ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8409, 7 January 1899, Page 2

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

(Per Pbess Association.) Auckland, to-day* Alfred George Hargraves Burnand, aged 23 years, a member of t-hePonsonbyNavals, lost his life accidentally, being Bhot in his bedroom while cleaning his carbiue. Burnand was a bootmaker by trade. At about half-past nine he started to clean hia carbine, which was a Martini-EnfieW, a new weapon. At about twenty minutes to ten his parents, who were in the sittingroom adjacent, heard a noise like the snapping of a cap. The father went into the room to ascertain the cause and found his son lying on his back on the floor, dead in a pool of blood, the stock of the carbine resting on the bed, the barrel between his feet, and the bullet had gone through his left eye. Death was instantaneous. On examining the surroundings it was found that the bayonet scabbard was on the bed, also rags and a cleaning rod which deceased must have been using. No ammunition could be found save one cartridge case. The bullet was traced, having gone through the ceiling of the bedroom into a room above, where it struck a picture and smashed a vase, finally lodging in the brickwork of the chimney, ft seems that deceased had had one bullet of this special ammunition for a Martini-Enfield cajrbine for some months, and had never tried the new weapon at the rifle range. It k conjectured he must have forgotten ' he had loaded the weapon, or else in inclining the weapon the rag caught on the trigger. There is no reason to suggest the cause of the sad affairwasotherthan accident. Deceased waa au enthusiastic volunteer and a good shootist, and won the belt of the Ponsonbv Navals on one occasion, and at the interprovincial colonial championship rifla meeting w.on a money prize. Chkistchdbch, to-day. A .woman named Christina Johncock, aged 53, died yesterday under peculiar circumstances. It is stated that during the afternoon she told a neighbor she had poison ready to take. Subsequently she fell ill and died before a dootor arrived.