Stratford News

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 168, 3 December 1912, Page 3

Stratford News

From Onr Resident Reporter, DISTRESSING AFFAIR AT TOKO. FATAL -IMPROMPTU " CIRCUS." ONE YOUTH SHOOTS ANOTHER. The principal subject of conversation to-day has been the tragic affair at Toko. The unfortunate habit of pointing guns "carelessly "at other people was again the cause of a sad fatality. The victim was a youth named Arthur Lawrence,. and the unfortunate lad who brought about the death of his pal is George Henry. Corbett. The lads were to have attended a circus on Saturday night at Toko, but the circus did not materialise. SL ' V " oral lads gathered for the evening in a. room which seems to have been used as a sort of gymnasium. After a while someone suggested a circus. Two guns were procured, and a duel was to be fought. Then the tragedy occurred, for one of the guns was loaded, and young Lawrence was mortally wounded. A coronial inquest was held yesterday, morning, before Mr. C. D. Sole, actingcoroner, and a, jury of five. ■George Herbert Corbett, aged seventeen years, apprentice blacksmith, living at Toko, the owner of the double-bar-relled shot-gun produced, said he last used it on Friday to shoot a hare on his way home from Tututawa. When he got home it was fully loaded, but lie did not l remove- the cartridges before putting it away. He was .wet and cold. He had never before put the gun away without unloading it. On 'Saturday morning he removed the gun to an adjoining house, and hung it up in a room used as a kind of gymnasium. On Saturday night he had several visitors to the room —Leslie Davis, Charles Lawrence, Arthur Lawrence (the deceased), .Jim Heal, Ernest Heal and Archie Steer. They were boxing, and playing an accordeon. After they' had been there some time lie went and' got his gun. saving -they would have A MOCK CIRCUS. The idea was put into his head because there was to have been a real circus at Toko that evening, but lor some reason it did not turn up. He marched round the room with uie giin at "sfloulder arms." To the Coroner: ,L am iu the Senior Cadets. Witness continued that he did not look to eee if tlie gun was aoaded. There were two guns m his room, and deceased got the other one, but he could not remember suggesting that Lawrence should get it. Uceeaseu marched round the room alter witness with the gun in his hands, taking part in the "circus." After the marching, they took up positions, one at each end of the room, and near the walls, about twelve feet apart. In taking up these positions they had not arranged upon anything. He raised his gun towards the deceased, but did not aim at all, but just pulled the trigger.

Sergeant'McNeely: Did you purposely pull the trigger? Witness: Yes; I did not know the gun was loaded.

Sergeant McNeely: Did deceased level his gun at you.

Witness: I don't remember,

Sergeant McNeely: Did you hear him say any thing,-before lie fired? Witness: i\ T o. The gun went off, and he fell on the floor.

This, the youth continued, was about 9 p.m. He : ran next door for his mother, who ran across and bathed the wound. Lawrence was not then dead. He had known the deceased for the last eight years, and was a particular "mate" of his. They had had no row or disturbance that evening. The Coroner: Have you ever had any lessons from the Territorial officers oil the dangers of pointing arms? Witness: No.

Charles Edward Lawrence, a brother of the deceased, aged sixteen years, Jiv- I ing with Ins parents on the Gordon road, I Toko, that deceased was eighteen years of age. He went with his brother to Toko on Saturday, intending to go to the circus, but no circus was held. He saw Corbett. and was invited with his brother to go to Corbett's house. There were several 'other boys there in the room, and they were boxing. George Corbett went into his bedroom and ■brought out a gun, and marched round with it at "shoulder arms." Then his brother went into the bedroom, and came back with another gun. He heard his brother "clicking" the triggers, as he walked about. He saw Corbett and his brother on either side of the room facing each other, each pointing the gun at the other, and laughing and joking all the time. His brother remarked in a joking tone, "A dud between Corbett and Lawrence." The next thing he heard was a shot, and hig brother fell. He did not think then that his brother was shot; he thought it was only a blank cartridge. But when he saw the blood running from the throat, he knew the worst. One of the boys rang up Dr. Steven. His brother and Corbett had been on the best of terms as long as he could remember, and "were particular mates." Leslie Davis, who saw the whole of the accident, said there was a flash of flame from Corbett : s gun, and Lawrence fell. Corbett exclaimed: "I did not know it was loaded."

_ Dr. Steven gave evidence that on arrival at Toko he found deceased lying in a house adjoining Mrs. Corbett's, with a gunshot wound in the left side of his neck and face, extending backwards and inwards, and about three inches across. Ho dressed the wound and did everything that was possible for the boy's welfare, supervising his transfer to a motor-car. Deceased was then alive, but only par- ■ ially conscious. He supervised the lad's removal from the car at the Stratford Hospital, init deceased died before being put in bed. The actual cause of death was a gunshot wound. The- acting-coroner said it was perfect I 3' clear that death was the result of a pure accident and the almost criminal neglect of leaving a gun loaded. He understood it was the duty of Territorial officers to instruct above everything else the absolute danger in pointing a gun in this mann;r. It was such a simple thing to leave a cartridge in a gun, but also a very simple thing to break the weapon open and examine the chambers. It might just as easily have been . Corbett, and not Lawrence, who was Killed. Lawrence was a fine stamp of a boy—as fine a. yo.mg specimen of man- . hood as he had ever seen. Corbett has ■received hi - 3 punishmeat—a punishment that would last to the end of his days—but it could not be impressed too fully upon parents :>nd boys the great danger or pointing guns. . A verdict of accidental death was returned.

STRAY PARAGRAPHS Mr. Chas. Martin, manager of the Egmont Coach and Carriage Company, successors to the old-established firm of F. S. Pollock and Co, in the same wellknown premises, inserts a change advertisement in this issue, specialising '"Egmont" gigs and Massey-ITarris implements. Orders for any vehicles or repairs entrusted to this'firm will be executed in snih style as to prove the claim that "We please those wlvo want the best." Mr. H. -T. Hopkins, stationer and fancy goods dealer, Stratford, has an advertisement in this issue demanding attention. Tt is seasonable just now to ibuy presents. Mr. Hopkins' gives a piece of

his experience, which reads like sound •ammon-sense, and should have ihc effect, •f sending keen buyers along to this welistocked and commodious shop. BERNARD'S PICTURES On Monday evening the long-expected sensation, the ''Rod Cross Martyr," was screened. The scenario runs: War is declared. Lieutenant Troyano, a young Italian officer, makes haste to the home of his sweetheart, Marie Petrini. .and bids her farewell. Marie follows eagerly the progress of the campaign, and her heart is touched by the announcement that there is a crying need for Red Cross nurses, and Marie decides to volunteer for service. During the war the enemy shoot down the whole of the Red Cross party. Among the dead is the beautiful Marie Petrini, who falls "shot through the heart. To avenge, this outrage the aeroplane is called into use. The loss of Marie fell on no one so heavily as Lieutenant Troyano. who. until now, had been unaware that his sweetheart was at the front. Desperate in his grief, he begs to be allowed to fly the aeropjane and wreak vengeance on the murderers of the women. He is granted permission, and flying the aeroplane over the t city, he successfully drops bomb after bomb ■ with telling effect, reducing the city to ruins. All attempts of the enemy with their rifle fire to harm Troyano fail until, with reckless courage, he ap-. proaches too near and is- wounded by a shot, which causes him to lose control of the machine, which falls a useless mass ! outside the citv walls. He is picked up by his comrades, who carry his lifeless form back to the camp and lay him afc the | side of his devoted Marie, both being buried together with military honors.