INQUEST.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2591, 7 December 1893, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was held at the Courthouse, Temuka, on Tuesday, before C. A. Wray, Esq., coroner, touching the death of David John McGimpsey. The following jury were sworn in: Messrs N. C. Nicholas (foreman), H. Dunford, E. Williams, W, McLeod, M, ScannelJ, and A, W, Gage, The following evidence was laixoxi . • • nloughman in the John Smith : lam-. * Pakihi employ of Mr Henry Ford, -- Station, Orari. I knew the deceased, who was working a team on the station. On Monday he was engaged with a 4-horse Cambridge roller. He started work at about half-past sovsn o glock. I was harrowing in +he same paddock. Deceased was working until about halfpast nine. The paddock was a level one, but with one dry watercourse running about the middle of it. I was on one side of the watercourse and deceased on the other. Deceased was rolling parallel with the watercourse. Just before halfpast nine he finished working on his side, and then started to bring the roller across the watercourse. I saw deceased come up to the watercourse and get off the seat of the roller, and take the horses by their heads and commence leading them. The watercourse would bo about 20 feet wide, with a fall of about 5 feet. The horses came down the slope with a rush, and ran away across the paddock, I saw deceased spring in front of them and try to hold them back. I did not see him fall, but the horses were dragging him along. I ran toward the team. The deceased was not there, and I followed down the track the horses had come, aud found deceased lying about five chains from the watercourse. Ho was lying on his back. His head was cut and Weeding, aud his clothes were slightly

torn. I lifted up his head and a lot of clotted blood came out of hia mouth. He was breathing. Tom Taylor then came up, and Duncan Taylor shortly afterwards. Duncan Taylor and I carried him over to a straw stack, about four chains away, and Tom Taylor went for a doctor. I;l e never moved from the time we lifted him. He appeared quite dead. Wo waited for about an hour and a-half, when Pearse, one of the station hands, came up, and Mr Ford came later on, and we took the body in a cart to the camp. From the mark of the roller lam sure it went over deceased’s head and fractured it. Deceased was used to horses, and had driven the same team for a month. I consider it an error in judgment for deceased to have gone to the horses’ heads. The horses had several times broken away from deceased. They were safe enough if kept under proper control. There were no breechings on the shaft horses, and I presume deceased went to their heads to take extra care. He was cautioned to take care lest the horses bolted. Assisted by Duncan Taylor I brought the body to Temuka. Thomas Taylor, foreman ploughman, employed at Pakihi station, who was working in the same paddock, gave evidence as to seeing deceased’s team bolting across the paddock shortly before half-past nine. He ran and stopped the team, and drove them back along the track they had come. The shafter’s reins were tied to the seat of the roller, and the reins of the outside horses were hanging over the frame. When he reached deceased, who was lying in the track of the roller, the last witness was holding his head up. Noticed that the back of deceased’s head was badly cut, and that he was bleeding there and from his mouth. He was breathing hard then. Witness unyoked the horses and rode one up to the station to send someone for a doctor. When he returned, in about three-quarters of an hour, deceased was dead. Had worked the team mentioned himself. They were quiet enough, but fiery, and would get away if they had a chance. Deceased was an experienced man. The shatters should have had breechings on to cross the gully. They were not put on as it was not anticipated that he would have to cross the gully. He came across as his side was rather wet. Deceased was told to put breechings on before crossing gullies. The breechings were at the camp. In witness’s opinion the gully was not too steep to have been safely crossed without breechings. They had been taken across before by another driver. Deceased was lying right in the track of the roller, which must have passed completely over him.

This was all the evidence, and the jury returned a verdict of “ Accidental death.”