ACCIDENTS AND DEFENCES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5005, 9 April 1877, Page 3

ACCIDENTS AND DEFENCES.

Within the last week several accidents have occurred at the Upper Hutt. On the 17th instant John O’Lochlan fell from a timber dray and broke his leg. On the following day (Sunday) a boy named James Brown was gored by a cow and seriously injured ; and on Tuesday a man named David Taylor fell off his horse and broke one of the small bones in his foot.

An unfortunate accident happened to Mr. Miller (a son of Mr. W. Miller, late of the Commercial Hotel, Willis-street) on March 16th. At a place about two miles the other side of Castlepoint he was thrown from his horse, his collar-bone being fractured in the fall. Notwithstanding the injury he had received, however, he immediately remounted and rode all the way to Wellington, and proceeded to the surgery of Dr. Diver, who set the bone. Ho is now progressing favorably. A moat unfortunate accident happened at the sports bn the Basin Reserve on March 17th. Mr. W. Murphy, one of the competitors in the running hop, step, and jump event, fell and broke his leg, and had to be taken to the Hospital, whore he received all necessary attendance.

It will be seen by a telegram from Wanganui that an unfortunate accident occurred there on Thursday, March 22. Henry Smith, cook on board the Stormbird, fell over the Corporation wharf and was drowned. The body, wo learn from a private source, was recovered at 11 o'clock on Friday morning. An inquest was held in the course of the day, and a verdict of accidental death recorded, the jury adding a rider to the effect that the wharf was insufficiently lighted. At an inquest held on Monday, March 12, at the Morgue concerning the death of Andrew Illassamhurn, George Perdrieu, third officer on board the telegraph steamer Agnes, stated that deceased was an A.B. on hoard the Agnes ; a Frenchman by birth, and about 26 years of age. Deceased had shipped on hoard the Agnes at Sydney about five months ago. When landing the cable on Sunday in Lyell Bay, there was a heavy surf on, but no wind. Witness and deceased and four others were in a lifeboat, underrunning the cable, when one of the slings broke. The ooat turned broadside on to the sea and capsized. Witness saw all his men safe excepting deceased, who was not found for a quarter of an hour ; ho was then quite dead. Dr. Lemon tried the effect of galvanism, but without avail. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

In the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch, on Monday, the 12th March, Edward Pooley, one of the English cricketers, was charged with assaulting Ralph Donkin. Prior to the cricket match here Donkin made a bet with Pooley; but afterwards, considering it a catch hot, sent a message to Pooley that he cried off. After the match Pooley claimed the amount of the bet, £36. Donkin refused to pay, and Pooley then assaulted him. The parties being separated Donkin went away, Pooley followed, and an altercation ensued, followed by another assault. The evidence was contradictory as to who was the aggressor in the second assault, but the magistrate considered it proved that Pooley struck the first blow iu both assaults, and im-

posed a fine of £5. Edward Pooley and Albei t Bramhall, the money-taker for the cricketers, were then arraigned for wilfully and maliciously destroying clothes and plans, the property of Ralph Donkin. At 10.30 on the same night as that on which the assault was committed Donkin’s bedroom at Warner’s Hotel was seen to be in its usual order. Shortly after Dooley was seen to come out of Donkin’s bedroom, and Bramhall was standing close to the door at 11 o’clock. Warner, whose suspicions were aroused, went into the bedroom and found Donkin’s clothes and a lot of plans torn tip. The damage done to the clothes was valued at £35, and the damage to the plans £6O. The Bench committed both men for trial. Bail was accepted—each man in his personal surety for £2OO, and two sureties in £IOO each.

We hear from Oanaaru on March 23rd that about a fortnight ago some men saw a man walking about on one of the islands in the Waitaki, and gave information to the police. Constables were sent both from here and Waimate, but they could not find the man. Nothing more was heard of the matter till Tuesday last, when two Maoris discovered the dead body of a man lying on an island just below where the man had been seen previously. Yesterday morning the constable sent out found the body lying near the water. It was the corpse of a man of middle age, with dark tweed trousers and elastic-side boots, and singlet, the latter drawn up from body and enveloping head. The body was much decomposed, and the face so decayed as to be unrecognisable. It would appear that deceased tried to swim from the island and was drowned, and was washed up where found. As to how he came upon the first island,it is conjectured he tried to cross the river in a moki, and being unable to cross managed to reach the island. After careful inquiry, it cannot be found that anyone is missing from any of the stations, or any place in the neighborhood.