WHICH TO BELIEVE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 730, 12 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

WHICH TO BELIEVE.

1 The case of Alexander Brown seems to ; demand some comment, it w&a this : ( Alexander Brown, a lad of thirteen years, 1 was an apprentice on board the Southern ' Cross, a barque now discharging in Lyttelton harbor. For some day 3 the lad appears to have beer, seriously ill—suffering from congestion of the Jungs, but he only received a little medicine prescribed by a chemiat. On Saturday evening he was found dead in hrsbed. The facts brought out at the inquest are nut a little surprising, and the evidence is somewhat cnnHicting. The master's and the second officer's account is, substantially, that they did not know the deceased was seriously ill, and that he was treated with a fair amount of consideration. This was continued by the evidence of a fellow-appivn-tice. The evidenc- of tho two employes on the radway is slightly at variance with J the account of the previous witnesses. ()ne of them— H-nry Hu'ch'son—deposed that he had seen the poor Intl under distressing circumstances : that hn was staggering and unable to walk ; that ';e j fell down twice in attempting to cross the railway line ; thit witness found him " lying with his head upon his hands moaning;" that in reply to questions the boy said he had been iij for '• three trips ;" and that on being told " when you go aboard tell the captain to take you to the doctor," he had replied that he could not " get any medicine." The second witness—Thosyaa Ockford—gave a general confirmation to tiie evidence of Hutchinson ; and added these additional particulars : that his attention was drawn to the boy by hearing a lad calling—tkl suppose you'll say you are dying now ;" i that several bystanders gathered round ! him, to whom witness said— l: That boy is dying." This was on Thursday. The evidence of the two railway employes is at variance with that of the officers of the ship on one important point. They said that the boy stated that ho had been ill for " three trips," while his officers deposed that they were unaware of his illness until the last few days. Further, it is clear that if strangers could notice the serious received earlier attention from those under whose charge he was, and who were responsible for his cure.—Press.