Fatal Accident at Waituna
On Saturday afternoon there occurred »fc Waituna, .one of- those fatal accidents Nwtticffare, unlii»pp.ily, .only,, too frequent in a bush country. Mr Xaing, the. employer of AnJrew.Maci.-ole who was .iilled^-rbde into Feildiug on Saturday night and informed Constable Tuohey, •who went but on Suuday morning to the "Waituna store, whence the body had been conveyed, and had it brought into Feilding to the Feilding Hotel, where THE INQUEST 'Was held yesterday afternoon by the ' Coroner, Mr Snelson, before the following jury:— Messrs W. T. Ward (foreman), jaidley 5 Wynne -Williams, B; J. Gosling, J. T. Foster and Lovejoy. The jury, having been sworn, viewed the body, when the following evidence "was taken :- - Donald Laing deposed: He was a ' bushfelier, being partner in a bush contract with John McLarin on G. V. Shannon's property at Waituna ; had known deceased for four years ; for the past five or six weeks deceased was in the employ of witness; on Saturday lost about 4.30 p.m. deceased and witness were telling a riinu tree ; as the tree was about to fall, deceased, who was on the opposite side of it, called out " Look out for yourself "; witness ran one way and deceased ran anbther ; that was the last time witness saw deceased alive ; as the rimu was falling it brought down a honeysuckle tree, under which deceased was standing; the honeysuckle was about one foot through ; when the rimu came down the distance between witness >and deceased was a half or one chain; could not see each other because of a clump of supplejacks ; when the tree was down " cooed," to Maccolebut 4>ot no answer ; Bdderick McKay came in answer to the call ; McKay was working two or three chains away ; searched for Maccole, and found him laying on his tack, with his legs drawn up; deceased ■was ou the bank of a shallow creek, or .gully, about live or six feet deep; his head was split open, one of his arms was broken, and one or both of his legs were broken; life was extinct; he had also a znarl? on the stomach where something iiad hit him ; left at once to inform the
police at Feilding; the following morn- ■ ing, after his return from Feilding, witassisted.to carry the body some four ipr' five miles to the Waituna store; deceased had no money when he was £rst employed, by wkness; the father of deceased. is a farmer at Drury, Auckland; owed deceased £6 4a for wages ; the swag <jf deceased was of lrttle value; he was h&n in 'Glasgow, Scotland, and arrived -with' his parents in Auckland about 20 .years ago ; deceased was about 28 years age; did. not know what church he belonged to; the body now lying in the 3iotel was the body' of the same ; from the position of the honeysuckle tree it must .have hit deceased before it was broken ; deceased niU3t u haye.^be|ii standiner when lie was hit ; tHe barrel of the tree was about a foot above deceased as it lay .across.: the gully, and brpken where the deceaseds was.lpriof.' " • ' ' . ; J&ttie foieimtiru': Thought" deceaaedi lacing the tree that was falling the thneihe accident happened. . . ■ Rodetick McKay deposed : He was a t>ushman in the. - employ of. the last witxiess ;->the <body now lying af the hotel -was thY body of Atidrew Maccoje..; ..lastSaturday afternoon /deceased [jt;&&- falliug^ iushvwith the previous witness; was ■working/about- three' tiKains away from them; between 4 and 5 .o'clock heard. Xiaing^- "coo-ec" ;•' answered 'at once;
iieard the tree fall ; when, witn.esa reached Mm Laiug- said, "I can't find Andy, -I iav-'ftt seen Mini 'since the tree came jtlo.wn-' ; searched lot deceased with Lamg who fpund the -body ; had nothing to add to the evidence of the* prp vjlqus vyvitness ; Maceole was of a quiei disposition-; had only .known him- for five wie~e&s.. . . . . > = Constable^- Tnohey deposed : He had. proceeded to the scene, of the accident, Aud at 12:30 p.m. on Snuday toqk possession ofathe : body at Waituna ; searched the body, and found akiiife, some tobacco an&j&rpipe; the wounds were as described by Jh'e witness Laing; "had the body, conveyed^ to-; the Feflding ; Hotel; believed, the death was the result of an accident. TMs^jft^an the evidence. The -Coroner Said it Was clear there -was iuv3>ktme to be attached to anybody. A verdict of " Accidental Death " was returned. - -
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/FS18901014.2.20
Bibliographic details
Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 50, 14 October 1890, Page 3
Word Count
724Fatal Accident at Waituna Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 50, 14 October 1890, Page 3
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