ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1091, 9 January 1912, Page 3

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

COLYTON RESIDENT JUMPS

FROM WINDOW

Thomas Peddie, a sheepfarmer, twenty eight years of age, a resident of Colytou, near Feilding, committed suicide at Miss Curtis’ private boardinghouse, 98 Molesworth street, Wellington, on Saturday night. He had been strange in his manner lately, and a man named McCarry was engaged to look after Peddie.

Pedclie’s mother and sister were also staying at Miss Curtis’ place, and on Saturday eveuiug McCarry was asked to go to Thorndon station for some luggage, the mother and sister undertaking to sit with Peddie until McCarry’s return.

The sister (Mrs J. A. Miller, of Hastings) had occasion to leave the room for a lew minutes, aud was not long away when she heard screams from her mother. She rushed to the stairs and saw her brother, who had a bedioom ou the ground floor, running up the stairs. She followed, but could not get up in time to stop her brother from raising one of the windows and jumping out on the pavement below.

The unfortunate man was picked up by Dr Newman, Mr James Wareham, and others, but was quite dead. Deceased’s father, the late Mr Thomas Peddie, was a retired hotelkeeper, aud was formerly licensee of the Clarendon Hotel, Napier.

SENSATIONAL ACCIDENT AT PALMERSTON.

EXPRESS TRAIN CRASHES INTO A VEHICLE.

A miraculous escape from a serious accident occurred at Palmerston on Saturday afternoon, at one of the level crossings in the square, when the northern Main Trunk express was passing through.

Mr johu Hurley, of the Railway Hotel, vvho was out driving, accompanied by his niece, attempted to cross over the railway line after the Wairarapa train had passed iu, and not hearing the Auckland express coming out ou the other line, he drove over, and was crashed imo by the engine of the latter train.

The force of the collision cut the horse clean out of the vehicle, aud thiew the occupants on to the road, Mr Hurley’s niece falling on her head almost under the engine. She was rendered unconscious, aud received nasty wounds on the face. Mr Hixtley escaped with bruises. The horse was badly hurt, and will be useless.

The Main Trunk express pulled up immediately, aud the passen gers poured out of the carriages to see what had happened. The crowd was rapidly augmented by pedestrians Horn the Square, aud in a few minutes about a thousand people had gathered. THE INJURIES. Mr Hurley is very much scratched and bruised, and his shoulder, where he came in contact with the steps of the railway carriage, is very painful.

Miss Bredow’s case is more serious. Her injuries comprise a fracture of the base of the skull, concussion of the braiu, aud a cut ou the head.

CUT TO PIECES BY A TRAIN.

Thames, Jau. 8

A shocking accident occurred ou Saturday night on the Kapaeranga river railway bridge near Thames. Upon the arrival at Thames of the 9.30 train, the driver, making his usual examination of the engine, discovered a man’s cap on the front portion with blood stains, hair aud pieces of flesh, proving beyond doubt that a fatalitv had occurred.

The police were communicated with, aud a search commenced, aud the awful discovery was made that two persons had met their death with startling suddenness. The body of Walter Miller, aged 35, a local carrier, was found iu the river, while the body of a half-caste native woman, Piri Te Pere, aged 40. was found ou the bridge terribly mutilated. The man’s body was found near the river bank, aud the woman’s body oa a sleeper some distance from the bank. Exactly how the fatality occurred is a mystery.

The engine driver did not feel a bump, aud, though he kept a good look out, saw no one. The presumption is that the couple, not knowing of the holiday change in trams, thought the last train had passed, and alter crossing tne bridge sat down and had some fish aud beer, aud went to sleep. Thames, January 6. A serious shooting accident occurred ou the steamer Wakatere. One saloon boy, Robert Rowlands, of Auckland, asked another lad, Arthur Walding, for a clothesbrush. Waldiug opened his cabinmate’s drawer to gel the brush and found a revolver. He began fooling with it, and not knowing it was loaded pointed it at Rowlands’ head, wheu it went off, Rowlaude now lies in the hospital iu a critical condition. Walding is nearly distracted .with grief.

MOTOR CAR ACCIDENTS. Dannevirke, Jan. 8. A sensational motor car accident occurred in the Ngapaeruru district yesterday, about 14 miles

from Daunevirke. The car was driven by a settler named Livingstone, and tbe passengers comprised Mr aud Mrs Mason and two children, aud Mrs Wiltshire (Dannevirke). At the foot of a grade the gear was changed, wheu the engine stopped, and the car ran back over an embankment. Mr Mason had his hip-bone broken aud his wife sustained a fracture of the wrist. Mr Livingstone sustained an injury to both ankles. The rest miraculously escaped uninjured, The car fell many feet down the bank-and was badly broken up.

Oamaru, Jan. 8

William Smith, aged 55, was run over by a motor car in North road ou Saturday, and died this moruiug. Deceased was a butcher, aud was returning from work with two companions wheu the toot of a motor horn was heard. The other two jumped clear of the car, but deceased, who was blind in one eye, jumped iu front. The car was on the right side of the road, and was going at a normal pace.