A Terrible Death.

Manawatu Herald, 20 December 1892, Page 2

A Terrible Death.

A FEILDING RESIDENT GORED. On Thursday, Xf r Henry Coombe, an old resident of Feilding met, with a horrible death through injuries inflicted by a bull which he was leading up the Makino road with a rope through a nose-ring. The unfortunate man was seen leading; the bull up the road in the forenoon, Early in the day Mr E. Doherty .noticed a bull tied to a fence opposite to Mr L. Holden'a farm, and on going near a dog came out of a paddock, but did not bark. Mr Doherty did not suspect anything wronsr, and went to his wo- < in an adjoining paddock, and asked his mate, Mr Terry,

Whether he knew Whose bull it was tied to the fence. Mr Terry replied that he did not. On leaving work at 5 30, Mr Doherty noticed where the bull had been tied a hat in the drain, which he picked up. The dog again came out of the paddock, and he concluded something was wrong. He went inside, and following a track in the grass came on to Mr Coombe, quite dead, lying on the right side, with a white pockethandkerchief over his face. The body was brought to Feilding, and it was found that the unfortunate man had received a fatal wound on the left breast, one eye had been gouged out and other injuries sustained. Evidently from the appearance of the ground, the deceased had had a struggle with a bull, and, in addition to the stick, had attempted to protect himself with his knife. Although mortally wounded, he had . still the courage to tie the beast up to a fence, then he no doubt retreated to the paddock in the first instance for a place of safety, but finding his j strength failing from loss of blood, and the fatigue the struggle must have caused to a man of his age, lay | down. The day w.as hot, thirst must have added to his other pains, he covered his face with his handkerchief to protect himself from the glare of the sun, and died, we know not when, with only the dog as a witness. A great deal of sympathy is expressed in Feilding with Mrs Coombe in her terrible affliction. Mrs Coombe was not at home at the time of the sad occurrence, having gone to Wanganui for a change, and returned on Friday. The deceased who3e sterling character demanded the esteem and respect of all who knew him, was a brother of Mr James Coombe of Fern Flats, near Marton. — Advocate. Mr G. M. Snelson, District Coroner, held an inquest at deceased's house last Thursday, when a verdict of accidental death was returned.