RECENT RAILWAY TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2780, 26 May 1916, Page 6

RECENT RAILWAY TRAGEDY

INQUEST AND VERDICT.

An inquest into 'the. circumstanoes attending the death of Alexander -Thomson, saddler, of Molesworth Street, who was killed in the vicinity of the south siguaibox at Lambton Station on Tuesday evening,., was held yesterday by the Coroner, Mr. D. G. A. Cooper.

. k. E. Shirley, shunter, stated that the engine was travelling about five or six miles ah hour. The mau suddenly appeared. iu front of the engine, and looked ■is if about to fall. Ho appeared to .be coining towards the engine. The deceased appeared to lose his balance. The engino was stopped <.within eight yards of the accident. The deceased had no right to be where he was. He considered .the engine-driver made, a good stop.

To Mr. ■ O'Leary.: Ho did not think the deceased could Jielp seeing the engine. 'J was so sudden that he could not say if it was caused by design. William AViles,. engine-driver, residing at Newtown, stated that he was driving the engino on, the night in question. The shunter.gave him the danger .'signal and ha applied the emergency brakes. He did not know a man had been run over until Shirley called out. Ho went to the man, whoso left arm' was nearly amputated. Ho was injured about the head. The engine was travelling from south to north. The man appeared to be walking up the track. i

Eliza Johnson, wife of the deceased, stated that she, last saw her * husband alive at 7 o'clock that evoning. He had been working hard all day, and camo into tea at 4 o'clock. He was conversing with witness, but was in the habit of going out without telling witness. Her husband had never given any indication that ho contemplated suicide. lie had a good business. He used tho railway as a short cut when going fishing at the wharf. Constable Jarrold gave evidence ol' attending the accident, and stated that tho body was in the porter's room when he arrived. i : •

The Coroner (Mr. Cooper) returned a verdict "That tho death of Ales. Thomson came about by the deceased being accidentally run into by an engine. No blame was attachable to anyone." He considered there was no ground whatever for an assumption of suicide.