DRAGGED TO HIS DEATH

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1933, Page 4

DRAGGED TO HIS DEATH

SMALL BOY KILLED BY HORSE ANIMAL BOLTS WHEN BEING LEDfe ACCIDENT ON DURHAM ROAD FARM Dragged for some distance along a* clay road by the horse he had been lead-e ing, James Wilfred McEwen, a child ai eight, received serious injuries at Ml fathers’ farm, Durham Road, Ingle on Saturday evening and died in tW New Plymouth hospital yesterday moriM ign. He was the adopted son of Mft and Mrs. A. T. McEwen, Piakau. Mr. McEwen had been using a to which were harnessed two horses, opi Saturday afternoon. He returned to the house about 6 p.m. and told the boyj to take the two horses to a paddock at the back of the farm about half a mile from the house. Mounted on the horse he frequently rode about the fam the boy took one of the sledge horse on a lead, while the other sledge horse followed loose. The boy was accompanied by his sister, who went to open a gate for him.

When they were going down a slight decline the loose horse suddenly galloped past the boy and the horse he was leading took fright and bolted. The boy was pulled off his horse and dragged along a hard clay track for several chains. He had wound the leading rope, which- was round the horse’s neck, about his waist and knotted it. It was only about two yards long and the boy was kicked by the horse’s hoofs as well as being knocked about on the ground. He . received severe contusion and concussion- of the brain and bruises to the body. His sister, who was a witness of the accident, returned to the house and told her father, who found the boy unconscious with. the rope still knotted about his waist. He was taken to Dr. H. Men Allum at Inglewood and after receiving attention was removed to the New Plymouth hospital, where he died shortly after 10 a.m. yesterday. An inqtiest was opened for identification purposes before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., last night. Evidence' of identification was given by A. T. McEwen, the boy’s father, and the inquest was adjourned sine die. '