THE ISLINGTON TRAGEDY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 54, 9 April 1914, Page 10

THE ISLINGTON TRAGEDY.

EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST.

(Continued from Page 7.) An inquest was held this afternoon before Mr H. W. Bishop, Coroner, in connection with the death of the man O'Connell .who was filled at Islington by being run over by the tram. Senior Sergeant Mathieson appeared for the police, and Mr J. L. Morgan for the Railway Department. Daniel O'Connell, brother of the deceased, said that his brother was a labourer at Islington. His full name was Timothy Martin John O'Connell. Witness had seen the body and identified it as his brother's. . J. S. August, licensee of the Islington Arms Hotel, deposed that he knew the deceased. He had been in Islington about eight years and deceased had frequently visited his hotel. He had never seen him what he would term under the influence of liquor. Deceased had entered his hotel at 9 p.m. last night with a message, and he remained until 10 o'clock. He had had a pint and two small glasses of beer. He took two bottles of beer away with him. He was quite sober at the time, and seemed quite well. He had «een him have from six to ten glasses of beer without being the worse. He saw no more of deceased after he left the hoteL Thomas William Handiside, enginedriver on the Government railways, said he was in charge of a goods train leaving Christchurch for Ashburton at midnight last night.< After passing jthfough Islington, about half a mile, <he saw a dark object lying across the Jine at about ten truck lengths away. He ; was not sure what it was at first. The train was travelling at about 20 miles per hour. He was two or three lengths away when he saw it was the body of a man. He immediately ajpplifcd the emergency brake,'but could not stop the heavy train before he struck the man. When he pulled up he found deceased under the engine. 'He was quite dead and considerably mangled. Being night time, he could not have t avoided the accident. De!ceased must have been lying right I across the linerthe train was on. There was one bottle: of beer lying beside, the | body, and some glass lying near, as if deceased, had had another bottle in his possession. ' The Coroner returned a verdict that deceased was killed by being run over by a train at Islington.