SHOOTING OF A RAILWAY FIREMAN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1113, 31 August 1883, Page 3

SHOOTING OF A RAILWAY FIREMAN.

One of the most extraordinary occurrences which has happened ia tnis dis riet fo years took place at a late Hour on Thursday night last, a few miles from Clinton, the victim being Mr John Henderson, fireman ihe deceased was attached to the train w ih leaves town at 4.15 p.m. for Clinton, which is reached usually about 9 o’clock, a id a start is mai'e on the re'urn journey at 10 o’clock with the down go mg train. On Thursday night the usual routine was observed, those in cha ge of the train on the homeward run being Messrs W. Dun can, guard; Peter Duun, drive ; the brakesman, J.Suuinnndg ; and the fir man. John Henderson. Nothing unusual or* curre 1 till about four miles were run, and the cutting neai Wairuna was reached. At the time all the men, except the guard were on the engine, eicu attending to his speciil duty, and entirely unconscious of the p oximity of danger. When near tin centre of the cutting two gun shots were, suddenly filed from one of the hanks, am. that the occupants ef the engine we e aimed at seemed only too plain from th. fact that Henderson fell just, after ihe fist discharge, and never again sp ki. An ex ainina’i m afterwards showed that the shot had fouad a lodcmen* just over the heart, so that d'ath was instantam o is. Seeing this, bis com lanions at once ran the uam bek to Clinton, and information of the sad affair was wi r ed to headquarters in Dunedin, and in consideration of t m cir ■cumstances it xv ‘8 resolved to de ay the departure of the train for a time. I) Pit lay morning Inspector Wi 1 m an' 'electives Hen era'm and Brin left town t r C inton >o make inquiries. Early in the day a sigh; e'm a- to the p' rpetrators or th ■ outrage —a w mden pipe—was found near the pi .c from which .oe sln t mus nave lie n fired, and snha.qne t y the police arrested time a s named Koy, s ns . f Mr •toy, J.P., of Wairuna. Ir. appears ihat rile boys had been out rabi-ir shooting, and hat ti.e sun was liied twice at the engine ’s.il.dv with a spirit of waido ness or mischief. Mr Roy, who is a fanner at Wairuna, mas, it i- slated, a family of twelve. A post mortem examination on the body f Heir'eison was ma'e by D- Low on .Saturday morning. A lire quantity of .-ho was lonn I. m the bo ly of woieti two pdiets nad iiem lra'ed ih hear:, -three the right nng, and one the l. f long. An inspection f i lie en ine shoved .hat one pellet only bad struck the tender, and there were no shot marks on ihe forward pari At the inquiry, held at Clinton, on M oul -y, in foe Dr Smith, the district c mner, Mr Denniston appearing for the accuse I. Peer Dunn, engine driver, deposed that hj was on the tram which left Clinton ai two mini! es after 10 o’clock on Thursday evening last. Charles Simmonds, brakes snail, a.nl John Henderson, the decease.! ti.-- in n were on the engine with him. Wii-r tii fain had proceeded about three mil. s n ■ was passing through a cutting about a nil-, from Wairuna, witness heard a re I'h y were “dodging admg” at about 12 o 4 miles an boor. Witness turned r..un i d said “What’s that?” The fireman seemed to be o’ the same mind, and he rui ned also half round. Witn-si at ti s nought it was a fog signal on seeing lln Hash. The deceased put forward ids head so take a look out, and before they cm realise what was the matter, a second ho was tired. Witness heard what hj ihongh was the fall of the hammer of a cun an., saw the flash. The deceased put his righ hand up to his left breast, and said “O ! three times, and then, “ Peter, lam shot. ’ trying at the same time to make li » w y over to witness. Witness said, *• N J ck ; you cannot be but ns he put his arms out, the deceased dropped. The b akesinan was behind and assisted to lift the eceased. Witness had shut < ff steam at the fiisc re port, and he the i o d Sim n- mis to put o . thebrake. On the Main stopping, hecdl-l out to t.he guard that J .ck was shot. The guard came down, and they agreed to ieturn to Clinton, and ..id so. To Inspector Weldon: A! the time the shots were fired, deceased waa standing oi the left hand side of the platform Abu three seconds in ervened betwe-n the shutsOn arrival at Clinton the deceased seemed as thouch he were dead. The doctor was at once sen' for, and pronounced bin dead To the Foreman : It was at the sec.-no shot 'hat ileccased cr.ed out and put up his hand. To Mr Denniston : After the fist rapoit the d.ceased looked lonnd. Mr Denniston : An as far as yon know •he e might ha e : cen nothing in tie first up, as no hiug seemed to st ike the deceased ? Witness : 1 could not say 'hat When 1 saw the firs: flash it seemed 10 be level with m-ai I stood on the f .ovulate. A( about a quarter to nine the same evening, while passing a cro-sing near Wairuna, a turnip was thrown at the engine. It s ruck the tender, and deceased drew my attention to it Confirmatory evidence was given by the others on the engine. J lines Roy, fuller of the accused J ones, John, and Alexander K..y, deposed that the latter retu ne 1 home on the nigh' of ri.un* day lost sometime between 10 and 11 o’clock. Then a = es were about 20, 18, and 14 Fek^clivislyL Isabella Cruicksbank, wilow, reri ring at Wairuna, a short distance f ran the railway stfttioh, dep-sed that the accused wer -her nephews. James an I John came to her house shortly afte. ti o’clock on the evening i-' qi| Stioh, and A'exander came an Hour or so later. They had two gfu s'-wikh th.-m ■They left at a out a qua-ter or 10 minutes to 10. Her house was a few minutes’ run fr m the school house. To Mr Denniston : The hoys could go home by way of the" railway. Witness warned them wHW* thleft that it waa neatly. 10 o’clock, aud the train would soon he due.

