MR CHUMNEY’S DEATH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 81, 11 March 1916, Page 3

MR CHUMNEY’S DEATH.

'* - 1 THE INQUEST. The inquiry into, ; thp death,of, the late Mr T. Clnmmey was held at Inglewood on F|-idiLv '.before-( Mr A. Crooke, coroner. Constable Longhottom conducted the inquiry, and.Mr Paterson watched* the proceedings on behalf of the friends of the deceased.

James Swan, .partner!avith deceased at:Tarata for a little]ir>!ver 25 yctirs. said: I last saw deceased alive at 11 o’clock on Wednesday morning, when he left to come to Inglewood to attend the sale, and have never seen .him since since. He was 51 years old on :,the 26th last April, He was a Single main. ' f '• • Dr. Whitton. sworn, said: 1 was driving towards Katapiko in Lad-' brook’s motor car at about 4 'a.in. on the 9th. When about a mile from town my attention was drawn to a motor car overturned.!: Mr Ladbrook called my attention to deceased lying under the 'car. Icexalhined his hand: there was' no pulse, 4he was dead. On a subsequent/Examination

I found only a fehail scratch on the left temple and a bruise on the throat over the larynx. Death had been instantaneous from the compression on the chest, stopping the heart’s action. Deceased was sitting cm the “wheel” seat. He had his pipe in his hand showing that death must have come quickly. W. G. Ladhrook, sworn, corroborated the doctor’s evidence, and said: Deceased was still in the driving seat with his head bent forward on his chest. I loft the doctor at the sue of the accident and came into Inglewood and reported the matter to the police. There is a rather nasty turn to the left on the road where the accident occurred with a drop on tinright hand side,of, I think, about three feet. 1 examined the wheel marks and from them judged lie was not travelling very fast. He had made a zig-zag course for about tom chains; this is easily accounted for m probably having one hand on the wheel while adjusting the lights wlth the other. On reaching the corner of the road ho had taken too wide a sweep, and by so doing two wheels had gone over the drop. r lhe tracks showed that he had been endeavouring j to get hack on the road as he had travelled for some yards in this way to where the drop became deeper 1 he car was too much over to get back. One of the front tyres had burst «nd was torn off the wheel—the off ironb wheel. As a motor car driver, deceased was always very careful. W. Hogg, stock buyer residing at Inglewood,"sworn, said: I have known deceased very well for tbe last hve years. I hist saw him alive at about a quarter past ten o’clock on Wednesday night. I had seen him often during the day, during the progress o the fair at the sale yards. Deceased left! the yards about 5 o’clock. I sav Mr Death and deceased in the C ommercial Room of the Inglewood Hotel I about nine o’clock, and they were I talking about the sale to be held at ! Tarata the following day. We bad I two drinks each, just before ten o clock in the hotel. He then drove me m ibis motor car to the Inglewood Mub. I I left hint at the doer and went and

[posted a letter and returned to the | hotel. He was not under the influence * 'of liquor at that time—a quarter past 1 ten. He is a very temperate man. • I George Gudgeon, proprietor of a Motor Garage and Cycle Shop, at j Inglewood, sworn, said; After leaving the Club at midnight deceased and I remained talking in the street for about three-quarters of an hour. He then got into Ins car and said hewould get home, as he wanted to be up at daylight to get his sueep ready for the sale. Ho then cranked his. car, and turned it round in the street. As ■ he was leaving I called to him that : Ids lights were not too good. He said “They’ll pick up, George, when she’s . been running a bit.” Nothing took , place between us just before leaving, j He had no drink while in my company, j and when he left for home he was apparently perfectly sober. I have seen the place and examined tlie road by das light, and there was a zig-zag at ; the top of the hill, and I think the down grade reduced his light, and through that he over-ran the turn, and 1 think his lights must have gone out. I have often known the electric light on Ford, cars to go out through slow travelling. Constable, Longhottom, constable stationed at Inglewood, sworn, said; I went,to the scene of the accident. Dr. Whitton .wa^', there 1 and informed

me that, deceased was dead. Deceased' was sitting in the car, which was overturned, tlie steering , wheel ivas pressed into his neck with his head on his chest. . His pipe was in his hand. The road at this particular 4 place takes a very sharp turn to the left J It is about a chain' wide, only partj being metalled. From the metal to the side of the road at that place is about three feet. From examination of file tracks of tlie car it was quite evident deceased was taking ton J-vido a sweep for tlie turn and the wheels going over the side caused the capsize of the car. 1 brought the body up to Inglewood Hotel, and on searching the clothing 1 found £6 15s 10(1, a silver watch and chain, and a cheque book. I subsequently examined the body; There were no bruises except on tbe chest and neck. This concluded' the evidence. ,The Coroner said that as no one witnessed the accident, arriving at

the cause could only be a matter ol conjecture. The evidence oi one witness showed 1 that he had. called the attention of deceased, when he was leaving, to the poorness of his lights, and' it was very probable that the suggestion that he was endeavouiing to regulate the switch at the time and let the car go too wide in taking the corner, and so let the car run off the metal and onto the drop in the road, was the correct one; but it was impossible to he certain. His verdict was; That tlie deceased Thomas Chmoney, on the 9th inst., on the Junction Road, was killed by a motoi car overturning onto him. wherein he was suffocated and died of heart failure.