KILLED BY TRAM

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 935, 31 March 1930, Page 1

KILLED BY TRAM

ACCIDENT ON COLLEGE HILL MAN DIES IN HOSPITAL Curious circumstances surround the death of Mr. Thomas Gannon, who died from injuries after being knocked down by a tramcar on Saturday evening. Despite the desperate efforts of tiie ; motorman to avoid knocking Mr. Gan- j non down he appears to have walked j in front of the tram while it was travel- j ling at a considerable speed. The accident occurred on College | Hill at six o'clock on Saturday even- j ing and the injured man died in the Public Hospital just before eight o’clock yesterday morning. Mr. Gannon lived in Riro Street, Point Chevalier, where he was build- j ing a house. He and his family had only gone to live there about five days ago. Before that they had lived in the city. On Saturday evening Mr. Gannon was walking down College Hill when j the tram approached him from Three j Lamps, Ponsonby. Just after cross-! ing Greenwood Street he walked offj the footpath and stood on the tram j tracks holding up his hand as though j he wanted the approaching tram to] stop. The motorman, Mr. A. X. Strange, applied the brakes suddenly, thinking hat the man had mistaken the tramstop, -which was 90 yards further I own College Hill. Instead of stand_ng to one side until the tram was orought to a standstill Mr. Gannon appeared to walk deliberately in front j of the approaching tram just as it 1 reached him. j The force of the impact threw him on to the other set of rails. Mr. I Gannon’s skull was fractured and ho j received severe internal injuries. The tram was stopped immediately and | the St. John Ambulance was called ■ to take the injured man to the Public j | Hospital, w-here he died yesterday j I morning. j Mr. Gannon was employed by the j j Auckland Gas Company. He was 50 j | years of age and had a family of five j children. One son is married. Mr. ! Gannon was an ex-soldier and had seen 1 service in India. He was a veryexcitable man and any unusual event affected his nerves. He and his family came to Xew Zealand about six years ago and settled in Auckland. RELEASE AGREED TO DEATH OF SENTENCED WOMAN’S HUSBAND SANCTION BY MINISTER j Her husband, Thomas Gannon, j dying from injuries received when he j was knocked down by a tramcar on j Saturday evening, the release of i Rebecca Gannon,' who was sentenced to imprisonment on Saturday morning for shoplifting, was approved this morning by the Minister of Justice, Sir Thomas Sidey. Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M.. made! the application to the Minister this morning. He asked for the release of the woman, who was sentenced to imprisonment for 21 days, and explained the unfortunate circumstances of Mr. Gannon’s death. During the trial of Arthur Thomas . Munn this morning, Mr. Hunt was called from the Bench to the telephone. He then received a communication from the Minister saying the release of Mrs. Gannon had been agreed to. Mrs. Gannon, when she appeared in court, pleaded guilty to the theft of a frock and a skirt from different shops on Friday evening. It was stated in court that Mr. and Mrs. ' Gannon had been in Xew Zealand j about seven years.