CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 45

CASUALTIES.

Mrs Roche, wife of Police Sergeant Roche, died in the Auckland Hospital under an anaesthetic, which was used in an operation on an enlarged thyroid gland. Alexander Humphries, aged about 60 years, a travelling saddler, was found dead on the 12th at the farm of Mr W. H, Miller, Barr Hill. Deceased had been employed by Mr Miller for a few days, and evidently died at work after mid-day. Mr William Kebblo, a # miner, aged 57 years, was found dead on" the 13th by the railway surfacemen, lying clos e to the railway line out from • Alexandra, buried by a fall of earth. The deceased had apparently been prospecting when the fall of eai"th covered him. An unusual fatality occurred at Balclutha on Wednesday, 13th inst. A boy, two years old, named Stanley Norman Guest, the second youngest child of Mr James Guest, died as tho result of swallowing a block of paint from a child's paint box. The poison was slow in action. Th 0 paint was swallowed by the child on Tuesday forenoon, and after receiving an emetic he vomited and then appeared to bo all right, but later he became seriously ill and died at 1.30 on Wednesday morning. Mr Thos. Sanders, traveller for Messrs Booth, Macdonald, and Co., while motor cycling from Dunedin to Milton on the night of the Bth, met with a somewhat peculiar accident when in the vicinity of Titri. Mr Sanders stopped to make an adjustment to his engine, and in the dark put his left hand into the driving chain with the result that the two middle fingers were completely severed. He' was quite unaware of what had occurred until he had proceeded about a mile on his way, and then feeling the handle bar of the machine wet, he examined his hand and ascertained tho damage it had sustained. Mr Wilfred M'Giffert Cleland, a prominent farmer at Waikanae (second son of Mrs and the late Mr J. M. Cleland, of Tinakori road, Wellington), died suddenly on Monday, 4th. Returning from a tramp over the hills he felt faint, and sat down in his manager's house, where ho expired soon afterwards. A lady resident of Waianiwa met with a painful accident at Pallia on the 7th inst. She had entered the Pahia bush with the object of lookinsr after some cattle, and was kioked by a horse, with the result that her leg was broken. Thero was no one near to render assistance, and she had to crawl through the bush until sho attracted the attention of some children. A peculiar accident befel Mrs Annie M. Baker, of Motumaoho, a short time ago, while she was doing some housework. fci.-e knocked over a loaded gun, which went off l , the charge entering her right thigh. Neighbours discovered her, and after receiving medical attention she was taken to tho Waikato Hospital. Her injury is not regarded as serious. C. Trenprove, a settler, enmloyed at Messrs Stevens, Henderson, and Company's mill at Piriaka, met with a serious acoident

through falling under a moving truck. He sustained a compound fracture of the right arm. Medical aid was obtained, and ha was removed to the Taumarunul Hospital. The Gisborne police received information regarding an accident under unusual circumstances at Makarori Beach, on the 12th, resulting in the death of a Maori boy named Timi "Whakatiri, nine years of age. The deceased Was In the trap with his uncle and a Maori girl, the lad riding at the back. The party left Manutuke, and proceeded to Tatapouri, but on the beaoh the horse became restiye and played up. The lad fell out, breaking his neck. At the inquest a verdict of accidental death was returned, no blag&e being attachable to the driver. A widow named Mrs "Williams, 74 yearo of age, residing with her two son* in Trafalgar street, Forbury creecent, St. Kilda, waa found dead in her bed at 7.30 a.m. on the 14th. At 9 o'clock on the previous night the deceased complained to one of her sons of pains in her head, and eh© &ei» . retired to bed. When seen by her son about an hour later she was still suffering pain, and on going to her room on Thursday morning he found her dead. Dr Martin, who attended Mrs Williams some two months ago, has given a certificate stating that death was due to natural causes, ana the coroner (Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M.) has therefore decided that there is no need for an inquest... An infant named Thomas .White, aged four months, was found dead in bed at hit parents residence at Fairfax on the Bth inst (states the Otautau Standard). Dr. Trotter, who was called in, was of the opinion that the child died from convulsions. A motor fatality near Pahautanui was reported on the 15th inst. The body of a man about 35 years of age was found underneath an overturned motor car at the bottom of a bank at a sharp curve m tho road. The car was of Christchurch registration. Tho body has been identified as that of Daniel J. Sweetger, who was recently demobilised from the forces, in which he held the rank of major. During the war he performed the duties of adjutant at Trentham. He was a married man with a family, and resided at Petone. At the inquest it was stated that the deceased had not taken the road usually used by motorists, and that he must have taken the wrong turning, as that morning he inquired the way from Pahautanui to Belmont. The actual cause of the accident, however, is believed to have been a rubber buffer that had worked loose and had fallen between a spring and the steering rod. Frank Hector M'Quarrie, aged four years, of Mount Albert, died in the Auckland Hospital as- the result of scalds sustained by falser into a tub of boiling water; An inquest was held at Auckland in regard to tho death of a returned soldier named Private W. B. Nielsen (M.M.), who was found shot through tho head on Mount Eden on Friday evening. The deceased returned by. the Marama about a month ago. He was classed as a mental convalescent case and was sent to the Avondale Mental Hospital.- He was discharged this_week, and on being examined bv tho medical board seemed nervy, but that was all.-. The board therefore decided to send him to Narrow Neck Convalescent Home. He did not, however, go to the home.' A verdict of suicide while in a state of mental depression was returned. The body of a man named Harry Horwits was found floating in Wellington Harbour. Papers found on the body showed that deceased was a Russian Jew, and had been a member of the Australian Forces, from which he was discharged in October, 1914-, afterwards joining the New Zealand home service. • A man apparently about 45 years of age, was knocked down by atramcar, and was removed in an unconscious state to- tho Wellington Hospital, where it was found that his skull was fractured. Mr Ralph Stessanson Mossan, a farmer at Tussock Creek, Southland, was found dead on the road not far from the Post Office. His horse was near by, and the circumstances v indicate that the animal stumbled and that Mr Mossan's neck was broken by the fall. The deceased, who was an unmarried man, was a Norwegian, and had no relatives in the dominion.