ceased to quote in his speeches in which he wa3 prone to indulge at meetings of local bodies or at street ■> corners. At the inquest a verdict of suicide while temporarily insane was returned.

Albert Rose, 45 years of age, clerk to tho Mount Wellington Road Board, while mending the roof on his residence at Whitford, sent a man who was assisting him to get Fome tools. When the man returned Mr Ross was missing, and was found in a tank of water by the side of the building. He died while being lifted out. Feilding had a bad week-end in the way of motor car accidents. On Friday evening Mr E. G. S'tapp, the local postmaster, while -walking along a street, was struck by a car coming behind, and carried or knocked 20ft. No bones were broken, but he was very much bruised, and will be laid up for some days. On Saturday nipht a telegraph messenger named R._ J. Christofferson was much more seriously injured. While riding to work he was knocked down by a car. When picked up ho was unconscious, and it was found that his skull had been fractured and an oar had been torn off. Thero were other injuries. He was taken to tho Palmerston Hospital, and latest advice is to tho effect that he is still in a dangeroue condition. He is tho oldest son of his widowed mother.

In another accident two cars met head on while travelling along Awahuvi road. The cars were damaged, but the occupants were unhurt. Two ladies driving a gig along the road collided with the wrecked cars, but again no one was hurt. William Roberts, a boy of eight years, whoso parents live at No. 60 Heriot row, was admitted to the Hospital on the 9th, suffering trom serious injuries to both eyes, caused by tho explosion of a cartridge which he had found, and to which he had ap , - , i'-'d a lighted match.

On 'the 4th (states tho Timaru Post) the police at Geraldine were notified that a woman named Mary Anne Daire, aged 53, was found on the floor of a email cottage at tho end of the town, apparently in a fit. Constable Callanan summoned medical assistance and tho woman was removed to a private hospital, where she died shortly after she was admitted. A medical man certified that death was due to epilepsy, to which tho woman had' been a subject for a long time. She lived by herself in uncomfortable surroundings, though she had a banking •account and had some hundreds, of nounds to her credit.

Tho body of Harold S. Thomson, aged 47 years, missing from Auckland since Fridav. has been found in Judge's Bay. Dr George Saunders, of Johnsonville, met with a serious accident on Saturday, resulting in a broken thigh and a fracture of tha skull. He had been attending a patient at Tawa Flat, and was returning homeward in the darkness of the early morning, when hia man went ahead with a lamp to light tho road, and somehow the car got out of control and crashed down a 40ft bank. Tho do" was taken to Wellington. Whilst cleaning a gun on the 9th a lad, aged 1? years, son of Mr Arthur Robinson, of Rotomanu. accidentally shot his brother, 4£ years old. Death was almost instantaneous.

William James M'Leod, aged 15, was killed at the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills on Saturday afternoon, beng struck on tho temple by a steel rod which was being drawn from a warp frame. Mr Peter Clarkin, aged 53 years, a labourer, was run over by a motor car at Halswell on Saturday night, and died before reaching the hospital. Deceased and another man were walking along the road, when the motor car came along and knocked him down. The verdict was " Accidental death."

After lying in a serious condition for two days, a man named Michael Ross died in the Wellington Hospital just before midnight on Friday. It is reported that Ro&s was knocked down by a tram on Wednesday night, and was then arrested and locked up on a charge of drunkenness. The following morning he was found to be suffering from severe injury, and was removed to the hospital for trea'tment. The 15-months-old eon of Mr W. H. Paterson. of Awamoa, met an untimely end at the residence of his father on Saturday afternoon (reports the Oamaru Mail). The child was playing about in the backyard, and later was missed by Mrs Baterson. A search was immediately made, and the child's body was discovered in an artificial lake at the back of the house. At the inquest yesterday morning the fatherof deceased said that he saw the child alive at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and did not see him again until 3.15 p.m.. when he wa3 being taken out of the pond. Iris M. ■Paterson, sister of deceased, said that she last saw him alive at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, when he was toddling about the backyard. She did not anticipate any danger from the pond, but when she next saw him he was being lifted from the water. < A verdict of accidental death by drowning was returned.