A RECENT CASE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1569, 27 September 1905, Page 3

A RECENT CASE.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times..); [Advt.]

“ Inhumanity to man makes countless thousands to mourn.” Sir, —In a monthly prohibition journal published by the fiev. J. G. Paterson, the Kev. Geo. Hounsell and Francis Stafford appears an article on the death of the late James Alien.. Had they before putting such into print taken the trouble to enquire as to the verity of the circumstances connected with his death it would have been more estimable and have saved wounding the feelings of his relatives and friends. The true version of the accident and what occurred is as follows : Allen borrowed a horse from Mr J. Lucas at Matawhero, he also got the loan of two shillings from the same person, sixpence of which he spent at Makaraka on his way to Gisborne (the remaining one shilling and sixpence was found upon his person at the police station), in the early part of the afternoon he was seen in the public library reading a newspaper, “ sober,” at ten minutes past four he was in Common Shelton’s yard getting his horse, and during the time conversing with two persons who implicitly state that he was perfectly sober, and at half-past four “ Butterworth” on a bicycle passed him on horseback on the Makaraka. road, returning to Matawhero. It is known that the horse he was riding is a timid animal and has thrown others, therefore is it not possible that the bicycle frightened the horse, which became unmanageable, and threw the rider, injuring his skull ? The police being informed found him unconscious, and the constable who came to his assistance pronounced him drunk, took him to the police station and put him in the lock-up instead of taking him to the hospital as he should have done. A man with his Bkull injured would not be otherwise than in a dazed condition, and it must be admitted that the treatment he received was not proper. The uncalled for stigma put upon the deceased in the publication by Christian teachers is an uncharitable i act, inhuman and at variance with > Christian feeling.—l am, etc., t lx Veritate Victoria. e _______