ANOTHER FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 204, 3 September 1901, Page 2

ANOTHER FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

MAJOR BltO'CV KILL EH AT DEVON--BTKBKT CRO3SING. It ia with deep regret that we have to , report another railway fatality in New! Piymoa+h, which happened on Monday afternoon when the 4 o'clock trnin {or j Tlawera was crossing D 'von-strost. ■ tt appears that Brown had been purchasing sone Qsh from a bar-ow near the crossing, and was walking to- | wards Mr. King's auction mart, probably on his way to join the omnibus, just as the train approached the street, The engine whistles hid been sounding the usual warning, But ii) soamS that the doceised had not noticed the approach of the train, and as he was walking with, his heid half round ia the opposite direction talking to the rain who sold him the fish, he unconsciously was stepping acrosS the liaej and before hii was aware of his danger the cow-oatelwr must have a'ruck him, and he was dragged aews the surest And up the incline as far as the back of Mr. Moverley'a premiss before -the train wart itowlait, who was on duty at the crossing, saw Major Brown's and no*; only snouted lustily, but endangered liis own life in an effort to reach decoieed in time to save him, but unfortunately was too l<ite. There was as usual a large number of people about, and a shout was raised; tha whistle for brakes on was sOuhded at onfiri, the train be-'ng stopped as Soon as possible, in fact the carriages were all , the way dctoes street, the attached rear engine being snvrral , y irds batik oh. the station side of the crossing. 'Che driver (Mr. Moirison) at once got off his engiiie arid Searched berieith it; and with assistants tha remainS of the

unfortunate victim were brought out, when it was found that ho was most fearuflly cut about, one leg being practically severed, the other partially, and almost every limb more or less cut about. An eye witness stats that life was not then extinct as he heard a groan) but Dri "Leathattlj wHo ftrriwi within three Or four UiinUtes, foiind the sufferer dead, The fish were found on th? froijt of tlie .engine;, apd deceased's stick on the lines his hat I picked ujt in tietfon-s'xeet. After the train proceeded on its way the rewind were carefully CQvgred ar.'d OJnveyed on a stretcher, by Serjeant Haddrell's instructions, to the Morgue, there to wait the usual inqu<sfc, which will take place to-morrow. It was only the previous day that Mijor Brown had followed td ,tiie thtj xinfi at another victim to similar fatality, the late Mr Lawson, and he had bean engaged during Monday in acting as interpreter in a case at the Police Court. The sad news spread very fast, the whis'le for brakes on having alarmsd most of the townspeople, and a large concourse of people quickly assembled to ascertain the causs o F the train stopping. Whan it became known that Major Brown hid bean killed the news cast a deep gloom over thd town, for the deceased was so well known, and moreover was an old sat,Horwho had dona long and meritorious service for the district, that his loss was Irronly f.ilt, and tho de"pest sympathy exhibited for his widow and family. Major Brown was 81 last July and bore his years a? a thorough military veteran, erect of carriage and apparently in good health.

MEMOIR. The late Major Brown has been more or less prominently identified with Taranaki for the past sixty years, having arrived at New Plymouth by the Amelia Thompson on March 25 v .ta, 1841. He was the son of the late Mr. Charles Brown, who in early lift", was a Russ : an merchant, but fubiequ-mtly devoted himself to literature and art, being on intimate terms with the prominent literary men of his day, especially with On the format ; on of the Plymouth Company of New Zealand he decided to become one of the settlors and sent his son out here a few months prior to his own departure. Mr. Chas. Brown, junr, (the M«jjr) at the age of 'about Bor 10 spent about five yFavs with his father in Florence, and after returning to England took up enginepring, wh'cli subsequently proved useful in his co'onial career. Ho was about 21 years of age when he reached Taranaki and he lived first at Mangorei, then Ratanui, and subsequently in town. For many ysars past he fans resided at" The Pines," Ta Henui. Some time after his father's death, which occurred in June, 1841, after a residence of only seven months in the colony, the son returned to England where he remained for about two yea-s, orning back in the Cornwall in 1849, the only other passenger for I Ta-auaki being the late Mr. Benjamin ! Wells. It was after this that ho married his first wife, Mi-'S M. Home, daughter of the late Dr. Horne of Auckland, the i«sue of tlia* marriage beivg four children: Mr.-*. Eirp, Mrs. Tobin, Mr°. J. Brown and Miss Lucy Brown. Two years after his fir-t wife's death, which occurred about 1874, he married Miss Nor'hcroft, who, wi'h her throe children, Miss Mona Brown and Messrs. William and Chailes Brown (twin brothers) are left to mourn j Ins loss, tho last-named being now in South Africi. |

| Tho services rendered by the Into Major Brown to Taranaki were both of I a civil and military naturo. In the | | former capacity h* had the dis f inct'on 1 •of boing the firs'; Superintendent of the Province in 1853. The election to this ■ ollioe took pliud at the old Courthouse in l)ovon-stree\ tharo three mn- ' did it is, Chas. Brown, William TLVlse, and J. T. Wicksteed. On Mr. Brown being elected he was drawn in triumph through the town by a. tvoup of cnt^u-1 ; sialic young men. His term of ollica , expired in 1857, and a very k-cn cmtest ensued, resulting in the defeat of: Mr Brown and the re f urn of Mr. j George Outlielil, An outcome of this election was the of the Tauajstaki News, under the editorship of Mr. Phenpy. Subsequently Mr. j Brown himself took charge of the] ptp Q i'. 0-1 tho expiry of Mr. Outfield's term of oliiro that, gentleman ag>\in becaran a candidate in connection with Mpssra J. 0. Richmond and 0. Brown,! I b it withdrew from ths contest, mil Mr. .Brown was again elected. He also represented New Plymouth in the Ho-,iso. | In 1855 Mr. (Jhas. .Crown received a I'ornmi sion as captain in the Taranaki Militia, and on the outbreik of the Maori rebellion he was appointed engineer under Major Herbert, who then commanded the district. lie took a hading part in tho uioraorable light, at f Wftireks, where ho was in command of ithe Militia and Volunteers. Ho wag | also second in command at Mahoetsi, this conduct on thnt occasion being (brought under notice of the Goneral commanding. Owing to friction beItween himself and Major Herbirt, Captain Brown subsequently accapted - the office of paymaster of militia a&d

volunteers, but on the Major's retirement again assumed the rommu'd, being gaietted, Major in 1864. He also cQmmanded the local forces when the Rev. Whiteley; and Lieutenant Giscoigne • were murdered. Oa the cessation of hostilities he had to choose between .resigning his command or his iti the of and elected to adhere to the later.

The l ite Mij ir Brown onsoverrtl oc I c.siins acted us Native Commissioner, j He was for some time a Justice of the' Peuie, and Nntivo Interpreter, and in the latter opacity was engsi<;':d on tluday of his deith, at the PoliciO mrt. jit one time ho tyns pnf'af»nd in bufiriesm tonrn as a shipping ag«nt. Subsequan'ly he took over Lilcock's ironmongery business, and afterwirds in partnership with Mr j. Duthie, of Wellington, carried on.business (is wholestile merchants, during which a bmieh o! the, bUsin&s wiln opened fit Wanganui, this being eventually ovoi | by Mr Duthie.