Johi H. Roy, -uncle to the ffrizoners, deposed that he saw them at Clinton on Saturday last. He asked John, “ Did y a liras gun!" His'reply was, “No; Alick tired my gun.” Ho then said that he took hiarmrod and removed the shot, or the greater part of it, as th-y thought, in esc of any I'anuer. Witness then put tbe q iestion to James whether he tired a gun, ami ho replied, •- Yes,” John then said tlnrt ne could have had no intention of hurting anyone, and did not know of anyone having been hurt on the train

To the C roner: John said that Alick asked him to be allowed to fire off his gun. D tective Henderson said ho went to the hj use of Mr Roy, and after a coaveisition with the lads, arrested them on the charge of shooting John Hendeison the night before. John said, “ Well, we d'd not intend to hurt anyone. Wo did not know that the e was a man shot until this morning at 10 o’clock. John sad to Alick, did y u n't tire off my gun ?’ and the latter said “ Ves.” John said, “ I did not think there was any shot in the gun, as T ha i drawn it before.” James said, “I did not know there was any shot in my gun, and 1 fired and Alick fired.” When charged at the police station each sai l, “ Well, we did not do it intentionally ; we never meant to hurt anyone.” John stated previously that they went to tea with their aunt, Mrs Cruii hah ink, between 9 and 10 o’clock in the evening. Witness compared tbe shot taken font the body of the deceased with the slot in the belt The former waa a good deal flattened, but he judged it to be he same number. James did not say which fired first, but witness inferred that he did, as his words were. “ 1 fired and Mick fired.” They said the train passed just as they fired, nut they did not sav they tired at. the train. John said that woen Alick fired he was sitting on the .;ra-8, and a pm tion o' the grass at the top • d the bank was crushed down as though ■ammo e ha I been lying or sitting on it. Other corroborarivo evidence having been g'ven, ami the Coroner having summed up he evi leuee. The jury were then left to themselves, i d after three quarters of an hour’s deliberation. return d the following verdict ‘ That Junes and Alexander Roy, during trte nubt of the 23rd insr., discharged their .inns ecktesslv ami carelessly whilst the train was passing through the cutting near Wairuna. thereby causing the death of tne ece sed John Henderson.” Tim ihree la 1s were then bound over in wo sur- tier of £250. Mr Koy, the lads’ father, and Mr Harrison, school ina-ter, became sureties iu the a noun s required.