A REMARKABLE FATALITY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XVII, Issue 5878, 3 April 1920, Page 3

A REMARKABLE FATALITY

«-. . A MAN ACCIDENTALLY SHOT.

' In the Criminal Court at Adelaide the other day Charles Alfred Anderson, 32, 'licensed victualler, was charge'd with having at Iviliscote feloniously killed Thomas Charles Thomas.

Tho accused, who pleaded not guilty, made a statement. He said he had known deceased for 1.2 years, and had never had a quarrel with him. Thomas wa.s a man of, happy disposition, and was given to singfng and step-dancing. He was step-aneing at the time a; the accident. A man named Wickham Daw picked up a gun, and opening the breach, remarked that it wanted cleaning. There was a blank cartridge on a ■shelf, a,ud wi'taiess picked it up. ana paid, "What about giving it a blow through now.'' Just as lie fired, deceased slipped or jumped backward a Jul lauded in a crouching position under tho gun. Deceased said he had been hit, but witness though l !: he was joking. When lie saw that Thomas was really hurt, lie sent for a doctor, aind assisted the doctor in administering an anaesthetic. But for tihi: nn fort una to circumstance that deceased slipped or jumped backwards, the accident would not have happened. After a lc/.igthy retirement, the jury rcturro-d a verdict o' not guilty, and accused was discharged.