HAWERA.

Patea Mail, 11 December 1880, Page 3

HAWERA.

The Mai c heir orer DO subscriber# between Manutuhi and Stratford. HRANCH OFFICE OF THE MAIL , Friday Evening. FURIOUS DRIVING & COLLISION. At the R.M. Court held yesterday, before C. A. Wray, R.M., and F. McGuire, J.P., .John Waters, late coach driver, was charged that whilst in the charge of a certain coach drawn by four lioz-scs, on the 27 th October, 1860, on the main road near Tongahoe, by wanton and furious driving unlawfully did cause bodily harm to one Andrew Chalmers and also to one Francis Brett. Sergeant Cahill conducted the prosecution, and Mr Farrington was for the defence. Andrew Chalmers gave evidence to the effect that ho was a passenger by coach for Wanganui on the 27th Oct, There was no room inside, and he was told to get somewhere. He got on the top with another person. Nothing occurred until going down Mannwapou hill, although the driving had been excessively fast previous, but after passing the coach on Manawapou, Waters drove at a terrible rate, about 15 miles an hour. Heard no remonstrances. The coach capsized on the bridge. I was thrown off into (lie river. Have been in tbc habit of coach travelling, and the pace would not have been so terrible on level road. Manawapou hill road is narrow, with many windings. 1 consider the coach should have been driven slowly down the bill for safety. Tbc driver was not standing up. The leaders were galloping. The driver was sober and bad tbc horses under control. They wore not running away. I attribute the accident to the pace at which the horses wore driven. Francis Kingston Brett corroborated the former evidence, and stated that he was on the box at the time and told Waters to steady the pace. When the coach cap-

sized, he was jammed between it and the bridge. Ho bad been laid up in bed for a week in consccpicncc, and still suffers from the effects of the accident. Attributed the accident to the top weight and the speed the coach was driven. Did not think the accident would have happened if the coach had been driven in a proper manner. Charles Edward Gibson also gave corroborative evidence. Mr Farrington's cross-examination of each witness did nut alter the evidence Mr Farrington addressed the bench, asking them to dismiss the case on the pica that the evidence did not go to show that the coach had been capsized by wanton and furious driving. The bench look a different view, and committed the defendant for trial ai the next sitting of the District Court. Bail allowed, himself in £IOO and two sureties in £uo each.