FATAL ACCIDENT.

Te Puke Times, 28 June 1921, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT.

A fatal accident, by which a man named Henry Han key met his death, occurred at the eastern end of the town oh Friday night. On the night in question, Messrs A. Montgomery, J. Col-

lins, H, Rundle, W. H. Hookey, and J. P. Ryan left in a car at about 7 30 to go to Paengaroa to attend a meeting of the Racing Club. They were just descending the cutting at the saleyards hill when they observed a horse and dray standing unattended on the right hand side of the road. Stopping the car they proceeded to investigate, and found Hankey lying unconscious and evidently very badly hurt, having appaiently fallen with the cart and horse from the bank above. He was at once carried into the doctor’s residence, where Dr Davy found that the injuries to the head and a ere so severe that there was no possible chance of his recovery. The unfortunate man died about:three-quarters of an hour later.

From what we can gather, Hankev, who was. a single man, was an uncle of Mrs McPherson, formerly of Paengaroa, but now of Onehunga. For some months past he had been working as ploughman for Dr Bertram, but for the last three weeks had been living with Mr Arnold Harris at Maketu. On Friday last he came into town to transact some business, driving a quiet horse in a heavy dray. He left again at 5 30, when it was quite dark, and had no light. Fiom an examination of the locality on Saturday morning,£the wheel-marks of the dray being traceable, he appears to have reached the monument, and turned to the right, but, instead of proceeding down hill, to have continued up and along the bank in front of Dr Davy’s house, until one of the wheels went over the side, with the result that horse, cart, and driver were precipitated to the bottom. Strange to say, the horse was unhurt, and the cart but little damaged. It is thought that they must have turned over twice in the descent to account for them landing ‘right side up.’

THE INQUEST. An inquest into the circumstances surrounding the fatality was opened by Mr C. Lally, Coroner, on Saturday morning. Arnold Theodore Harris, of Maketu, deposed that he had known the deceased, Henry Hankey, for about three years. During that time he had nyed at Maketu. During the past three weeks witness had provided him with a home. On Friday he lent deceased a horse and dray to come to Te Puke. Saw deceased in Te Puke about 5.30. He was then in the dray returning to Maketu. He appeared to be sober. Witness, who was riding, then went home. He had been home about a quarter of an hour when he got a ring from Mr Hookey to say that Hankey had met with a baa accident, and shortly after Dr Davy rang up and said there was no hope of recovery. Witness Saddled a horse and rode into Te Puke, where he was informed that Hankey had died. He identified the body as that of Henry Hankey.

At this stage the enquiry was adjourned until Friday, July Ist, at 10 o^lock,