ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 25, 28 January 1913, Page 2

ACCIDENTS & FATALITIES.

A SUICIDE. (Per Press Association.) Auckland, January 27. A middle-aged stable-keeper of Pukekohe, named Fred. Burns, committed suicide yesterday by cutting his throat. Deceased had had business worries. He lived alone but it is believed that ho was married. ACCIDENTAL DROWNING. Wanganui, January 27. An inquest was held to-day on the body of the young man William Gil-, bert Brown, who■ was drowned in the river on Saturday evening, through the upsetting of. aj yacht-. A verdict of accidentally drowned was returned. .. \ A BARMAID’S SUICIDE. Wellington, January 27. An inquest ,on the body of (Lilian Mabel Green, or iMollveen was held to-day. Medical (evidence wasito'the effect that deceased had been faking veronal in such quantity as seriously to affect her health, and she was probably not fully aware of what she was the immediate cause of death. The licensee of the Grand Hotel, where deceased was ernployd, said that he had understood thfit she was single, but a marriage certificate found, which showed that she was married in January, 1909, to Leslie Frank Green. The coroner returned a verdict that death was due to shock from taking lysol, following on veronal poisoning, while deceased was probably of unsound mind, owing to mental worry. CAR BACKS OVER A HILL. Wellington, January 27. A serious motor car accident occurred on the Little River-Akaroa road between 10 and 11 this morning. A car containing Mr Herbert Peai’ce, (a well-known Christchurch builder and a member of the Christchurch Tramway Board), Mrs Pearce and child and Mr and Mrs G. Pengaliy and two children, was about a mile from the hill top when the engine suddenly stopped. The brakes failed to act, and the car ran back and went over the bank. Fortunately the fall was broken by a clump of native shrubs. A party of grass-seeders witnessed the mishap and went to the assistance. They extricated the occupants, who were pinned under the car, and, with the help of some motor-cyclists, removed them to the Hilltop Hotel, where they were attended to by Dr. Cantrell, of Akaroa, who was telephoned for. Mr Pearce fractured his shoulder, Mr Pengaliy has a fractured arm and a broken elbow, Mrs Pearce has a nasty scalp wound, and ‘Mrs Pengaliy and the three children are unhurt, but are suffering from shock. All are returning to town this evening.

Further information concerning a sad , fatality. which occurred at Waitanguru is now available. It appears that Mr Walter Jones, a settler at Waitanguru, who acted as postmaster, had got up at a very early hour to effect some repairs to his milking machine. Mrs Jones shortly afterwards went out to assist her husband at the milking operations, leaving two young children, aged respectively two and a-half ,years and fifteen months, asleep in the house. When the parents returned they found the house enveloped in flames. Mrs Jones was first to return, and her screams drew Mr Jones to the scene of the tragedy, but all hope of effecting a rescue was past. The unfortunate mother had attempted to penetrate the flames, and \yas severely burned. At the inquest evidence was given by the father of the victims. Ho stated that when he got up in the morning his wife remarked on the smell of something burning, but he assured her it must be the smell of the smouldering bush fire. Another witness stated that the eldest child was sleeping in the kitchen, and when the bodies were found this child was in the room where the baby was sleeping. Tim jury returned a verdict of accidental death, no blame being attachable to anyone. A rider was added expressing the deepest sympathy with the bereaved parents.