THE LATE DROWNING ACCIDENT AT HUNTLY.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1241, 12 June 1880, Page 2

THE LATE DROWNING ACCIDENT AT HUNTLY.

The following is the evidence taken at the inquest held before Dr. Beale, coroner, at Huntly on the Sth inst. on the body of the boy Francis Jackson, and held over from our List ib^ue :—: — Martha Jackson, the mother of deceased, .sworn, .said she remembered the 2-") th of May. Her son Francis and his brother Daniel, in company "with a little girl named Alice Acton, went on that day to i>lay near the river, and about a quarter of an hour after they left Alice Acton and Daniel Jackson returned and told her that deceased was, in the water. Witness ran towards the river at once and saw deceased floating down the channel. .She at once went to loose a boat near, screaming at the same time to attract attention. Two men hearing her cry ioined her, but before *hey could get the boat lowered the boy had disappeared from view, The deceased could swim a little. He was about 10 years of age. Witness had often cautioned the children about going near the water. The men went a long way down the river in search of the boy without avail. Daniel Jackson, five years of age, the brother of the deceased, made a statement to the Court, to the effect that he was standing on the bank of the river looking at his brother in the boat playing with the paddle and dabbling in the water with his hiinds, and that presently he e.aAv him fall over the side of the boat into the water, being struck by the paddle which slipped out of the rowlock. Witness van home and told his mother that Frank was in the water. Two other childi en named Susan Acton and Edward Truscott were in the boat with deceased, and Alice Acton was on the bank with him. The little girl Alice Acton confirmed this statement. Margaret Bond, aged 13, sworn, said, she remembered on the previous day that her little brother told her he had seen something- in the river, and she went and saw deceased's body floating down. She told her mother, and afterwards got into a boat and followed the body down the river, pushing it in shore with a paddle. She then informed Mrs Jackson of the circumstances, and throuyh her instrumentality the body was taken out of the water. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, as before stated.

Prosaic— '• What's fame?" yelled an excited orator. ' ' What's fame ? that ghost of ambition ! What's honor ?" And a weak-minded man in the crowd said he suspected she had clothes on her, as any fool ought to kiw.^Oill City Dearicki