FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE WASHDYKE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2476, 24 February 1881, Page 2

FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE WASHDYKE.

SECOND EDITION

News reached Timaru this morning that Mr George Peter Kippenberger, farmer, a well-known resident of the Washdyke, had met with a fatal acci dent. It appears that the deceased came into town yesterday for a load of firewood and other necessaries, and returned to the Washdyke last evening. When about half a mile from his residence, which is about two and a half miles from the Washdyke proper, the dray got stuck up, and being unable to get'it out of the rut it was in at the side of the road, the deceased unharnessed the horse and went home, leaving the dray where it was. About five o’clock this morning he went over to the house of a neighbour named Dowling and borrowed some leading chains. Pie also took two of his own horses and Started for the dray. Mr Morris Gentleman, farmer, resides some ten or eleven chains from where the dray was left. About 6 o’clock this morning he heard the deceased whipping the horses and calling to them. Shortly afterwards two horses ran past his gate. As the deceased did not follow, Mr Gentleman, fancying something might be wrong, made his way round the turn of the road to where the dray was standing, and was shocked to find the deceased lying on his right breast, close to the dray, dead. This would be about a quarter to eight a.m. Dr Hammond w r as soon after summoned, and examined the body of of the deceased. He found that he had received a severe blow on the right shoulder, and there was a wound under the left ear, which, in the Doctor’s opinion had caused death. The body was removed to deceased’s residence where it awaits an inquest, which will be held to-morrow. There is no precise inrormation obtainable, pending the inquest, as to how the deceased met his death. The supposition is that he was leading the horses when they became restive, and broke away from the deceased, who was then thrown down, and violently dragged for some distance, during which his head came in contact with some sharp stone, which inflicted the fatal wound under the ear. The deceased who was ranch respected, was 60 years of age, and had been 18 years in the colony. He leaves several adult sons and daughters to mourn his loss.