FATAL ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5292, 12 March 1878, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT.

A young man named James Hearn met with his death at the Theatre Royal Hotel on Sunday night last in an extraordinary and fearful manner. It appears that the deceased, who was. about twenty-five years of age, and a brother-in-law of Mr. E. O'Malley, contractor, had recently been boarding at the Theatre Royal Hotel, and was in the upstairs bar, in company with Mr. 0. Gregory, another boarder, and Mr. G. Phillips, tobacconist, about ten o’clock oh Sunday evening. They were discussing the meaning of a certain word, to find the definition of which Mr. Bailey, the proprietor, went downstairs and obtained a dictionary. After the point in dispute had been settled, Mr. Bailey remarked that as it was ten o’clook'he would close the house, and accordingly went to the meter and turned off the gas. The boarders went to fetch their candles, and Mr. Hearn was seen crossing over the room as if to join one of his companions, .vyhen a sudden crash was heard,' and on lights

being obtained, it was found that Mr. Heam had fallen over the balustrade and through an aperture on to a table in the billiard-r. cm below. It was evident that he had sustained serious injury ; blood was streaming from his mouth, ears, and nose, and he appeared to be wholly .unconscious, though breathing audibly. Xhe table was spattered with blood, and a bend in one of the iron gasifiers told with what force the unfortunate man must have struck. Medical assistance was immediately sent for, and Drs. Diver and Bradford were promptly in attendance. They found, on examination, that the injuries were of a fatal nature, and held out no hopes of a recovery. Mr. Hearn was carried to his bedroom, and lingered; in an unconscious state until one o clock the next morning, when he expired, those who were with deceased at the time of the accident are utterly at a loss to account for its occurrence.