ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5051, 1 June 1877, Page 3

ACCIDENTS AND OFFENCES.

An inquest was held on Saturday, May 26, before J. C. Crawford, Esq., K.M., and a jury, on the body of the man who hanged himtelf in the gaol early on Friday morning. Mr. Iteid, the governor of the gaol, was first examined, and deposed that the deceased was brought to gaol about a week ago on a remand warrant, and on Friday morning hung himself as described. Dr. Harding was sent for, but the man wa3 dead when discovered and cut down by a man named Harris. Mrs. Taylor was also examined, her evidence throwing some light on the circumstances of the deceased's history, she having been his wife. It appears that Taylor (who gave his name as Brown) had beeH a color-sergeant in the -61st Regiment, and was in receipt of a pension of 2s. per diem. He had been in the colony for a period of two years, and recently had been drinking heavily. His wife observed nothing in his behavior of late to indicate an intention to commit suicide, but he had frequently told her that he was not afraid to die, and once said he would have drowned himself previously, but could not do so, being such a good swimmer. The jury returned a verdict of death from hanging. Another tragedy was enacted on Monday mornißg. A man named Bryan, a basketmaker in Willis-street, shot himself in the ear with a revolver. Information was conveyed to the police, and Dr. Harding sent for, but he gave it as his opinion that there was no hope of the unfortunate man recovering, the bullet having penetrated his brain. It appears that Bryan, who is about 38 years of age, came from Sydney eighteen months ago. On the voyage from Sydney his wife noticed that he was very low-spirited, and ever since that time he has been frequently subject to fits of mental depression. Kecently he had been drinking rather heavily, and constantly kept a loaded pistol in his possession, his conduct being gensrally eccentric. Yesterday morning his wife left him about half-past 9 o'clock in his bedroom, and had scarcely b- ; ei. ali-ent a minute when she heard the ••pint of a pistol, and immediately ru-l:i; "A in-" ' ier liusband's room, found him lyiru in a chair, with a pistol-shot wound behind tiie right ear, from which blood was (lowing freely, and a small revolver, with five barrels loaded, was found on the floor near him. Dr. Harding having given Bryan all the attention he could, left, and a constable remained with the wounded man. Shortly afterwards Uryan called his wife, and he then said, " M:iy God fo.givo me;" those being the only words he uttered, for he immediately afterwards became insensible. It appears that Brvau had commenc.'d to write a letter to Captain Williams, but had not proceeded very far with it, all he had written being as follows: _-" Wellington, May 28, /77.- Captain Wil. Ija.m-,—Sir,—I am not able to work, and intend to go into the country for " Here the lctt'-f broke off. From the first it appeared «-. ideal that Bryan could not live, but he '.):..;•: "'' "'J throughout the day. Part of the tirii'-- he was suffering from convulsions ; tov.Mids night, however, he became very exhausted, and it was only just possible to discover that life still remained in the body. He expired the same night. There has been a fearful case of burning to death beyond Lucas' Creek, William John

Peacock, a notorious drunkard, who had had several hairbreadth escapes, got a bottle of rum at Eiverhead on May 4, and after coming home drank the whole bottle between 5 and S o'clock. He went to bed and asked a youth named Nesliifct, who lived with him, to give him a light for his pipe. After smoking some time, he went out and re-lighted the pipe. Xesbitt, who went asleep, was soon wakened by a crackling noise, and saw the head of Peacock's bed in flame's. He could not awaken Peacock. He then tried to drag him out, but, being a very heavy man, only got him as far as the door of the partition. Soon after a powder flask under Peacock's bed exploded, and a gun on the wall went off. Xesbitt was obliged to leave the building. He alarmed a neighbor, but when both returned, the roof had fallen in, and the body was burnt all but the trunk. It is supposed Peacock threw a match into the thatch when lighting his pipe. Stolen property is occasionally recovered under peculiar circumstances, an instance of which appeared on May 23rd in the Resident Ma'dstrate'sCourt, when a man named Sturgess steward on board the Ocean Mail, was charged with stealing a gold watch, the property of Mr. Mace. It appears that some considerable time ago Mr. Mace was playing in a cricket match on the Basin Reserve, and had his watch stolen from Mm. A description of the watch was given to the different jewellers and others into whose hands such articles were likely to fall, and every effort wasimul" by the police to recover the timepiece, but without effect ; and nothing was heard of it until the 22nd, when the police wore sent for by Mr. Broadbent, jeweller, of Mannersstreet, who gave Sturgess into custody for hav- ■ ing iu his possession the stolen watch. The circumstance was most peculiar, and seems to verify the old adage that it is " ail ill wind that blows good to no one." Sturgess had had sufficient caution apparently not to dispose of the watch before going away, as detection would almost inevitably have followed ; but becoming "hard up" on returning to Wellington from the wreck, and possibly thinking that the affair had blown over, went to have the article priced, so that he might sell it. Mr. Broadbeut having been supplied with a description of it by the police, and having a

very good memory, atonce recognised the watch, and" recollected the circumstance which gave him a knowledge of its appearance, and he sent for a policeman. Sturgess was then taken before the magistrate, and remanded till Friday.