INQUEST.

Evening Star, Issue 3073, 24 December 1872, Page 2

INQUEST.

An inquest was hold yesterday, before Dr, Hoelten, District Coroner, at the rcsi(lcnec of the late Rev. John Williams, touching the death of that gentleman. The following jury was sworn : —Charles Smith (foreman), Charles Abbott, Moses Bardsley, John Barnes, Arthur Beverley, W. A. Burton, John Coventry, Thomas Dick, Robert Duguid, John Findlay, John Gray, John Grilfhn, Francis Irwin, and L. F. Kerr. The Coroner, addressing the jury, said that they were called upon to inquire into the accident of Friday last, which resulted in the death of the Rev. John Williams. It would be for them to determine whether the accident was the result of carelessness, or whether it was unavoidable. Several reports had been circulated round the town implying carelessness. Hitherto the owners of the coach had the character of using well-appointed coaches, good horses, and careful drivers. It would, therefore, be satisfactory to them to have this matter cleared up, and no doubt the jury would give duo attention to it. The following evidence was taken : H. H. Williams deponed : 1 am a son of the deceased. Deceased would be fifty-six years of age next February ; was a native of Pembrokeshire, England, and a Baptist minister. On Friday morning last, in company with my lather, I left town for Tokomairiro, on one of Cobb and Co.’s coaches. There were my father, another gentleman, the driver, and myself ou the box. The inside of the coach was full. One of the horses was n. little frisky, but all went well, until wc to Look-out i’omt, when the frkky <

horse became mo r e restless, suid struck the other horse wi’h its head. The team then began to galop down the hill at a i reat pace. We passed the first two curves in safety, but on rea lrug the third curve, rot far from the Volinteer Hotel, the coach capsized. The capsize was owi gto coming in contact with the curve. .1 was thrown to some distance on the left side of the road. On recovering, I looked tor my father, and svw three men pulling him out from under the coach. There was Mood on his face, a lump over his eye. and Ins arm was cut and apparent! v broken. Af:er res tin r a moment, lie was conveyed to a buggy and taken to Mr Man Mug's house in Wa ker street. Hr Deck was immediately sent for, and attended and dressed the wounds. Deceased was then conveyed, to his residence, wltero he died at 12.3D o’clock, on Saturday night. The driver seemed v-ry nervous when going down the hill, and asked a gentleman on the box to take a set of the reins and pull with all his strength. The gentleman did so, pressing at the same time on the driver’s knee. The horses did not begin to kick until after the coach capsized. ). do not think the wheelers had breeching on The reins handed to the geut'eman were the near reins. J. E, Dock, a duly qualified medical practitioner, deponed : I was called in to deceased on Friday last; 1 Ruud him covered with dust and Mood. His left eye-lid was covered with blood and swelled. His left arm sustained a compound fracture about a third flown. The hones were protruding. 1 removed the clothes, reduced the fracture, and dressed the wounds. There was another wound at: the back of the arm. ‘She patient seemed to be suffering much from collapse, ami complained of pains in the chest. 'I he injuries I. would characterise as being severe. In the afternoon 1 visited at decease i’s residence, and found that Dr borrow.- had taken charge of the case We undid the arm, and dr s-ed it with carbolic lotion. It was much swollen and bruised. J did not sec deceased again. I did not contemplate so speedily a fatal result, but was not surprised at hearing of it. Huberts Borrows, surgeon, deponed to having attended deceased from Friday afternoon until Saturday night. On Saturday evening he became apprehensive of a speedy fatal issue, 'i he injuries were sufficient to cause death. On Saturday afternoon deceased seemed somewhat delirious.

John Blair, postmaster at Caversham, deponed : I saw the coach my house on Friday morning. As 1 received fh l mailbag one of the horses was a little restless, but which I c mid not say. Neither could I say that it was an unsafe horse to drive. When the coach started up the hill tho horses seemed to go quietly enough. I could not say whether the horses had breeching on or not. I Know something about driving, and think that a well-trained horse would not shy without reasonable cause.

William Chatficld, one of the passengers, was examined, but his evidence was not important.

John Frazer deponed: I was a passenger by the coach on Friday morning. Before starting, I had a look at the horses. They seemed quiet animals. All went well with us until we got to Lnok-out Point, when we began to go o nicker than previously. I looked out of the coach, and saw tint the brake was well down, but not .gripping enough. Some of the passengers became restless. I quieted them, remarking that we would soon be round the curve. A lady passenger then remarked, “ The off leader is down.” I thought so, for we dragged for a short distance, and then capsized on the left side. 1 did not see the horses immediately after the accident, but when the passengers were got out, i noticed the spot where the horse fell, and traced the track for about » quarter of a mile along the road, over which it had been dragged. I also observed that a portion of skin and flesh had been torn out of the horse’s off shoulder. The forecarriage was dragged to near the V olunteer Hotel. I saw it there, turned upside-down, with the off chain broken. There was no breeching on the horses. I only saw' two horses after the accident, and would know the injured horse again. 1 believe it was the off wheeler. I examined the brake after the accident, and found it in good working order. From tho marks on the road, lam convinced that the horse fell before the coach capsized. H. H. Williams, recalled, said : I did not see any of the horecs fall before the coach turned over, and I do not think that any of them could have fallen without my having seen it. When I saw the horses after the accident, they were trotting alongside each other, and not one before the other. The Coroner then proposed to take as evidence a verbal statement made by the deceased to his son on Saturday, regarding the accident.

Mr James Smith, on behalf of one of the parties interested, objected to such evidence being taken, on the grounds that such evidence was admissible only when given in the immediate prospect of death. '} lie Coroner overruled the objection.

Josiah Williams then deponed : Between three .and four o’clock on Saturday I had a conversation with my father, during which he stated that the herse was a young unbroken beast, and that the driver asked a passenger sitting next him to take the reins. I his was when the horses bolted. The man took the reins. At the time of the conversation I did not anticipate my father’s death.

William Birmingham, coach driver, deponed : On Friday morning last I left Dunedin with the‘Clutha coach, driving three horses. There was a brown horse, with white stockings, leading, a grey horse on near side, and a bay cob on off side. I have driven these horses together fur the last tince weeks, and they have worked quiet 1 v together. The leader has been at work for the last four years. The other two were driven by other drivers before I got them, but I cannot say for what length of time. All three were very quiet. '1 hey worked well on Friday morning until they gut round Look-out Point, when one of the horses stumbled. While pulling on him, the brake grazed my foot, and it became numbed. I then asked one of the passengers to press on ray knee ; he did so, and a few seconds after 1 asked him to pull on the reins. A few seconds later he let go, and when we got to the foot of the hill the coach locked short, and went over in consequence. The horses went down hill a little smarter than usual, bat they were not bolting, j. had them well in hand. One of the horses stumbled about the same time the coach locked, and fell, hut the capsizing of the coach was not caused by the horse. The horse was dragged, but 1 could not say what distance. The moment the coach went over, the king-bolt came out, and the horses bolted. In my experience as a driver, breeching is not required with a brake. Ido not think there are three quieter horses in the entire stable than those driven on that occasion. I believe that pressure on the brake caused the shortlock and consequent capsize. The horses used by Cobb and Co. are always well broken-in before they are used in a coach. Whether the horse had fallen or not, the coach would have turned over.

The enquiry was then adjourned until three o’clock next Friday, at the City Council Chambers, for the production of other witnesses.