DRAGGED TO DEATH BY A HORSE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 17, 20 May 1871, Page 8

DRAGGED TO DEATH BY A HORSE.

A painful incident is reported from Cooma. It appears from the proceedings at an inquest given in the “ Manaroo Mercury” of the Bth instant, that a young woman, daughter of Joseph Woodcroft, blacksmith, wishing to look after a horse running in the bush, obtained the use of an old mare from a neighbour, saddled her, and went away very quietly. Her mother some houis afterwards became alarmed for her safety, having seen the mare on the hills at the back of the house without a saddle, and her daughter not returned. Several men started in search of her, and she was found by a labourer named Bernard Boon, whose statement thus describes the dreadful circumstances of her death. He says:— After looking in various directions, and going home several times to see if she had returned, I rode away again for about a mile and a-half from the house, and there came upon what appeared to he the skirt of a dress, and, a few yards further on, a petticoat, a good deal torn, and some spots, which I took to be blood, upon it. It was a moonlight night, but at the time I discovered the petticoat the moon was rather overclouded. About 70 or 80 yards further on I discovered the body of deceased, lying on her back, the head inclining down the hill, and her right hand over her breast; the left knee was gathered up, and a side-saddle over it; the left leg was through and between the stirrup leather as far as the knee. There jwas no stirrup, and the stirrup leather was only a piece of a bridle rein. There was one broken girth on the saddle. Deceased was quite dead and cold when I found her. There was blood on her face and one of her legs. She had on her stays, drawers, stockings, and boots, and a small portion of her frock and jacket was lying near her right shoulder, with stains of blood on them. On finding the body, I cooeyed as loud as I could, and after about a quarter of an hour Samuel Woodcroft, the brother of the deceased, came to me. He said, ‘ Have you found her ?’ I said ‘ Yes/ He said ‘ls she dead ? I replied, ‘ She is/ We took the sidesaddle off her leg, and then both rode back as fast as we could to get assistance to convey the body home. There were two or three dry deep ruts, or small creeks, and marks as if a body had been dragged over them, and near where the body was lying was a thorny bush, tom up by the roots. About half way between the place where 1 found the skirt of a dress and the place where the body was lying, I found some white beads, which appeared to have been a portion of a necklace.” According to the medical testimony, the left temple was driven iu by a fall or kick, and the whole head and body exhibited a mass of severe wounds Death must have resulted from concussion of the brain.