CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3382, 8 January 1919, Page 22

CASUALTIES.

Information came to hand on the 30th that Mrs Owen, 47 years of age, a resident of Windsor, near Oamaru, was found drowned. The circumstances point to suioide.

Mrs Janet M'Donald l , aged 70 years, expired quite suddenly on the Mosgiel railway station on Monday, 30th ult. She was a resident of M'Millan street, Roslyn, but she had recently been staying with her married daughter at Mosgiel. She was saying good-bye to the daughter at Mosgiel station when she had the seizure that ended fatally. Mrs M'Donald had been previously attended in Dunedin by Dr Fitchett, who expressed the opinion that deceased was suffering from heart disease, which might terminate fatally at any time. Clarence Lewis, aged 28, died in Auckland Hospital on the 28th ult. as tho result of injuries sustained on December- 22 through falling on a hayfork while harvesting. A fatal accident took place in Greymouth on Christmas evening, resulting in the death of Leon Nicholas Roehford, a little fellow of six and a-half years old. It happened that the little boy was playing on the road with some other children when a car struck him on tho side of the head, killing him instantly. . The body of Allan Sherman, aged 19 years, who had been missing from his home at Waitakere since Boxing Day, was .found half a mile from his house. A drowning fatality occurred at Devonport on the 2nd, whereby Alice- Murray, aged 23 years, and Anstice Rainbow, a girl of 10 years, lost their lives, while Alma Rainbow, aged 15 years, a sister of the latter, was brought ashore in an unconscious condition and afterwards restored to consciousness by artificial respiration. _ The y were members of a party of young girls and men who went to bathe off tne King s parade at Devonport about 10 o'clock in the morning. After having been in the water for some time, one, Alma Rainbow, was heard shouting for assistance, and her sister also appeared to be in difficulties. A youth named Victor Murray, who had just come out of the water, immediately went to their assistance, and managed to obtain hold of both the girls, who were then locked in each other's arms. At this stage Mr W. J. Parker, of Devonport, who was on the beach, dashed into the water, and assisted in getting the swimmers ashore. First aid was immediately applied, and tho elder of the Misses Rainbow was restored to consciousness, but all efforts were unavailing in the case of her sister. "While these girls were being attended to, it was discovered that Miss Murray was missing, and no one seemed to have noticed her disappearance or to have seen her in difficulties. The body was subsequently found floating-in tho water near the spot where the accident occurred. . When a train from Fafrlie arrived at tho Mawaro siding on the 2nd inst. the guard found a boy named Brosnahan, aged 11 years, lying in the siding line with one leg almost severed and bleeding profusely. After applying first-aid, the guard brought the boy to Timaru, and he was taken to the hospital. His parents live at Mawaro. It appears that the boy had gone to the siding alone, and it is presumed that he had been amusing himself by starting trucks, and as the lino has an inclined grade he would not be able to stop one in motion. The little fellow bore his injuries stoically. Jane M'Donald, a single woman, who resided with her brothers, who are sheepfarmers at Hindon, dropped dead on > the Hindon Railway Station on the 2nd inst. The- deceased had been running after a dog, and it is surmised that the exertion had affected her heart. She was 35 years of age. Alfred Eriokson, a single man, aged 49, employed at Ancell's flax mill, Featherston, went in for a swim at Day's Bay at 4 o'clock on Wednesday morning, and died in the water. He had suffered from heart trouble. Mrs Ferguson, of Darfield, who, with her husband and baby, met with a motor, cycle accident on the Riccarton road recently, and who was operated upon for a fractured leg, died at the Christchurch Hospital early on the 30th ult, Adam Crabb, 10 years of age, who was camping on the coast five miles from Thames, was missed on the 2nd instant. Search parties scoured the bush and' the seashore, and the boy's body was found next morning' in a creek near the camp. The boy was a "member of a camping party from Hamilton. The evidence given at the inquest indicated that the boy fell from a pohutakawa tree into the bed of the creek, and died from internal injuries. A verdict of accidental death was returned. The Christchurch police received information on Thursday that a child named Norah Margaret Bates, aged three years, died suddenly at her home on the New Brighton Esplanade on Wednesday evening. The child had been outside playing, and came running in, gasping for breath. It is thought that she had swallowed something which became stuck in the throat. Mr John King, in the employ of the Waikato Dairy Company at Tuakau, had a narrow escape from death on Monday, 30th ult,, at the Tuakau Railway Station. He was travelling from Auckland by tho express,- and, finding that the train, which was travelling between 30 and 40 miles per hour, was not going to stop, tried to jump. Apparently he rolled right under the train, and his right leg was cut off below the knee, in addition to which he sustained other injuries. Dr Cheeseman had the injured man conveyed to the Hamilton Hospital by the second express. Mr King is reported to be suffering severely from shock, and is in a critical condition. The inquest on a man found in the convenience at the Dannevirke Railway Station on Saturday disclosed his identity as Samuel Alfred Rossiter, a well-known resident of Tamaki. He was left in the place by a relative to sleep after having had a severe fall whilst drunk, and he died during the night from hemorrhage of the brain. A verdict to this effect was returned. Corporal L. R. Best, aged. 38 years, a returned soldier, was found at the foot of the escape at the Columbia Hotel, Wellington, with his skull smashed He only returned on December 20. He had approached a police sergeant, saying he had no money and nowhere to sleep. He was perfectly sober The sergeant took him to the police station to have a rest, and saw no more of him It is supposed that he feu from the escape while trying to enter the hotel.

DEATH FROM INANITION. WELLINGTON, January 3. Mr Riddell hold an inquest to-day on the body of an illegitimate infant named Dorothy

Dovina Conrad. Dr Fyffe, who made a post mortem examination, attributed death to inanition. Evidence was given to»tbe effect that the child was given to an 18-year-old sister of the mother to look after. The coroner said ho doubted if the _ child had had tho attention which was said to have been given to it. He did not believe somo of • the evidence. The verdict was that the child died from inanition, but whether that was through carelessness or not he could not say. It looked as though the child had not received the attention it should have had.