SHOCKING ACCIDENT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2394, 18 November 1880, Page 2

SHOCKING ACCIDENT.

On Saturday morning last at 7.30 John Archibald Craig a young lad aged IG left Wellington for Karora in company with another lad a year younger than himself named Herbert Philips, each taking a gun for a day’s shooting, both, it is stated, being accustomed to the use of fire-arms. After lunching together in the bush, the lads are reported to have boon cutting supplejacks, aud whilst doing so Philips it shed oil to take a shot at a bird. Finding his gun empty, and no ammunition with him, he called out to Craig to bring up bis gun to the scene. Hearing Craig’s gun suddenly go off, and the poor lad’s cry of distress, Phillips returned to him and found him lying motionless, shot through the right side, just under the ribs, the shot having taken the direction of the heart. It should be mentioned that the gun was a brass-mounted cavalry carbine converted into a fowling piece, and the muzzle, from the nature of the wound, must have been close to the deceased’s side, when it was caught by a supplejack aud exploded. Phillips at once fetched Mr Tarr, a. dairyman residing half-a-niile from the scone of the fatality, who Gliding Craig quite dead, despatched a messenger into town. The occurrence having been reported to the police, Sergeant Burtenshaw at once went out and brought the body in upon an express and lodged it at the Morgue. Craig was a line young fellow who had been recently appointed a pupil teacher under the Education Hoard, after passing a highly creditable examination.—Chronicle.”