INQUEST

Otago Witness, Issue 3468, 31 August 1920, Page 6

INQUEST

THE WINGATUI FATALITY. An inquest was held on Tuesday afternoon by Mr H. Y Widdowscn (coroner) regarding the death of the man, apparentlv named Angus Shaw, at Wingatui last Monday morning, as the result either of a fall from the Central Otago train or baing struck by It in some way. Senior Sergeant Murray represented the police, and Mr H. Coop the Railway Department. Isaiah Thompson, railway porter at : Wingatui, said the Otago Central train ar- ■ rived there on Monday about 8.20. He was on his way to relieve the signalman when he saw a body lying between the rails. The train had then left the station. The head was to the north, face up, and the limbs to the south'. The man looked to be badly mangled, and witness thought he was dead. He immediately notified the stationmaster, and they lifted the body clear of the line, laying it on a tarpaulin. The stationmaster rang up Mosgiel for the police and Dr Spedding, who arrived about 9 o'clock. Witness did not see deceased on the train while it was at the platform. From marks he thought deceased bad heen dragged about | 20 yards between the rails. Witness could j not see how deceased got into the position ; he was unless he was off the train and trying to board it. James Thomson, guard on the train, was i unable to ©ay whether deceased was a pas- < senger. The ticket found on deceased and I issued at Dunedin was of Monday's date and ! bore witness's punch mark. Witness un- | coupled the cars shunted off. He went through the cars and there was no passenger | in either of them. Witness knew nothing of i any accident till the train arrived at Parera, I the first tablet station, where he was informed that Wingatui wished to speak to I him urgently. ' On receiving notification of ! what had occurred witness went through the train inquiring of the passengers if they had missed anyone. Nobody knew anything of the man. Witness also looked for luggage, but found nothing unclaimed. Flom what he had heard and from what he saw on the spot the only conclusion he could come to was that the man had! got off the train and was trying to board it again while it was in motion. The fact of witness himself having punched the ticket showed that deceased was travelling in the rear portion of the train. , : Dr Spedding gave evidence that death was caused by the fracture and dislocation of the neck. It seemed as if the head of deceased had been caught by something and pushed back. Death would probably be instantaneous. Constable Findlay, of Mosgiel, said that after Dr Spedding had examined the body witness searched it. Be found two letters — produced—one being a note to Mr R. K. Smith, of Tarras, apparently his prospective employer, and the other to "Dear Angus," and signed "Ruby." This letter was enclosed in an envelope addressed to A. Shaw, c/o Mr Tyler, Livery Stables, Rangiora. He also found a Post Office Savings Bank book,

issued at the Christchurch office, No. 801,575, to Angus Shaw. The book was badly torn. A wallet contained over £33 in notes and cash, and there was a railway ticket from Dunedin to Clyde. A telegram received by the Superintendent of Police, Dunedin, from "Kuby" was to the effect that she knew deceased. • He had no relatives in New Zealand, all hie relatives being in Australia. Correspondence showed that deceased's name was in all probability Angus Shaw, and that he was known about Uangiona, following the occupation of a farm labourer. From the appearance of deceased he would be about 35 years of age. The inquest was adjourned sine die, pending further inquiry by the police in regard to idtentity.