ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

Evening Star, Issue 21750, 19 June 1934, Page 9

ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS

CROMWELL RESIDENT'S DEATH.

A well-known Cromwell resident, George Bennedict M'Lachlan, committed suicide by shooting himself with » ,303 rifle at his home at Cromwell on Sunday morning. Just before noon ho was in the house by himself, the members of lus family being a short distance away outside. Hearing a loud report, they hurriedly entered the house, and found the deceased lying on the floor, with the rifle between his legs, and u string on the trigger. There was a fatal wound near the heart. The deceased left a note saying that he was ending all. An inquest was held by, the coroner (Mr/E. Jolly) yesterday, a verdict being returned that deceased died from a gunshot wound, self-inflicted, while m a depressed state of mind. The deceased was a married man, thirty-six years of age, with four children, whose ages'range from five to seventeen. He went to Cromwell some years ago as an employee of the Railways Department, Ho was acting as relieving guard when he resigned to take up the forwarding agency business which he was carrying on at the time of his death. He was a prominent member of the Railway and Defence Rifle Clubs, and a keen Rugby enthusiast. . FARM LABOURER’S DEATH. John Leary, a farm labourer, aged about thirty-eight years, and single, was found in a liut on Mr Hector Gibson’s property at Tarras at 7.30 yesterday morning, lying unconscious on the floor, with a gunshot wound in the heart, and a .22 calibre rifle alongside him. Ho was attended by Dr Austin, and removed, to Cromwell Hospital, where ho died at 9 o’clock this morning. The date for the inquest has not yet been fixed. COLLAPSE AT ENTERTAINMENT. During last night’s wrestling match between Koioff and Walker at the Wellington Town Hall Leonard Roberrshaw, a member of the audience, collapsed and died. Most of the audienco wero unaware that anything untoward had happened, although the task of removing him from the hall caused somo little disturbance. Robertshaw, who resided at 46 Hutt road, was a clerk, aged fifty-five years. COLLIDED'WITH MOTOR CAR. Thomas Rutherford, aged fourteen years, residing at 13 Wills street, was riding a bicycle along Mailer street. Mornmgton, when he collided with a motor car. He was admitted to the hospital at 11.55 a.m., suffering from head injuries.