FATAL GUN ACCIDENT. Auckland, May 8.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 367, 11 May 1889, Page 3

FATAL GUN ACCIDENT. Auckland, May 8.

Thk following aro tho particulars of the melancholy fatal accident which happened to Mr William Perret Mead, of Maungakaramoa, a young man of 27 .years, manager of the Maungakaramea Choe&e Factory. Tho deceased "and a ' party oi four others,-, named respectively H. A. Swafield, James Walker, and John and William Creamer, after working at a threshing machine at Mr Walkor's, about throe o'clock started on a pig-hunting expedition, there being threo guns in the parts. They went to Maungakaramea Mountain. When they got to whero o'Carroll's track branches ofl', on the main road, John Creamer loaded his gun (a breochloader). He opened the barrels and pub in cartridges charged with shot. At this time his brother, William Creamer, and deceased were about three yards in advance of Uio other portion of tho party. After John Creamei had closed the gun, Svvabeld, who ownod the guv, told Creamer it was at full cock and said, " You arc not going to carry that gun at full cock." Creamer turned towards him, thereby bringing tho muzzle of tho gun round, and at that instant tho gun went off, the charge s-triking deceased on the outer aspect ot the right thigh. Deceased at once tell to tho ground crying out, "My log is broken ' Blood at once began to flow in a frightful manner, proving that tho arteiies were sovored. Creamer took a strap and handkerchief, with which ho tightly buckled up tho wound, but could not stay the How of blood. A dray was procured, and tho deceased taken homo, when' the -loss of blood was found to be so great that the dray and straw on which ho was laid were completely covered, every movement ot the dray increasing the discharge. On arriving the doctor stated that tho sofa on which the wounded man \va& lying was so completely saturated that blood was dripping to the floor. Dr. Claiko was sent foi, who, with his assistant, Mr Mason, vipited deceased about six o'clock in the evening. He described the wound a» being about two inches in diameter. The shot entored tho leg, fchatcering the bone six inches in length, downwards. Though on the outside the wound was but two inches in diamotcr, the shot had spread, after contact, and in the cavity both hands could be placed. Deceased lingered in a most prostiate state until three o'clock on Sunday morning, when he expired, Dr. Clarke saw there could be no attempt at rallying the patient. He waited' until death, hoping to detect the slightest sign of revival so as to amputate the leg, but it did not occur. • The verdict of the jury was one df "Accidental death," to which was added- a rider urging upon all carrying firearms the neces&ity-of exercising greater care, never pointing a- gun to any person, either loaded or unloaded ; and also expressed an opinion that the gun in question was unsafe.