LATE FATHER MARLOW

Southland Times, Issue 19459, 26 January 1925, Page 8

LATE FATHER MARLOW

CORONER’S INQUEST. ACCIDENTAL DEATH An inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Father • Francis <. Joseph Marlow, who died as the result of an accident near Lochiel on Saturday, January 17, was held at the Invercargill Courthouse on Saturday before the Coroner (Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M.). Senior-Sergeant Scandrett conducted the inquiry. r atner Stanislaus Marlow, brother of the deceased, stated that they left Wrey’s Bush on the evening of the 17th for Invercargill. Deceased dtove most of the way. I'hey had a good deal of trouble with the engine after leaving Winton, and were forced to stop some people in a car following behind them and driven by Mr W. Adamson, who gave them some assistance. After starting again they went ahead of Mr Adamson’s car, and two or three miles south of Lochiel they had further trouble with the engine. They pulled the car up on the extreme left of the gravel road. Witness and his other brother endeavoured to locate the trouble ,n the eng.ne, and deceased went back along the road. After a while witness noi.ceu the lights of a car approaching from the direction of Winton. Witness did not ee the accident, but saw the car swerve abuut twenty yards distant. When the car ; uLed up, Mr Adamson came up and said h s brother had been struck. Witness ran back and found h:s brother lying on the grass about five feet from the metal, and lying parallel with the road. He was unconscious. The driver of the car said that he did not see deceased until the car struck him. He did not think the car was travelling very fast at the time, and the driver was ,sober. It was a clear, moonlight night. There was a high hedge of trees nearby, and the shadow thrown on the road by the trees might have affected the visibility. His brother was dressed in a dark coat. Mr Adamson drove the deceased and witness into Invercargill to Dr Collins, who ordered his removal to Cairnsmore Hospital. Deceased died at 2.50 p.m. on Sunday, Janu- : ry IS, without regaining consciousness sufficiently to discuss the accident. Witness dd not attach any blame to the driver of the car. He was pretty sure his brother went back to obtain further assistance from the people in the following car. Deceased had apparently been struck by the mudguard of the car on the ankle, and had apparently fallen and struck his head on the road. Dr Collins gave evidence as to the nature of the injuries sustained by the deceased, and said that when deceased was admitted to Cairnsmore he was quite unconscious, but his general condition was not extreme, and considering the extent of the injuries his pulse was good. He bad a lacerated wound on the scalp, on the back of the head, low down. A fracture of the base of the skull was evident, and there were several bruises about the arms and legs. About four hours after his admission deceased began to sink, and he died at 2.50 on Sunday afternoon. In witness’s opinion the cause of death was an extensive fracture of the skull, with laceration of the structure in the vicinity of the vital centres ; f the brain, caused by a knock or fall on the lower portion of the base of the skull. Walter Adamson, clerk, said he was driving the car, which was his brother’s. Between Winton and Lochiel they found the deceased in difficulties with his car, and they got out and assisted him. The trouble was in the vaccuum tank, and witness stayed some time to help him until they got the engine going again. When the cars started off again, witness was behind in his car. Past Lochiel witness was travelling at about 12 or 13 miles an hour, when suddenly a dark shadow seemed to come from the left side of the road —the side he was travelling on. Witness was keeping a good* look-out, as he had passed some horses on the road on the way up. The moment he saw the shadow, he felt the car strike something. He immediately stopped, and found that it was the deceased. His car lights were not electric, and showed straight ahead, but did not spread the light. The lights were acetylene. His eyesight was good. There was a row of trees by the roadside, which caused a dark background. If deceased had stood at the side of the gra&s and held up his hand, he could not have seen him. Deceased was unconscious, and did not speak to witness. Witness had been driving for a number of years, but he did not have a license for the Borough.

Peter Geddes, fishmonger, and Thomas Adamson, delivery vansman, gave corroborative evidence.

The Senior-Sergeant said he would like to extend his sympathy to Father Marlow present and the relatives of the deceased.

The Coroner: I quite concur in that. A fine young colonial-born priest, making so good in the district—it is a great loss. ‘lt is one of those unfortunate accidents that do happen sometimes,” said the Coroner, in returning a verdict of accidental death, no blame being attachable to the driver.